Temperature Field Distribution of a Dissected Blast Furnace

Abstract

The temperature field distribution of the upper part of a blast furnace (BF) is the result of the combination of charge distribution and gas flow. It is of great significance for both researchers and operators to study the thermal state and the phenomenon of the BF. The graphite box method is used in this study to obtain the temperature field distribution in the upper part of a 125 m3 BF. Graphite boxes with a variety of different melting point metals were loaded into the BF with the charge. And the temperature field distribution was obtained after the boxes were taken out with position and temperature information during the dissection process. The results illustrate that the graphite boxes are unevenly distributed in the BF, which was related to the distribution of BF materials. Furthermore, the temperature field distribution is asymmetric, and the isotherms present an irregular “W” shape, which is caused mainly by the simultaneous development of the edge airflow and the central airflow. Moreover, the shape of the softening and melting zone observed in the dissection process has a good correspondence with the temperature field. We concluded that the deflection of the temperature field and the softening and melting zone is related to the strong gas flow in the direction of No. 3 tuyere, the existence of accretion in the hearth, and the filling of refractory materials in tuyeres before blowing out.