The refractory system in blast furnace hearth is subject to harsh conditions including chemical attack and thermal / mechanical loads. The longevity of hearth is vitally important in achieving the target furnace campaign life and avoiding premature and costly repairs. Consequently, it is important to monitor the hearth refractory wear including the temperature distribution andprotective skull formation. This paper presents a novel approachto simultaneously utilizeAcousto-Ultrasonic Echo (AU-E) non-destructive examination and thermocouple / cooling system data to improve accuracy of hearth refractory wear predictions in operating blast furnaces. Example applications of this assessment methodology on blast furnaces are discussed. This assessment methodology is widely used to help prolong the blast furnace campaign life.
Multidisciplinary engineering analysis and advanced modeling techniques were used to identify and develop low cost design modifications to improve a blast furnace hot blast air distribution main that experienced frequent refractory failures. Piping flexibility analysis helped identify the root causes of refractory damage and determine the need for new expansion joints. Finite element analysis was used to optimize a custom-designed elbow-to-elbow tie-rod system, which ensures thermal expansion loads are not placed on connecting piping. Heat transfer coefficients through the elbows were estimated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) flow modeling. The cast refractory design was changed to a more reliable brick refractory design. Excessive draft was occurring during furnace back-drafting, so the system was assessed using CFD, and a passive flow-reduction spool was designed. This firstprinciples engineering design approach allowed for optimization and verification, ensuring that the new design addressed the root cause of the previous deficiencies.
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