Abstract
The mini blast furnace process is an efficient route to produce pig iron based on the burden with granulated charcoal. New, improved technologies have recently been introduced in the mini blast furnace process, such as pulverized charcoal and gas injections, new burden materials, and peripheral devices that improve the overall process efficiency. In this paper, we revise the new injection possibilities and discuss new aspects for further developments. The analysis is carried out with a comprehensive multiphase multicomponent mathematical model using mass, momentum, and energy conservation principles coupled with the rate equations for chemical reactions, multiphase momentum, and heat exchanges. We analyze new technological possibilities for the enhancement of this process as follows: (i) a base case of pulverized charcoal injection with industrial data comparison; (ii) a set of scenarios with raceway injections, combining pulverized charcoal with hydrogen-rich fuel gas, replacing granular charcoal in the burden; (iii) a set of scenarios with hydrogen-rich gas injection at the shaft level, replacing reducing gas in the granular zone of the reactor; and the possible combination of both methodologies. The simulated scenarios showed that a considerable decrease in granular charcoal consumption in the burden materials could be replaced by combining a pulverized charcoal injection of 150 kg/tHM and increasing rich gas injections and oxygen enrichment values, decreasing the specific blast injection and granular charcoal. The productivity of the mini blast furnace process was increased for all scenarios compared with the reference case. We review the aspects of these operational conditions and present an outlook for improvements on the process efficiency.
Highlights
Renewable energy in the ironmaking industry is an important issue to develop the modern industry
This paper presents a comprehensive multiphase, multicomponent model based on the full physical and chemical interactions with the consideration of detailed rate equations accounting for the kinetics of the chemical reactions and phase transformations dynamically coupled with the internal state variables of the mini blast furnace reactor
We explore the areofconcurrent thehydrogen energy supply possibilitythese of the features enhancement the reactions with rates with gas withinfor thethe shaftendothermic of the furnace reactions ruling in the local the fluid dynamics conditions, gas which are strongly affected when massive by taking advantages of self-reforming and locally increasing the temperature by using gas the injections partially by promoting the gas reforming with the energy supply are takingself-catalytic place
Summary
Renewable energy in the ironmaking industry is an important issue to develop the modern industry. In the steelmaking production routes, the carbon-based processes are predominant [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. In this sense, the pig iron production step could significantly drive a new green steelmaking technology. The charcoal mini blast furnace process is an established technology. The charcoal blast furnace has been regarded as old technology, modern auxiliary and peripheral equipment have been introduced and greatly improved this technological route for hot metal production [2,4]. The mini blast furnace’s efficiency based on granular charcoal has continuously been improved with the introduction
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