Dust minimisation and control at the blast furnace

ended

The blast furnace operators continuously face new challenges to improve process efficiency and increase PCI rates while using raw materials of fluctuating and lower quality. BF dust is generated mechanically and chemically, e.g. from raw material handling, charging and disintegration during burden descent as well as during combustion and reduction. Of specific importance is the source of C, from coke or coal, as well from which region in the BF C and Fe origin, these parameters could e.g. indicate low efficiency of injected coal and unfavourable gas distribution. By applying knowledge of the relationships between dust characteristics, descibed by an innovative BF dust fingerprint approach, and blast furnace stability combined with new and more rapid dust characterisation techniques, the blast furnace process control can be improved. More stable operation and reduction in dust will reduce energy consumption, CO2 emissions, reduce losses of C and Fe units in dust and improve flexibility in raw materials selection. The objectives of the project are to improve blast furnace stability and reduce BF dust generation by: - introducing innovative off-line/in-line/on-line monitoring allowing rapid identification of dust origin and cause - establishing the link between operational conditions including charging and injection on dust amount and characteristics, including fundamental mechanisms of dust formation. - developing and validating operational control strategies for disturbance mitigation and dust control Developed methods and strategies are due to the wide approach after required adaptation transferable to other BFs in Europe.