DESCRIPTION

(OCR text may contain errors)

HOT BLAST STOVE AND BLAST FURNACE ARRANGEMENT Filed April 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1
III INVENTORS,
J/ICK HYDE FRED M. SCHWE/NBEPG BY g J M/K .dttomg March 30, 1965 J. HYDE ETAL 3, 75,816
HOT BLAST STOVE AND BLAST FURNACE ARRANGEMENT Filed April 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2
1? x ii INVENTOR5 J/ICK HYDE 6' F250 M. SCI/WE/NBERG Ml 6314M the stove in this position.
nited. States This invention relates generally to hot blast stoves for a blast furnace and more
particularly to a plurality of horizontal hot blast stoves having a common combustion chamber.
Heretofore, hot blast stoves for blast furnaces have been vertically disposed. Although the vertical
position required a large number of internal structural supports and such accessories as a stove
elevator to permit the equipment to be reached, the vertical position of the hot blast stoves was for
many years advantageous because it was relatively easy to set the checker bricks'in place with In
addition, prior to the use of increased pressures and temperatures the cost of vertical hot blast stoves
was not excessive. In recent years, however, the trend has been toward using higher pressures in
blast furnaces and higher temperatures in the blast to the furnaces. The increased temperature and
pressure in the blast to the furnace requires a corresponding increase in the temperature to which the
hot blast stoves are driven. This increase in temperature necessitated more costly refractory
checkerwork and alloy steel supports for the checkerwork. It was also necessary to use a shell having
a relatively large thickness to withstand the stresses imposed by the increased internal pressure.
In accordance with the present invention these difficulties are eliminated by placing the hot blast
stoves in a horizontal position. The thickness of the shell can then be greatly reduced especially when
the stove shell is constructed with dished ends which effectively withstands internal pressures. The
stove elevator and the great number of internal structural supports can also be elimihated.
chamber.- For proper operation of the blast furnace, it
is generally necessary to use three hot blast stoves in sequence. While one of the hot blast stoves is
supplying a hot blast of air to the blast furnace, each of the other hot blast stoves is being supplied
with heat from its internal combustion chamber, and the heat is stored in checker bricks within the hot
blast stoves.
- In accordance with the invention, a single external combustion chamber is used for all the hot
blaststoves instead of the three internal combustion chambers formerly-used. This common external
combustion chamber performs the function of the three separate combustion chambers heretofore
used in that while one hot blast stove is being utilized to supply the blast furnace with a hot blast of air,
the other two hot blast stoves are being heated by the combustion chamber.

The present invention thus eliminates two hot blast stove burners and combustion chambers with an
accompanying reduction in the capital cost of the equipment. Since the internal combustion chambers
are eliminated the size of the hot blast stoves can be considerably reduced, and a greater percentage
of the internal volume of atent 'is also eliminated. Thus the checker bricks in accordance with this
invention can be raised to temperature higher than heretofore used. The resulting greater heat
storage capacity reduces the quantity of checkers required to maintain the desired hot blast
temperature and thereby further reduces the size of the hot blast stoves.
A further advantage in the use of horizontal stoves is achieved by virtue of the fact that the horizontal
stoves spread the load per square foot over a large area and this, plus the reduction in size and the
elimination of two combustion chambers, elevators, burners, etc., reduces the heretofore necessary
amount of piling and foundations for the stoves.
In accordance with the invention, three hot blast stoves are disposed in a horizontal position, the
stoves may all be placed at the same elevation and adjacent to each other or they may be placed one
above the other. Each hot blast stove is substantially filled with checker bricks. The ends of each
stove may be dished for added structural strength. The hot blast stoves are connected to the bustle
pipe of the blast furnace by a hot blast main having three branch lines, one for each hot blast stove.
Each branch line from the hot blast main connects with one of the hot blast stoves through a valve
means which can be operated to cut off the flow of gases from the stoves to the hot blast main. In
operation, only a single hot blast stove will be operatively connected to the hot blast main at any time.
A single combustion chamber is provided for heating the hot blast stoves and this combustion
chamber is connected to the hot blast stoves through the same valves that control the lines to the hot
blast main. When these valves are positioned to close off the line between the hot blast stoves and
the hot blast main, the valve between the combustion chamber and the hot blast stoves is open and
thus two hot blast stoves are heated by the combustion chamber while the third hot blast stove is
supplying a hot blast to the blast furnace through the hot blast main and the bustle pipe. If one of the
hot blast stoves reaches the desired temperature it can be sealed ofi and all of the heat from the
combustion chamber can then be directed to the other hot blast stove.
For more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying
drawing in which:
FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the hot blast stoves of the invention;
FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a hot blast stove and the valve system therefor;
FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a typical hot blast stove of the invention; and
FIGURE 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the hot blast stove of
the inven- 3 through common conduit 22 and branch conduits 24, 26 and 28.

Means including valves 31 32 and 34 are provided in conduits 24, 26 and 28 to connect the hot blast
stoves alternately with the blast furnace or the combustion chamber 18. The connection with the blast
furnace is accomplished by conduits 42, 44, 46 which lead from valves 30, 32, 34 to hot blast main 48
which in turn transfers the gases passing therethrough to bustle pipe 49 and tuyeres 50 and into the
blast furnace 10. The valves 31), 32, 34 can be adjusted to either pass gases from the combustion
chamber 18 through conduit 22 and the branch lines therefrom into the hot blast stoves or in the
alternative to pass gases from the hot blast stoves through conduits 42, 44 and 46 to the hot blast
main 43.
Each hot blast stove is provided with a conduit 36 (only one shown) which is used to remove gases
originating in the combustion chamber from the hot blast stoves. These exhaust gases are then
passed through conduit 36 to a stack 38. Conduit 36 is furnished with a valve 40 (FIGURE 2) for
shutting otf the flow of gases between the hot blast stove and the stack 38 during the period that the
hot blast stove is supplying a hot blast of air to the blast furnace.
The hot blast furnished the blast furnace is derived from a cold blast of air from a blower (not shown)
through conduit 52 (FIGURE 2) and valve 54 to the hot blast stove. The cold blast of air from conduit
52 traverses the length of the hot blast stove and picks up heat from the heated checker bricks 72
within the hot blast stoves. During this period when the hot blast stove is delivering a hot blast of air to
the blast furnace, valve 30 (FIGURE 2) is positioned to close off conduit 24 between the combustion
chamber and the hot blast stoves, and the valve in this position allows the hot blast to be directed
from the hot blast stove through branch line 42 to the hot blast main 48, bustle pipe 49 and tuyeres 50
and into the blast furnace 10.
The stoves 12, 14, 16 are capable of heating the blast to a temperature considerably higher than the
maximum temperature at which furnace 10 operates. Therefore a portion of the hot blast to the
furnace comes directly from the cold blast line 52 (FIGURE 2) to the hot blast line 42, 44, 46 via mixer
line 58 and branch lines 60, 62, 64. Mixer line 58 branches off from the cold blast line upstream of the
valve 54 and enters branch lines 42, 44, 46 through conduits 60, 62, 64 and valves 30, 32, 34. Each
of the conduits 60, 62, 64 is provided with a valve 66, 68, 70. Adjustable mixer valves 66, 68, 71) are
mounted in these branch lines to control the portion of the blast which takes this route and thus
control the temperature of the blast reaching the furnace.
The hot blast stoves and their checker bricks can be of conventional design, typical are those shown
in FIGURES 3 and 4. In FIGURE 3 the checker bricks 72 and the furnace wall 74 can be hexagonal in
shape. In FIGURE 4, the checkers could be laid up in a series of concentric rings 76 within a
cylindrical wall 78. The hot blast stoves of this invention are capable of being heated to temperatures
as high as 4000 F. thus allowing a high hot blast temperature for use in blast furnaces operating at
high pressure, since no problem of overheating structural supports exists in the novel arrangement of
this invention; such problems limited the temperature of the vertical arrangement known heretofore.

In typical operation, the cycle has just been completed when stove 16 is cooled and stove 12 is fully
heated by way of combustion chamber 18 to a temperature of about 4000 F. while stove 14 is partially
preheated to a temperature of about 3750 F. At this time valve 30 is open to pass a hot blast from the
hot blast stove 12 to blast furnace 10. Valves 32 and 34 are positioned to pass heating medium from
combustion chamber 18 to hot blast stoves 14, 16. Valve .54 is open delivering a cold blast from a
blower (not shown) to hot blast stove 12, and the equivalent valves (not shown) on hot blast stoves 14
and 16 are closed. Valve 40 on hot blast stove 12 is closed and the equivalent valves (not shown) on
hot blast stoves 14 and 16 are open, thereby allowing cooled gases from the combustion chamber 18
to be exhausted through chimney 38.
The valve 54 (FIGURE 2) is thus open so that a cold blast of air from conduit 52 will enter hot blast
stove 12 through conduit 53. This cold blast of air picks up the stored heat from the checker bricks 72
in hot blast stove 12. The resulting hot blast of air flows from stove 12 through valve 36 (FIGURES 1,
2) and then through conduit 42, hot blast main 48, bustle pipe 49 and tuyeres 50 into the blast furnace
10.
During the time the hot blast stove 12 is furnishing heat to the blast furnace, the other two hot blast
stoves 14, 16 are being heated simultaneously by a flow of hot gases from combustion chamber 18.
This is accomplished by passing the hot gases from combustion chamber 18 through conduit 22 and
branch conduits 26, 28 through valves 32, 34- and into the hot blast stoves 14, 16. The heated gases
pass through the hot blast stoves 14, 16 giving up their heat to the checker bricks therein and the
gases exit from the hot blast stoves through conduits 36 and into stack 38.
The amount of the heat supplied to the hot blast stoves 14, 16 is regulated, as by the position of the
valves, so that when the temperature in hot blast stove 12 has been depleted to a predetermined
temperature of about 3500 F. the temperature in hot blast stove 14 has at this point reached a
maximum predetermined temperature of about 4000 F. and the temperature in hot blast stove 16 will
be at an intermediate temperature of about 3750 F.
At this time valve 54 in conduit 52 of hot blast stove 12 is closed thereby shutting off the cold blast of
air into hot blast stove 12. Valve 30 is repositioned to allow passage of heated gases from combustion
chamber 18 to enter the hot blast stove 12 through conduit 24, and valve 40 in conduit 36 of hot blast
stove 12 is opened to allow the cooled gases to be delivered to the stack 38. Simultaneously, a cold
blast of air is delivered to hot blast stove 14 through its conduit 52 and valve 54, and valve 32 on hot
blast stove 14 is repositioned to shut off the flow of gases from the combustion chamber into the hot
blast stove 14 and allow the passage of gases from the hot blast stove 14 through the valve 32 into
branch line 44, hot blast main 48, bustle pipe 49, and tuyeres 50 to the blast furnace 10. At this time
the valving associated with hot blast stove 16 is not changed.
Operation is continued with hot blast stove 14 furnishing the hot blast for the blast furnace while hot
blast stoves 12 and 1.6 are being heated by the combustion chamber until the temperature in hot

blast stove 14 is depleted a predetermined amount. At this time the valves are repositioned to allow
the hot blast stove 16 to supply the blast to the blast furnace, and simultaneously the hot blast stoves
12 and 14 are heated by the gases from the combustion chamber 18. The above cycle is then
repeated.
During the delivery of the hot blast from any of the hot blast stoves to the blast furnace, the
temperature of the hot blast is regulated to the desired temperature by way of the appropriate mixer
valves 66, 68, 70 whereby a portion of the cold blast from conduit 52 flows through valves 66, 68, 7'9
and the valves 30, 32 or 34 controlling the hot blast stove which is delivering the hot blast to the blast
furnace. As the temperature of the checker bricks in the hot blast stove is reduced as it heats the cold
blast of air travelling therethrough the amount of air flowing from the cold blast line to the mixer valve
is adjusted to maintain a substantially constant hot blast temperature in hot blast main 48.
The invention as described above provides a low cost,
efficient installation for providing a hot blast for a blast furnace. The invention provides hot blast
stoves which are capable of being heated to temperatures significantly higher than those heretofore
known while eliminating a large number of internal structural supports and accessories and
decreasing the size of the hot blast stoves without decreasing their capacity.
We claim:
1. In combination with a blast furnace, a plurality of hot blast stoves and a single combustion chamber
separate from and arranged outside of said hot blast stoves, means to support said combustion
chamber in a horizontal attitude, each of said hot blast stoves being substantially cylindrical in shape
and horizontally disposed, first means for alternately operatively interconnecting said combustion
chamber with each of said hot blast stoves, second means for alternately operatively interconnecting
each of said hot blast stoves with said blast furnace, said first means including conduit means and
valve means, said second means including conduit means connecting said blast furnace with said hot
blast stoves through said valve means, means for supplying a cold blast of air to each of said hot blast
stoves for use when said hot blast stove is delivering a hot blast to said blast furnace, and
means for removing exhaust gases from each of said hot blast stoves for use when said hot blast
stoves are being treated by gases from said combustion chamber.
2. In combination, a blast furnace, three horizontally disposed hot blast stoves, and a single
combustion chamber separate from and arranged outside of said hot blast stoves, means to support
said combustion chamber in a horizontal attitude, means for selectively connecting said combustion
chamber with two of said hot blast stoves for supplying heat to checker brick in said stoves, means for
supplying a cold blast of air to the remaining hot blast stove for heating of the cold blast to produce a
hot blast, and means for feeding said hot blast to said furnace.

3. In combination with a blast furnace:

(a) a plurality of hot blast stoves adapted to supply hot blast air to said furnace;
(b) means supporting said hot blast stoves in a substantially horizontal attitude;
(0) conduit means communicating said furnace with said stoves;
(d) a single combustion chamber separate from and arranged outside of said hot blast stoves adapted
to supply heat to said hot blast stoves; and
(e) means to support said combustion chamber in a horizontal attitude;
(7) conduit means communicating said combustion chamber with said hot blast stoves whereby heat
is supplied to at least one of said stoves selectively at a time.
References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 340,110 4/86 Gordon 26319 358,500
3/87 Strobel 26319 446,501 2/91 Wetherow 263-l9 759,171 5/04 Gaines 26319 X 1,074,097 9/19
Stevens 216---l4 1,303,155 5/16 Bingham 266-14 1,518,258 12/24 Fahrenwald 26315 1,592,616 7/26
Noyes et al. 263-19 X 1,716,572 6/29 Wright 26315 1,924,936 8/33 Lehr 26319 1,941,446 12/33 Isley
26319 2,351,661 6/44 Carter of al. 263-15 2,505,861 5/50 Johnson 263-19 2,931,635 4/60 Braun et
a1 26319 2,936,162 5/ Coberly 263-57 3,124,337 3/64 Fritz 263l9 CHARLES SUKALO, Primary
Examiner:
JOHN J. CAMBY, Examiner.

Blast Furnace and Stoves

Blast furnace
The blast furnace area provides the raw material for steel-making. Iron produced in the blast
furnace contains a high proportion of carbon, typically 4%, and lacks any of the additives
needed to give the steel its various special properties.
The early iron-making process
The raw materials for iron-making, iron ore, limestone and coke, were usually found close to
the foundry. Iron ore deposits in the Welsh mountains, which were visible and collectable
above ground, were known as patches.
Smelting the iron ore required a large amount of heat, and a furnace was needed to contain
the materials and withstand the high temperature. The first furnaces were made of stone and
lined with fire bricks. The raw molten iron gathered in the bottom of the furnace and was
tapped off into receptacles called pigs. The expression pig iron is still used in modern steelmaking.
The principles of iron and steel manufacture have changed very little, except that very much
bigger modern blast furnaces incorporate much more automatic control in order to increase
the furnace output and efficiency.
Blast furnace construction
During the 1950s and the early 1960s, UK blast furnaces compared favorably with those in
other countries. Hearth diameters in this period varied between 8 and 9.5 meters, with
capacities of 1,800 to 2,000 tones per day and working volumes of around 1,500 m .
The productivity of the blast furnace was expressed as
Output (tones/day)
Working Volume (m3)
Substituting the above figures gives productivity factors of 1.3 to 1.5.
By the mid 1960s, the Japanese had made major advances in blast furnace design. Daily
output was increased from 3,000 to over 11,000 tones, with hearth diameters of 14 meters

and working volumes between 4,000 and 5,000 m3. Productivity factors for these furnaces
ranged between 2.0 and 2.5.
Comparing these figures to the UK figures, it is clear that increasing the blast furnace
diameter from 8 meters to 14 meters increased the furnace productivity by only 50% or so.
Understanding the effects of other parameters on the iron-making process has increased
productivity and efficiency dramatically. Examples are:

fuel rate effects, including blast temperature, gas efficiency and oxygen enrichment

blast volume and top gas pressure

burden quality and aerodynamic factors

availability (the time the furnace is in use compared to the time it could be used)
The UK has tended not to follow the Japanese approach of building larger furnaces, but
British Steel at Redcar boasts the biggest UK furnace at 14 meters. Rated at 10,000
tones/day, it has actually produced 11,135 tones/day. Its availability is 97.1% including
planned stoppages, and 99.9% if planned stoppages are excluded.
UK furnaces are considerably smaller than the Japanese, but come very close on efficiency.
Table 1 (on page 2) gives the specifications of the Redcar furnace, which compares favourably
with the Japanese, Korean, German and Italian furnaces.

Table 1: Redcar blast furnace data

Chemical & physical aspects of iron-making

Figure 1 shows a schematic of a blast furnace and indicates the chemical reactions which
take place in each area. This section discusses the physical properties of the materials at
each stage of the iron-making process, and considers the conditions which encourage the
chemical reactions.

Figure 1: Blast furnace

Monitor burden passage

The furnace is charged with sinter pellets and rubble ore (iron bearing materials), flux and
coke. Conventionally, the materials are charged through a rotating hopper distributor and
two-bell system, although many modern furnaces have the Paul Wurth bell-less top which
uses a rotating chute. Correct distribution at the furnace top is achieved by controlling the
feed rate and the order in which the materials are fed in.
At the top of the blast furnace stack, indirect reduction of the iron ore by carbon monoxide
takes place:

The iron-bearing ore and pellets then undergo low temperature breakdown, where the
particle size is broken down. With some grades of ore, this can result in a large amount of
fine material, which causes poor aerodynamic characteristics in the stack. It may fluidize and
the furnace will not then drive efficiently, causing output to drop.
At the bottom of the furnace, stack temperatures exceed 900-1000C and the iron-bearing
material can swell up, again causing low output, particularly when sinter pellets are used.
When the iron is hot enough to soften, two more reactions begin; carbon solution loss

and direct reduction

The best coke rate conditions are when maximum indirect reduction has taken place and
before direct reduction begins. This is achieved by correct charge distribution and by using
materials that are easy enough to reduce.
As softening progresses and the rate of reaction between coke and iron oxide increases,
primary slag formation starts.

Figure 2: Stoves schematic diagram

The final result of the movement of material through the furnace is the accumulation of
molten iron and slag in the furnace hearth. Slag is the less dense material and it floats on the
surface of the iron. There are tap holes or notches at different heights in the hearth, so the
iron and the slag can be tapped off separately through channels in the cast house floor.
Once solid, the slag takes the form of volcanic-like rock, and is sold mainly as infill material.
The iron is now ready to be sent to the steel plant for further chemical processing (see Steel
making application note).

Stoves
The hot blast air is produced by passing cold blast air through preheated chambers or
stoves, and heating the air to above 1000C.
The stove is first heated up by burning gas and combustion air within the chamber and
allowing the heat to be absorbed into the brickwork, or chequer work. This mode is called
on-gas. When sufficient heat has been absorbed, the stove is put on-blast. In this mode, no
combustion takes place, but cold blast air is forced through the stove and absorbs the heat to
become hot blast. This is then mixed with cold blast to bring it to the right temperature, and is
then forced into the blast furnace via the tuyeres near its base, as shown in Figure 2.
It is quite common to have three or four stoves, so that at any time one stove is on-blast
while the others are on-gas or boxed. A boxed stove has been heated up to temperature and
sealed, so that it is ready to go on-blast. If one stove is down for repair, it is possible to run
on just two stoves.
Stove changeover
Figure 2 shows the layout of a typical stove system. The procedure for changing over from
one stove to another is as follows:

assume stove 2 is on-blast and stove 1 is heated up and boxed ready for use

valve 1 of stove 1 is opened first, allowing cold blast into the stove to pressurize it

valve 2 of stove 1 is opened, so that stoves 1 and 2 are now on blast

stove 2 now comes off blast by shutting valves 1 and 2 of stove 2

Stove 2 is now put on-gas, to heat up again, now that its stored energy has been used.
Valves 3 and 4 of stove 2 are opened during this stage, allowing gas and air to enter the

stove, and the waste gases to leave once the gas has been burned. When the stove is up to
temperature these valves are closed again, leaving the stove boxed.

Gas enrichment
The waste gas produced by the furnace is used as fuel in many areas of the steel works.
Generally, however, its calorific value is very low and it requires the addition of natural gas
and/or coke oven gas.
Figure 3 shows a typical control scheme, where the blast furnace gas flow rate is inferred by
subtracting the natural gas and coke oven gas flow rates from the total mixed gas flow rate.
This calculated value is then used as a ratio setpoint for the natural gas and coke oven gas
control blocks, keeping the proportion of each type of gas entering the stove constant and
achieving the desired calorific value of the total mixed gas.

Figure 3: Gas enrichment control

Oxygen enrichment of cold blast

It has been proven that a small increase in the oxygen content of the cold blast, to 22-24%
instead of the 21% O2 content of normal air, improves the efficiency of the furnace.

The control scheme includes O2 analysis and independent shutdown equipment, but only
the controller and its I/O will be discussed here. Figure 4 shows a schematic for this part of
the process.

Figure 4: Oxygen enrichment of cold blast

The cold blast flow is measured and oxygen is injected into the main, controlled by a ratio
control block with the control blast flow as a ratioed PV. The actual O2 content of the cold
blast is also measured, and this signal is used to trim the ratio of the oxygen to the cold blast,
maintaining a constant value.
When a high O2 alarm is activated, the usual requirement is that the O2 control valve is
immediately closed. Additional and separate alarm circuitry shuts the isolation valves. The
control valve closes due to the track action of the controller.

Stoves combustion control

Three control modules are required in order to achieve the following:

dome temperature control

air flow control

gas flow control

The gas flow into the stoves is measured and controlled to a local set point. The gas flow
reading is used as a set point for the air flow ratio controller. The combustion control
mechanism is similar to the one described in the Soaking Pits Application Note.
The O2 reading trims the air/fuel ratio, until the dome temperature nears its required value then the dome temperature controller output replaces the O2 trim signal activated by the
dome controller high target temperature. This action increases the air flow to the stove, while
keeping the gas flow constant. This mode is known as excess air, and has the effect of
increasing the heat distribution in the stove while cooling the stove dome. A steady
temperature is maintained within the stove, and the heat is absorbed into the chequer work.
This on-gas phase continues until the stove has absorbed enough heat, when it can be
boxed or put back on blast.

Hot blast temperature control

After leaving the stoves, the hot blast enters the base of the blast furnace via the tuyeres. It
passes up through the furnace, reacting with the coke, ores and fluxes, and emerges as top
gas, containing mainly CO and CO2. The upwards pressure from the gases supports the
burden, so that there is a pressure drop of 1.4 bar across the burden, irrespective of the top
gas pressure. With this pressure difference, the furnace permeability is good - i.e. the
materials move downwards through the furnace at the right speed.
The hot blast temperature needs to be kept constant, to maintain good furnace efficiency.
The temperature of the hot blast leaving the stove decreases as the stove cools down, so to
achieve a constant temperature the hot blast is mixed with cold blast in the mixing chamber
(see Figure 2).
The proportion of hot to cold blast is controlled by a control module which also throttles the
cold blast to the stoves. As the stoves energy is used up, the hot blast temperature falls, and
the amount of cold blast which is mixed with it is decreased. The flow of cold blast into the
stove is also reduced, so that the gases spend longer in the stove to absorb the heat. The
hot blast temperature control scheme is depicted in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Hot blast temperature control

Tuyere flows control

The hot blast air and natural gas are injected into the blast furnace through tuyeres
distributed around the perimeter, typically 24 or 36 off.

Whilst the overall natural gas flow is ratioed to the cold blast flow, each individual tuyere also
has natural gas to hot blast air ratio control. Figure 6 illustrates the use of one control module
to ratio the natural gas flow to hot blast air for one tuyere.
Additional analogue inputs are used to check for water leakage within the tuyere by
comparing inlet and outlet water flows.

GENERATION OF HOT AIR BLAST AND HOT BLAST

STOVES
POSTED BY SATYENDRA ON APR 18, 2015 IN TECHNICAL | 0 COMMENTS

Generation of Hot Air Blast and Hot Blast Stoves

A hot blast stove is a facility to supply continuously the hot air blast to a blast furnace. Before the blast air is delivered to the blast
furnace tuyeres, it is preheated by passing it through regenerative hot blast stoves that are heated primarily by combustion of the blast
furnace top gas (BF gas). In this way, some of the energy of the top gas is returned to the blast furnace in the form of sensible heat.
This additional thermal energy returned to the blast furnace as heat reduces the requirement of blast furnace coke substantially and
facilitates the injection of auxiliary fuels such as pulverized coal as a replacement for expensive metallurgical coke. This improves the
efficiency of the process. An additional benefit resulting from the lower fuel requirement is an increase in the hot metal production rate.
All of these have a significant effect in terms of reducing the hot metal cost.
History of hot blast stoves
The use of blast furnaces dates back as far as early as fifth century B.C. in China. However, it was not until 1828 that the efficiency of
blast furnaces was revolutionized by preheating them using hot stoves in conjunction with the process, an innovation created by James
Beaumont Nielson, previously foreman at Glasgow gas works. He invented the system of preheating the blast for a furnace. He found
that by increasing the temperature to 300 deg F (149 deg C), he could reduce the fuel consumption from 8.06 tons to 5.16 tons with
further reductions with higher temperatures. In 1860, the cooperative use of hot stoves with blast furnaces was further transformed by
Edward Alfred Cowper by recycling the top gas of the blast furnace rather than receiving solid fuel as did the earlier designs.
Early designs of hot stoves used with blast furnaces were originally placed on top of the furnace rather than next to it, the current layout
used today. They used waste heat from the blast furnace delivered via cast iron pipes to the hot stove to preheat the cold air blast. One
major problem with using cast iron pipes was the generation of cracks throughout them. This was remedied by eliminating the pipes and
using refractory instead. This also furthered the design of the layout of the hot stove with the blast furnace to the use of two to four hot
stoves placed in series beside the blast furnace. This allowed for the heating of one blast stove by blast furnace top gas as the other
one was being drained of its heat to preheat the air blast into the blast furnace. As the air blast entered the stove, it was preheated by
hot bricks and exited the stove as a hot blast. Cambria Iron Works was the first company in the U.S. to use regenerative stoves in 1854.
These stoves were constructed of iron shells lined with refractory and contained multiple passageways of refractory for the blast
throughout. A typical stove of this design had about 186-232 sq m of heating surface. In 1870, Whitwell Stoves designed and produced
larger stoves with heating surfaces of about 8546 sq m, which could deliver 454-566 deg C hot blast to the blast furnace. These were
also the first stoves to use hexagonal refractory checkers, cast iron checker supports, and semi-elliptical combustion chambers to
enhance the distribution of gas throughout the checkers.
Characteristics of a modern hot blast stove
The calorific value of blast furnace top gas is not high enough in value to achieve the high flame temperature required for the higher hot
blast temperatures of 1000 deg C to 1200 deg C. Hence the blast furnace gas for the stoves is normally enriched by the addition of a

fuel of much higher calorific value, such as coke oven gas for obtaining the high flame temperature. However many of the modern blast
furnaces are having hot blast stoves, which have burners designed for the use of only the blast furnace gas.
Hot blast stoves of a modern blast furnace have the following characteristics.

Achievement of high efficiency combustion Achievement of high efficiency combustion even in the operation with only blast

furnace gas.
Smaller heat radiation from the stove body.
Low construction costs.
High stove service life -Expected service life of a modern stove is around 40 years
Complete elimination of stress corrosion cracking.
Low concentration of uncombusted CO above the upper surface of checker bricks.
Most blast furnaces are equipped with three hot blast stoves, although in a few instances there are four. The stoves are tall, cylindrical
steel structures lined with insulation and almost completely filled with checker bricks where heat is stored and then transferred to the
blast air. Each stove is about as large in diameter as the blast furnace, and the height of the column of checkers is about 1.5 times as
tall as the working height of the blast furnace. At the modern blast furnaces, the relation of the stove size to the furnace size is even
larger. As an example, one typical new blast furnace has a hearth diameter of 9.75 m and a working height of 25.9 m, and it is equipped
with three stoves with each stove having an inside diameter of 10.36 m and a checker height of 40 m.
Fig. 1 shows the typical cross sectional views of a conventional two pass hot blast stove. As seen in the figure, the oval shaped
combustion chamber occupies around 10 % of the total cross sectional area of the stove. It extends from the bottom of the stove to
within around 4 m of the top of the stove dome. A sturdy brick breast wall separates the combustion chamber from the balance of the
stove, which is filled with checker bricks resting on a steel grid supported by steel columns.

Fig 1 Typical cross sectional view of a conventional hot blast stove

There is an insulating lining just inside the steel shell. This is normally very thick on the side near the combustion chamber. The
combustion chamber is completely surrounded by a brick well wall, which is lined with super duty refractory bricks containing 50 % to 60
% of alumina. For very high hot blast temperatures in excess of 1200 deg C, the entire combustion chamber and the dome are lined
with this type of brick. Also, the top 8 m to 10 m of checkers are normally of super duty bricks.

However, for in newer furnaces for the stoves. silica refractories are the ,material of choice for improved stability owing to the elimination
of expansion movements in the upper structure during operation. Silica refractories have an additional advantage over alumina
refractories, since they are resistant to dust accumulation. For this reason, seven layers of silica checkers are normally installed at the
top of the checker shaft, in alumina based stoves.
In erecting the dome lining, arch bricks are used and a space is provided between the brick and the dome to allow for expansion of the
ring wall from which it is supported. In some stoves, there is an offset in the steelwork at the top of the ring wall so that the dome brick
can be supported independently.
Traditional hemisphere domes, although simple in shape, have a natural instability with a tendency for the upper part of the dome to
collapse first. Hence some blast furnaces have an inverted catenary shaped dome. This dome has a statically balanced shape and can
be built with a minimum of special shaped bricks. Since the mushroom dome refractories also expand and contract, a hinged support
construction allows for these movements, without exerting any force on the structure.
With better gas cleaning facilities available these days, it is possible to use checkers with smaller flue openings without any danger of
plugging of the flues with dirt. With smaller flues, heat transfer rates are better because the ratio of heating surface to checker weight is
large and more checker weight are installed in the available space. However, with the smaller flue openings, it became very important to
lay up the checkers properly so that the flues match perfectly. Misaligned flues increase the pressure drop through the stoves
significantly and prevent effective use of all the heat storage capacity.
The burner for the blast furnace stove is located near the bottom of the combustion chamber. On the majority of hot blast stoves, the
burners are external to the combustion chamber. There is a burner shutoff valve between the burner and the stove that is closed to
isolate the burner when the stove is on blast, but open when the stove is being fired. The gas and combustion air are partially mixed in
the metallic burner but, because of their high velocity through the burner, actual ignition probably does not occur until inside the stove.
The mixture of gas and air impinges on the target wall directly opposite the burner port and then makes a 90 degree turn.
Combustion continues while the gas ascends up the combustion chamber. When a stove is to be heated from the cold condition, an
igniter is normally used to start combustion but, during normal operation, the residual heat in the target wall is sufficient to cause
ignition.
In several modern hot blast stoves, ceramic burners are used. These burners, with their mixing chamber, are installed inside the
combustion chamber and the firing is upward in a vertical direction instead of a horizontal direction as with the conventional metallic
burner. With this type of burner, shutoff valves are required in both the gas main and the combustion air duct. These valves are capable
of withstanding the force of the blast pressure. The ceramic burners have certain benefits because of their special design features.
The port through which the hot blast air exits from the stove is located on the side of the combustion chamber usually 4 m to 7 m above
the burner. Between the stove and the hot blast main there is located a water cooled hot blast valve that prevents the high pressure air
in the main from entering the stove during the heating process. The hot blast valve is usually located a short distance away from the
stove to reduce the amount of radiation it receives from the combustion gases. In several blast furnace shops, the cold mixing air that is
used for controlling the temperature of the hot blast is mixed with the hot air from the stove on the stove side of the valve. This is to
prevent the valve from being exposed to air at the maximum temperature obtained in the stove dome. Some blast furnaces have a
central single cold blast mixer opening that is located in the hot blast main between the closest stove and the furnace itself.
The central system has the advantage of fewer thermal cyclings of the hot blast main with the higher temperature systems. Most of the
hot blast valves are of the gate type or of the mushroom type and are 1.2 m to 2.0 m in diameter.
The reheating of the stove requires instrumentation in the dome area, the checker refractory and the waste gas exit area at a minimum.
There is an opening in the dome of the hot blast stove through which a thermocouple or a radiation type temperature detector is usually
inserted. This instrument is to control the amount of gas and air during the firing process. The temperature monitoring instruments in the
dome, checkers and waste gas area are also used to protect the refractories from an overheating condition.
In the plenum chamber below the grid that supports the checkers, there are openings to the chimney and to the cold blast main.
Generally, there are two chimney valves, ranging in size from 1.5 m to 2.0 m in diameter, which are opened when the stove is being
heated so that the products of combustion are drawn out to the stove stack. When the stove is on blast (heating the blast air), the
chimney valves are closed. The seats of the valve are arranged so that when the stove is on blast, the pressure in the stove holds the
seats together to prevent leakage. When the stove is to be taken off blast and put on heating, there is a blow off valve that is opened to
relieve the pressure. Because of the need to depressurize the stove rapidly, the air is to exit at a very high velocity. Consequently, the
blow off valves are equipped with silencers to keep the noise level within tolerable limits.
The cold blast valve is the type that is held closed by the pressure in the cold blast main. Before this valve can be opened, the small
ports in the valve disc are opened to pressurize the stove and equalize the pressure on each side of the valve.
At several modern blast furnaces, the stoves are equipped with combustion chambers completely external to the stove shell. These
stoves are having external metallic burners situated near the top of the stove.
The advantage of this design is that the entire stove shell can be filled with checkers. Furthermore, the thermal pattern in the stove is
much more symmetrical and there are far fewer stresses that tend to distort and rupture the brickwork. However, there have been many
stress induced problems that have caused rupturing in the steelwork of the junction section between the combustion chamber and the
stove. As a result, frequent repairs to the steelwork are required in this location.
Air network
Between the hot blast stoves and the blast furnace blower is the cold blast main. It is unlined because the temperature of the cold blast
is usually 150 deg C to 250 deg C, which is the temperature resulting from the heat of compression at the blower. At the stove end of
the main are the cold blast valves for the stoves and the mixer line equipped with a butterfly valve. To maintain a constant hot blast
temperature to the blast furnace, a thermocouple in the hot blast main controls this butterfly valve in the mixer line and proportions the
amount of air delivered to the stove and the amount bypassing it.

When a heated stove first goes on blast, the temperature of the heated air is much higher than the desired hot blast temperature, so a
significant portion of the air must bypass the stove. As heat is removed from the stove and the temperature decreases, the mixer line
butterfly valve is gradually closed and force more of the air through the stove. In some automatic stove changing systems, the position
of the regulating valve is used as the signal that initiates a stove change.
The cold blast main is also equipped with a snort valve, usually located near the blast furnace, that is opened when it is necessary to
decrease the blast pressure rapidly. This discharges the cold blast air to the atmosphere and keeps a positive pressure on the cold blast
line so that gas from the furnace cannot travel back to the blower. Because of the rapid discharge of air when the snort valve is opened,
it is also generally equipped with a silencer.
For generating the blast air, many blast furnaces are equipped with centrifugal turbo blowers provided with three or four stages. For very
large blast furnaces, two blowers are generally provided which operate in parallel. However, with very large blast furnaces an axial
blower can be used more efficiently.
At plants, where the blast is enriched with oxygen, the oxygen is normally added at atmospheric pressure to the inlet of the turbo blower
or it can be added under pressure in the cold blast main. Moisture is added in the cold blast main when it is required for blast moisture
control.
The blowpipe, which connects the hot blast system to the tuyere, fits into a machined spherical seatat the base of the tuyere. The tuyere
cooler and the tuyere are water cooled. In modern blast furnaces with hot blast temperatures of 1000 deg C to 1200 deg C, the tuyere
body water passages are designed to keep the water velocity above 20 m/sec and the tuyere nose water passages are designed to
keep the water velocity above 27.5 m/sec for improving the rate of heat transfer. Usually the nose of the blowpipe is also water cooled,
although in the older blast furnaces it was not done. The auxiliary fuel injection lance enters through the wall of the blowpipe and usually
discharges the fuel slightly off the centerline and about 50 mm back from the nose of the blowpipe. With the use of pulverized coal as a
tuyere fuel, the injection lance placement is more critical to avoid impingement on the inside of the tuyere and for better combustion of
the pulverized coal.
The blowpipe is held tightly against the tuyere by tension in the bridle rod, which connects the tuyere stock to the hearth jacket. The
bridle spring on the end of the bridle rod allows limited motion as the blowpipe expands and contracts with changes in hot blast
temperature. The blowpipe itself is an alloy steel tube lined with refractory material to prevent the metal from becoming too hot.
At the back of the tuyere stock on the centerline of the blowpipe and tuyere is a small opening through which a rod can be inserted for
cleaning material out of the blowpipe. The opening is closed by a cap that can be opened when necessary but is gas tight when closed.
In this cap, called a tuyere cap, there is a glass covered peep sight that permits the operator to inspect the interior of the furnace directly
in front of the tuyere. The upper part of the stock is connected by a swivel joint to the refractory lined nozzle of the gooseneck to which it
is clamped by lugs and keys that fit into seats of hanging bars. Each gooseneck in turn is connected by flanges and bolts to a neck
extending radial from the inside diameter of the bustle pipe. The bustle pipe is a large, circular, refractory lined and insulated pipe that
encircles the furnace at above mantle level and distributes the hot blast from the hot blast main to each tuyere connection.
Stove operation
These days, with the use of well prepared burdens and good control of burden distribution, the operation of blast furnaces is much
more uniform. Hence blast furnaces are normally operated very near to the maximum hot blast temperature that the stoves can
maintain or that the particular burden materials can accept without causing premature melting and poor burden movement. With higher
hot-blast temperature, the blast furnace operation is more efficient because a larger percentage of the heat consumed is furnished by
the sensible heat of the hot blast and less fuel is needed in the blast furnace. In the operation of the hot blast system, the ceramic
checker work of the stoves is heated by the combustion of blast furnace gas sometimes supplemented by coke oven gas, and then the
air from the blowers is passed through the stoves and is heated by the hot checker work. In the heating cycle, the stoves are fired until
the temperature of the exit gases at the stack valves has reached an established maximum temperature of around 400 deg C to 450
deg C, while simultaneously being careful not to overheat the stove domes. During the heating cycle the temperature at the dome of the
stove is controlled so that it does not exceed a maximum, which is determined primarily by the type of refractory material used for the
lining of the dome. If the dome temperature reaches this maximum before the stack temperature reaches its maximum, excess air is
added through the burner to hold down the flame temperature and prevent the dome from being overheated while the firing is continued
until the stack gas temperature reaches its limit. However, if the dome temperature does not increase rapidly enough to reach its
maximum allowable temperature by the time the stack gas temperature reaches its maximum, the blast furnace gas is usually enriched
with a fuel of higher calorific value to obtain a faster heating rate.
After the stove has been heated, it is ready to be put on blast. This is done by first shutting off the gas and the air supply to the burner
and then closing the burner shutoff valve and the chimney valves. The cold blast valve is then opened in such a way that the air
entering the stove brings it to a pressure equal to the blast pressure without reducing the blast pressure excessively. In some of the
modern blast furnace installations, the blower controls are switched from constant volume control to constant pressure control during a
stove change. In such a system, the blower speeds up so that the stove can be filled and pressurized rapidly without causing a
detectable decrease in the blast pressure.
After the stove is filled, the mixer valve (which controls the amount of cold air which is bypassed around the stove to be mixed with the
very hot air from the stove to produce the desired hot blast temperature) is set at approximately the correct opening. The hot blast valve
is then opened to put the stove on blast and, once the stove is on blast, the hot blast temperature controller automatically adjusts the
mixer valve opening to maintain the desired hot blast temperature.
The hot blast stove after its use, is then taken off blast by closing first the cold blast valve and then the hot blast valve. The blow off
valve is then opened to depressurize the stove and, after depressurizing, the chimney valves are opened and the blow off valve is
closed. Next, the burner shutoff valve is opened, and the air supply to the burner is turned on. Finally, the gas shutoff valve is opened to
obtain the desired gas flow rate.

At modern blast furnace installations, the stove valves are motorized and the valve changing is automated so that only about three
minutes are needed for a stove change. With the shorter changing time, the heating time can be increased so that higher hot blast
temperatures can be used and greater efficiency can be obtained. The automatic stove changing cycle can be initiated either by having
the stove tender push a button when the change is required or by a completely automatic electronic signal. This signal can be based on
the extent of the mixer valve opening (as, for example, when the mixer valve is 85 % closed), on the dome temperature, or strictly on a
time cycle.
Typically, blast furnaces are equipped with three hot blast stoves, and each stove is kept on blast for around one hour. Thus, the amount
of heat that is extracted from the stove while it is on blast must be put back into the stove in the heating period which is simply twice the
on blast time minus twice the stove changing time. At some furnaces, there are four stoves. With the extra stove, the firing rate does not
have to be as great because the heating cycle is three times the on blast cycle minus twice the stove changing time. Another advantage
of the extra stove is that if there is a problem with the stove equipment, the stoves can be repaired one at a time without significantly
affecting the operation of the furnace. Fig 2 give a typical layout with three hot blast stoves.

Fig 2 Typical layout with three hot blast stoves

HISMELT PROCESS OF IRONMAKING

POSTED BY SATYENDRA ON JUL 2, 2013 IN TECHNICAL | 2 COMMENTS

HIsmelt process of Ironmaking

HIsmelt is short for high intensity smelting. It is a direct smelting process for making liquid iron straight from the iron ore. The process
has been developed to treat iron ore fines with minimum pretreatment, making the process more flexible in terms of the quality of iron
ore it can treat. The process allows the use of non coking coal and iron ore fines with significant impurities. The core of the HIsmelt
process is the smelt reduction vessel (SRV) which has a refractory lined hearth and water cooled upper shell. The process is carried out
in this vessel. The refractory hearth contains the molten iron bath and liquid slag. The main product of the process is liquid iron or hot
metal which can be used in steel melting shop or cast in pig casting machine to produce pig iron. The byproduct of the process is slag
and the off gas.
Main features of the process
HIsmelt process has the following unique features.

The method of solid injections using high speed lances ensure that the capture efficiency in the melt is high and even ultra

fines can be used directly.

The natural 5 % to 6 % FeO level in the slag in conjunction with the metal carbon at 4 % creates conditions for strong
partition of phosphorus from metal to slag. Typically around 80 % to 90 % of phosphorus goes to slag.
Coal performance has virtually no dependence on particle morphology, since the coal is ground fine for injection.
Historical process development
The origin of the HIsmelt process is traced back to the bottom blown oxygen converter process (OBM) and the evolution of the
combined blowing steel making process developed by Klckner Werke at their Maxhtte steel works. CRA (now Rio Tinto) formed a
joint venture in 1981 with Klckner Werke to pursue the steel making and smelting reduction technologies. Trials were conducted in a
60 tons OBM converter to demonstrate the fundamentals of the smelt reduction process. The successful testing of the smelt reduction
concept led to a small scale pilot plant (SSPP) of capacity around 12000 tons per annum located at the Maxhtte steel works. The
design of the SSPP was based on a horizontal rotating SRV that used bottom tuyeres for injection of coal, fluxes and iron ore. The
SSPP operated from 1984 to 1990 and proved the viability of the technology.

Next stage of the process development was the HIsmelt Research and Development Facility (HRDF) constructed at Kwinana, Western
Australia. Construction of the HRDF with a design capacity of 100,000 tons per annum, commenced in 1991. The main objective of the
HRDF was to demonstrate the process and engineering scale up of the core plant and to provide operating data for commercial
evaluation. The original SRV configuration for Kwinana was a direct scale up of the SRV of SSPP and was based on a horizontally
shaped vessel capable of rotation through 90 deg. The horizontal vessel was operated from October 1993 to August 1996. Whilst scaleup of the process was successfully demonstrated, the complexity of engineering a horizontal vessel limited its commercial viability.
To overcome this deficiency a design was developed for water cooled vertical vessel. Design and engineering for the vertical SRV (Fig
1) was completed in 1996. The main improvements incorporated into the design included a stationary vertical vessel, top injection of
solids, a simplified hot air blast lance, a fore hearth for continuous tapping of metal and water cooled panels to overcome refractory
wear problems.

1.
2.

Fig 1 Smelt reduction vessel (SRV)

HRDF vertical smelt reduction vessel was commissioned in the first half of 1997 and operated through to May 1999. The vertical vessel
demonstrated major improvements in terms of refractory wear, reliability, availability, productivity and simplicity in design. This vessel
addressed all the key requirements for a successful direct smelting iron making technology combining a high level of technical
achievements with simple engineering concepts and plant technology. This stage of operation confirmed that the process was ready to
be scaled up to level of a commercial plant.
A joint venture was formed in 2002 between the Rio Tinto (60%), Nucor Corporation (25%), Mitsubishi Corporation (10%), and
Shougang Corporation (5%) for the purpose of constructing and operating an 800,000 tons per annum HIsmelt plant. Located in
Kwinana, Western Australia, the merchant pig iron facility was designed and engineered with a 6 meter hearth diameter SRV.
Construction of the plant was started in January 2003. Cold commissioning commenced in the second half of 2004 while the hot
commissioning was carried out in second quarter 2005. The plant had achieved a production rate of 80 tons of hot metal per hour in
early 2008 with a coal rate of 810 kg per ton of hot metal. The plant is presently in the closed down condition.
To develop the HIsmelt technology further, Rio Tinto has signed a development agreement with a Chinese steelmaker. This involves
relocating some HIsmelt plant equipment from Australia to a new HIsmelt facility to be built in China. The new plant is expected to be
commissioned in 2014. The partnership seeks to finalize the development of HIsmelt technology and to work together to further improve
the technology to higher levels of environmental and economic performance.
Process
The basic mechanism of the process is the reduction and smelting of the iron bearing ores with the dissolved carbon in the bath. The
process uses high velocity injection of coal and ore into the melt through downwardly angled water cooled injection lances. Injected coal
after heating and devolatilization dissolves to maintain around 4 % carbon in the molten metal and replenish the carbon used in the
reduction reaction. Injected iron ore fines are injected deep into the bath where they are reduced instantly on contact with carbon
dissolved in the bath for smelting to take place. This reduction reaction produces iron (Fe) and carbon monoxide (CO). The lower part of
the SRV is maintained at low oxygen potential to allow this reduction reaction to occur and the reaction kinetics balance out at around 5
% to 6 % of FeO in the slag.
Reaction gas (CO) and coal devolatilization products which are generated from deep within the bath form a fountain of mostly slag and
some metal. Heat supply to maintain the necessary thermal balance comes by the combustion of reaction gas (mostly CO) in the upper
part of the SRV. Oxygen enriched (typically 35 %) hot blast at 1,200 deg C is introduced through a top lance and efficiently burns the
gases generated within the bath and releases large amounts of energy. This combustion occurs in the relatively oxidizing region in the
upper section of the SRV. The heat transfer between the upper (oxidizing) regions to the lower (reducing) region is achieved in such a
way that the oxygen potential gradient is maintained. This is done through large amounts of liquid splash moving between the two
regions. Liquid slag and metal splash acts as a carrier of the heat.
The main product of the process is hot metal. Hot metal is tapped continuously through an open forehearth and is free of slag. Typical
temperature of hot metal is around 1420 1450 deg C and typical composition of the hot metal is as follows:
Carbon 4.4 % +/- 0.15 %
Silicon < 0.01 %

3.
4.
5.

Manganese <0.02 %
Phosphorus 0.02 % +/- 0.01 %
Sulphur 0.1 % +/- 0.05 %
The relative oxidizing atmosphere and the low temperature slag in the SRV results in as much as 90 % to 95 % of the phosphorus in the
feed materials partitioning to the slag. Hence this process has flexibility to use high phosphorus containing ores
Since the slag is batch tapped through a slag notch, the hot metal is slag free. The hot metal can be treated in a hot metal
desulphurization plant to bring down the sulphur level of the hot metal to less than 0.05 %.
Byproducts of the process are slag and off gas. Slag is formed by fluxing the gangue in the iron ore and ash in the coal with lime and
dolomite. Slag can be granulated or directed into pits for further processing. It can then be used as a raw material for a variety of
purposes such as cement manufacture, road base and soil conditioning. Off gas from the process typically has a post combustion
degree of 50 % to 60 %. They exit from the top of the SRV at high temperatures and have energy values similar to BF gas. It is cleaned,
cooled and used as a fuel and for power generation.
HIsmelt process is highly flexible. The highly responsive nature of the process means that it converts iron ore, coal and flux to metal,
slag and energy almost instantaneously. These process capabilities allow for raw material feed rates to be changed very efficiently
without affecting product quality. This operating flexibility maximizes productivity, as it is easy to maintain a steady state operating
window. Unlike blast furnaces, the HIsmelt process can be started, stopped or idled with ease. Typical flow sheet of the process is
shown in Fig 2 and the typical layout of the process is in Fig 3.

Fig 2 Typical flow sheet of HIsmelt plant

Environmental Impact
The environmental benefits of the HIsmelt process are considerable. By reducing the demand for coke, sinter and pellets, and
improving the energy efficiency of the iron making process, it reduces emissions of greenhouse gases and other damaging
environmental pollutants such as SOx, NOx and dioxins. The projected improvements from the process are as follows.
Reduction in CO2 emissions by 20 %
Reduction of Sox emissions by 90 %
Reduction in NOx emissions by 40 %
No toxic emissions. Brings emissions of dioxins and furans to a nil level.
Further there is big reduction in dust emissions and specific wate consuption. The process by recycling of the plant waste further helps
in environment protection.
Advantages
The following are the projected advantages of the process
Low cost raw materials ferrous feed agglomeration and coke making processes are eliminated.
Flexible feed stocks the process operates on a wide range of iron ore fines and waste oxide materials, together with high
and low volatile coals.
Better product quality
Minimized total energy consumption.
Simplified engineering and process configuration
Environmental emissions well below the industry
Lower capital cost
Lower operational cost

Fig 3 HIsmelt plant typical layout

Hot blast valve Dy 1100

Function
1.
2.
3.

1. Hot blast valves are intended for separation of a hot-air stove from a hot blast main under "on-gas" operation of the former.
2. Hot blast valves can be used as a shutoff one for separation of a gas burner from the hot-air stove under "on-blast" operation of the latter.
3. Hot blast and shutoff valves are installed vertically in a pipeline. The pipeline is opened and closed by the movement of the valve disk with the
use of electromechanical drive. In event of power failure, it is possible to operate the drive manually.

Valve specifications

Working section dia, mm

1100

Max hot-blast temperature, C

1400

Max hot-blast pressure, MPa

0,5

Possible blast pressure differential when valve is opened (closed), MPa

0,01

Disk travel, mm

1550

Type of cooling

water

Max cooling system pressure, MPa

0,55

Design cooling water discharge (inlet and outlet temperature differential t=10C), m3/h

18

valve housing

10

valve disk

30

Cooling water must be cleaned from mechanical impurities

1,52,5

Max required suspended substances concentration, mg/l

40

Required cooling water hardness, meg/l

Max required temperature of outlet cooling water, C

Dimensions, mm

500

length, L

4170

height, H

2220

width, A

Design features
New design of the valve combines all modern features which have shown excellent results under service conditions both at Russian and foreign metallurgical
plants.
All heat-loaded elements of the valve excluding disk contact surfaces and housing thrust rings are protected with refractory lining. Housing cooling system
allows to effectively cool thrusting rings, the most heat-loaded elements of the valve, as well as attachment flanges and housing neck zone providing normal
working conditions of flange packings.
The valve disk has a solid shell and spiral partitions which form disk cooling system.
Cooling water velocity both in the housing and in the disk is above 1 m/sec which ensures removal of mechanical suspensions and eliminates the danger of
cooling ducts blockage.

Significant reduction of cooling water discharge and maximal protection of heat-loaded elements with refractory lining allow to decrease heat losses.
To increase lining durability modern reinforcing elements are used. Due to their design features the elements can keep refractory materials.
The "Graflex" made on the base of thermal expanded graphite is used in "housing-cover" flange packing and in stuffing-box seals of tubes supplying cooling
water to the valve disk.
During manufacturing process valves undergo all basic tests including air and leak ones.
Supplier reserves the rights to change valve design in order to increase its technical and economic characteristics.

Standard schedule of supplies

Technical documentation

valve assembly drawing

certificate
technical description and operating manual
Valve mechanical equipment is supplied according to 1-368912 drawing.
Supplier guarantees complete interchangeability of the above mentioned valves 1100 mm and similar valves delivered earlier by EZTM and other suppliers

Hot blast valves for air heaters of blast furnaces

chernyshova@eztm.ru

JSC EZTM has manufactured hot blast valves for the last 50 years. All blast furnaces of the former USSR as well as others in ARE, Algeria , Turkey, India,
Finland, Poland, Yugoslavia, France are equipped with them. Production of valves has been constantly improved through the extension of service life,
reduction of heat loss within the valve, and the increase in overhaul operation inspections.
At present JSC EZTM manufactures hot-blast valves with diameters of 900, 1100, 1300, 2000 mm. The above-mentioned valves are manufactured for
operation in conditions of water cooling and evaporative cooling and are equipped with different drives: electro-mechanic or hydraulic.
According to their technical parameters the quality of JSC EZTM valves are very competitive with those of "Zimmermann & Jansen"(Germany) and
"Armatury Group"(Czech Republic) manufacturing origins.

These valves have the following features:

disk, flow section of the body and the inner surface of the cover have the refractory coating which considerably reduce heat loss in the valve;
design features of the disk provide high density of locking of the valve;
the most heat-loaded elements of the valve construction have minimum quantity of welds in the zone of high temperatures in order to provide
high operate reliability of the valve;
the gland seal of ducts which supply and discharge cooling agent to the valve disk is manufactured from an ecological clean graphite which
ensures its advantages under service condition;
advanced technological equipment of valve production provides their high quality.
The hot-blast valves can be used as cut-off valves for separation of gs burners from air heaters in the for blast mode.

TECHNICAL DATA
a

Parameters

Design

Working

900

1100

1100

1300

1300

2000

2000

Disk stroke, mm

1270

1550

1550

1800

1800

2450

2450

Hot blast temperature, C degree

1200

1600

1600

1600

1600

1600

1600

section diameter, mm

Hot blast pressure, Ma

0,35

0,5

0,5

0,5

0,5

0,5

0,5

Pressure in cooling system, Ma

0,5

0,55

0,55

0,55

0,55

0,6

0,6

Overall

450

450

500

500

500

500

500

500

700

700

700

700

1020

1020

dimensions, mm:

1640

1640

2380

1860

1860

2380

1860

1860

2670

2150

2670

2150

3215

3215

Length, L

3680

3680

4035

4260

8560

8670

8670

8670

4800

6840

4800

6840

9628

1301

Width, W
Height, H

a -water cooling;
b -evaporative cooling;
unpowered valve;
hydraulically driven valve;
electrically driven valve