Simulation of Blast-Furnace Tuyere and Raceway Conditions in a Wire Mesh Reactor: Extents of Combustion and Gasification

Abstract

A wire mesh reactor has been modified to investigate reactions of coal particles in the tuyeres and raceways of blast furnaces. At temperatures above 1000 °C, pyrolysis reactions are completed within 1 s. The release of organic volatiles is probably completed by 1500 °C, but the volatile yield shows a small increase up to 2000 °C. The additional weight loss at the higher temperature may be due to weight loss from inorganic material. The residence time in the raceway is typically 20 ms, so it is likely that pyrolysis of the coal will continue throughout the passage along the raceway and into the base of the furnace shaft. Combustion reactions were investigated using a trapped air injection system, which admitted a short pulse of air into the wire mesh reactor sweep gas stream. In these experiments, the temperature and partial pressure of O2 were limited by the oxidation of the molybdenum mesh. However, the tests have provided valid insight into the extent of this reaction at conditions close to those exper...