LAPSE:2020.1041
Published Article
LAPSE:2020.1041
On the Impacts of Pre-Heated Natural Gas Injection in Blast Furnaces
Tyamo Okosun, Samuel Nielson, John D’Alessio, Shamik Ray, Stuart Street, Chenn Zhou
October 26, 2020
During recent years, there has been great interest in exploring the potential for high-rate natural gas (NG) injection in North American blast furnaces (BFs) due to the fuel’s relatively low cost, operational advantages, and reduced carbon footprint. However, it is well documented that increasing NG injection rates results in declining raceway flame temperatures (a quenching effect on the furnace, so to speak), with the end result of a functional limit on the maximum injection rate that can be used while maintaining stable operation. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of the BF raceway and shaft regions developed by Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS) have been applied to simulate multi-phase reacting flow in industry blast furnaces with the aim of exploring the use of pre-heated NG as a method of widening the BF operating window. Simulations predicted that pre-heated NG injection could increase the flow of sensible heat into the BF and promote complete gas combustion through increased injection velocity and improved turbulent mixing. Modeling also indicated that the quenching effects of a 15% increase in NG injection rate could be countered by a 300K NG pre-heat. This scenario maintained furnace raceway flame temperatures and top gas temperatures at levels similar to those observed in baseline (stable) operation, while reducing coke rate by 6.3%.
Keywords
blast furnace, combustion, Computational Fluid Dynamics, fuel injection, Natural Gas, numerical simulation, RAFT
Suggested Citation
Okosun T, Nielson S, D’Alessio J, Ray S, Street S, Zhou C. On the Impacts of Pre-Heated Natural Gas Injection in Blast Furnaces. (2020). LAPSE:2020.1041
Author Affiliations
Okosun T: Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS) and Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium (SMSVC), Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, IN 46323, USA
Nielson S: Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS) and Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium (SMSVC), Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, IN 46323, USA
D’Alessio J: Stelco Inc., Hamilton, ON L8L 8K5, Canada
Ray S: Stelco Inc., Hamilton, ON L8L 8K5, Canada
Street S: AK Steel Corp., West Chester, OH 45069, USA
Zhou C: Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS) and Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium (SMSVC), Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, IN 46323, USA
Journal Name
Processes
Volume
8
Issue
7
Article Number
E771
Year
2020
Publication Date
2020-07-01
Published Version
ISSN
2227-9717
Version Comments
Original Submission
Other Meta
PII: pr8070771, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2020.1041
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doi:10.3390/pr8070771
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Oct 26, 2020
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CC BY 4.0
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Oct 26, 2020
 
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Original Submitter
Calvin Tsay
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