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Three-Dimensional Modeling of an Ironmaking Blast Furnace with a Layered Cohesive Zone

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Abstract

A three-dimensional (3D) parallel process model simulating ironmaking blast furnaces (BFs) has been developed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). It explicitly describes the layered burden and cohesive zone (CZ), gas and liquid re-distribution near raceways, trickling liquid flow in the CZ and dripping zone, and stockline variation. The applicability of the model is confirmed by the reasonable agreement between predicted and measured in-furnace states and global performance under experimental and industrial conditions. Using this model, the 3D characteristics of in-furnace states for a 5000 m3 commercial BF with 40 tuyeres are revealed. Also, it is used to assess the commonly used slot, axisymmetric, sector and full 3D models, which may treat burden distribution as well as gas and liquid flows around raceways differently. The results reveal that the sector and full 3D models are nearly the same; the slot model over-predicts the coke rate up to 13 kg/tHM, and the axisymmetric model gives slightly higher productivity and liquid temperature. These differences are clarified by analyzing model simplifications and their impacts on in-furnace states.

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Abbreviations

\( a_{{\text{FeO}}} \) :

Activity of molten wustite

\( A_{\text{c}} \) :

Effective surface area of coke for reaction (m2)

\( A_{\text{throat}} \) :

Cross-sectional area of BF throat (m2)

\( c_{\text{p}} \) :

Specific heat \( \left( {\text{J kg}^{ - 1} \text{ K}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( C_{{\text{SiO}_{2} }} \) :

Concentration of \( \text{SiO}_{2} \)\( \left( {\text{mol m}^{ - 3} } \right) \)

\( {\text{CR}} \) :

Coke rate \( \left( {\text{kg tHM}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( d \) :

Diameter of solid phase (m)

\( D \) :

Diffusion coefficient \( \left( {\text{m}^{2} \,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( D_{{\text{s5}}} \) :

Intra-particle diffusion coefficient of \( {\text{H}}_{ 2} \)in reduced iron phase \( \left( {\text{m}^{2} \,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( E_{\text{f}} \) :

Effectiveness factors of solution loss reaction by \( {\text{CO}} \)

\( E^{\prime}_{f} \) :

Effectiveness factors of water-gas reaction

\( E_{{\text{gl}}} \) :

Volumetric enthalpy flux between gas and liquid, \( \left( {\text{W}\,\text{m}^{ - 3} } \right) \)

\( f_{\text{o}} \) :

Fraction conversion of iron ore

\( F \) :

Liquid mass flow rate \( \left( {\text{kg}\,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( {\mathbf{F}} \) :

Interaction force per unit volume \( \left( {\text{kg m}^{ - 2} \text{ s}^{ - 2} } \right) \)

\( {\mathbf{g}} \) :

Gravitational acceleration \( \left( {\text{m s}^{ - 2} } \right) \)

\( h_{ij} \) :

Heat transfer coefficient between i and j phase \( \left( {\text{W m}^{ - 2} \text{ K}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( H \) :

Enthalpy \( \left( {\text{J}\,\text{kg}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( \Delta H \) :

Reaction heat \( \left( {\text{J}\,\text{mol}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( k \) :

Thermal conductivity \( \left( {\text{W m}^{ - 1} \text{ K}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( k_{1} \) :

Rate constant of indirect reduction of iron ore by \( {\text{CO}} \)\( \left( {\text{m}\,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( k_{2} \) :

Rate constant of direction reduction of molten wustite \( \left( {\text{mol}\,\text{m}^{ - 2} \,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( k_{3} \) :

Rate constant of solution loss reaction by \( {\text{CO}} \)\( \left( {\text{m}^{3} \text{ kg}^{ - 1} \text{ s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( k_{5} \) :

Rate constant of indirect reduction of iron ore by \( {\text{H}}_{ 2} \)\( \left( {\text{m}\,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( k_{6} \) :

Rate constant of water gas reaction \( \left( {\text{m}^{3} \text{ kg}^{ - 1} \text{ s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( k_{8} \) :

Rate constant of silica reduction reaction in slag \( \left( {\text{m}\,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( k_{\text{f}} \) :

Gas-film mass transfer coefficient \( \left( {\text{m}\,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( k_{{\text{f5}}} \) :

Gas-film mass transfer coefficient in indirect reduction of iron ore by\( {\text{H}}_{ 2} \)\( \left( {\text{m}\,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( k_{{\text{f6}}} \) :

Gas-film mass transfer coefficient water–gas reaction \( \left( {\text{m}\,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( K_{1} \) :

Equilibrium constant of indirect reduction of iron ore by \( {\text{CO}} \)

\( K_{5} \) :

Equilibrium constant of indirect reduction of iron ore by \( {\text{H}}_{ 2} \)

\( LT \) :

Liquid temperature (K)

\( m_{\text{batch}} \) :

Weight for one ore layer and one coke layer (kg)

\( m_{\text{batch,ore}} \) :

Weight for one ore layer (kg)

\( m_{\text{batch,coke}} \) :

Weight for one coke layer (kg)

\( M_{i} \) :

Molar mass of \( i{\text{th}} \) species in gas phase

\( M_{{\text{sm}}} \) :

Molar mass of \( {\text{FeO}} \) or flux in solid phase \( \left( {{\text{kg}}\,{\text{mol}}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( N_{{\text{coke}}} \) :

Number of coke particles in unit volume of bed \( \left( {\text{m}^{ - 3} } \right) \)

\( N_{{\text{ore}}} \) :

Number of iron oxide particles in unit volume of bed \( \left( {\text{m}^{ - 3} } \right) \)

\( p \) :

Pressure \( \left( {\text{Pa}} \right) \)

\( P \) :

Productivity \( \left( {\text{tHM m}^{ - 3} \text{ day}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( P_{i,j} \) :

Proportion of liquid flowing from ith point to jth point

\( {\text{Pe}} \) :

Peclet number

\( { \Pr } \) :

Prandtl number

\( R \) :

Gas constant \( \left(8.314 {\text{ J mol}}^{ - 1} \text{K}^{-1} \right) \)

\( R_{k}^{*} \) :

Reaction rate for \( k\text{th} \)reaction \( \left( {{\text{mol}}\,{\text{m}}^{ - 3} \,{\text{s}}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( {\text{Re}} \) :

Reynolds number

\( S \) :

Source term

\( {\text{Sc}} \) :

Schmidt number

\( Sh_{r}^{ * } \) :

Normalized shrinkage ratio

\( t_{\text{s}} \) :

Timeline (s)

\( t_{batch} \) :

Total batch time for one ore layer and one coke layer (s)

\( T \) :

Temperature (K)

\( {\text{TGT}} \) :

Top gas temperature (K)

\( {\text{TGUF}} \) :

Top gas utilization factor (pct)

\( u_{\text{feed}} \) :

Burden feed velocity \( \left( {\text{m}\,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( {\mathbf{u}} \) :

Velocity \( \left( {\text{m}\,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( \overline{{\mathbf{U}}}_{\text{l}} \) :

Liquid main velocity \( \left( {\text{m}\,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( {\mathbf{U}}_{\text{S}} \) :

Stochastic velocity of liquid dispersion flow, \( \left( {\text{m}\,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( V_{\text{B}} \) :

Bed volume (m3)

\( V_{{\text{cell}}} \) :

Volume of control volume (m3)

\( y_{i} \) :

Mole fraction of ith species in gas phase

\( y_{{\text{CO}}} ,y_{{\text{H}_{\text{2}} }} \) :

Molar fraction of \( {\text{CO}} \) and H2

\( y_{{\text{CO}}}^{*} ,y_{{\text{H}_{\text{2}} }}^{*} \) :

Molar fraction of \( {\text{CO}} \) and \( {\text{H}}_{ 2} \) in equilibrium state for indirect reaction

\( y_{{\text{CO}_{\text{2}} }} ,y_{{\text{H}_{\text{2}} \text{O}}} \) :

Molar fraction of \( {\text{CO}}_{ 2} \) and H2O(g)

\( \alpha \) :

Specific surface area, \( \text{m}^{2} \,\text{m}^{ - 3} \); relaxation factor; liquid dispersion angle, rad

\( \beta \) :

Mass increase coefficient of fluid phase associated with reactions, \( \left( {\text{kg mol}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( \varGamma \) :

Diffusion coefficient

\( \delta \) :

Distribution coefficient

\( \varepsilon \) :

Volume fraction

\( \eta \) :

Fractional acquisition of reaction heat

\( {\mathbf{\rm I}} \) :

Identity tensor

\( \mu \) :

Viscosity \( \left( {\text{kg}\,\text{m}^{ - 1} \,\text{s}^{ - 1} } \right) \)

\( \xi_{\text{ore}} ,\xi_{\text{coke}} \) :

Local ore, coke volume fraction

\( \rho \) :

Density \( \left( {\text{kg}\,\text{m}^{ - 3} } \right) \)

\( \rho_{\text{bulk}} \) :

Bulk density of burden at BF throat, \( \left( {\text{kg}\,\text{m}^{ - 3} } \right) \)

\( \varvec{\tau} \) :

Stress tensor (Pa)

\( \varphi \) :

General variable

\( \omega \) :

Mass fraction

\( \text{e} \) :

Effective

\( \text{g} \) :

Gas

\( i \) :

Identifier (g, s or l)

\( i\text{,}m \) :

mth species in i phase

\( j \) :

Identifier (g, s or l)

\( k \) :

kth reaction

\( \text{l} \) :

Liquid

\( \text{l,d} \) :

Dynamic liquid

\( \text{sm} \) :

FeO or flux in solid phase

\( \text{e} \) :

Effective

\( \text{g} \) :

Gas

\( \text{l} \) :

Liquid

\( \text{s} \) :

Solid

\( T \) :

Transpose

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the Baosteel Australia Research and Development Centre (BAJC) for the financial support of this work; the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), Sunway TaihuLight, for the use of their high-performance computational facilities; and CAFFA3D for making a useful code available for free use and adaptation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ARC Research Hub for Computational Particle Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia

    Lulu Jiao, Shibo Kuang & Aibing Yu

  2. Ironmaking Division, Research Institute (R&D Center), Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 201900, P.R. China

    Yuntao Li & Xiaoming Mao

  3. Ironmaking Plant, Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 201900, P.R. China

    Hui Xu

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  1. Lulu Jiao
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Jiao, L., Kuang, S., Yu, A. et al. Three-Dimensional Modeling of an Ironmaking Blast Furnace with a Layered Cohesive Zone. Metall Mater Trans B 51, 258–275 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-019-01745-3

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