Buxin Su

Graphitization of Coke and Its Interaction with Slag in the Hearth of a Blast Furnace

Coke reaction behavior in the blast furnace hearth has yet to be fully understood due to limited access to the high temperature zone. The graphitization of coke and its interaction with slag in the hearth of blast furnace were investigated with samples obtained from the center of the deadman of a blast furnace during its overhaul period. All hearth coke samples from fines to lumps were confirmed to be highly graphitized, and the graphitization of coke in the high temperature zone was convinced to start from the coke surface and lead to the formation of coke fines. It will be essential to perform further comprehensive investigations on graphite formation and its evolution in a coke as well as its multi-effect on blast furnace performance. The porous hearth cokes were found to be filled up with final slag. Further research is required about the capability of coke to fill final slag and the attack of final slag on the hearth bottom refractories since this might be a new degradation mechanism of refractories located in the hearth bottom.

Extracting the core indicators of pulverized coal for blast furnace injection based on principal component analysis

An updated approach to refining the core indicators of pulverized coal used for blast furnace injection based on principal component analysis is proposed in view of the disadvantages of the existing performance indicator system of pulverized coal used in blast furnaces. This presented method takes into account all the performance indicators of pulverized coal injection, including calorific value, igniting point, combustibility, reactivity, flowability, grindability, etc. Four core indicators of pulverized coal injection are selected and studied by using principal component analysis, namely, comprehensive combustibility, comprehensive reactivity, comprehensive flowability, and comprehensive grindability. The newly established core index system is not only beneficial to narrowing down current evaluation indices but also effective to avoid previous overlapping problems among indicators by mutually independent index design. Furthermore, a comprehensive property indicator is introduced on the basis of the four core indicators, and the injection properties of pulverized coal can be overall evaluated.

Optimization model coupling both chemical compositions and high-temperature characteristics of sintering materials for sintering burden

We developed a mathematical optimization model coupling chemical compositions and high-temperature characteristics of sintering materials, targeting the best quality and lowest cost. The simplex algorithm was adopted to solve this model. Four kinds of imported iron ores, two kinds of Chinese iron ore concentrates, and two kinds of fluxes were selected to verify both the model and the algorithm. The results confirmed the possibility of considering both chemical compositions and high-temperature characteristics of iron ores in the optimization model. This model provides a technical roadmap to obtain a precise mathematical correlation between the lowest cost and the grade of iron in sinters based on the condition of given raw materials, which can provide a reference to adjust the grade of iron in the sintering process for enterprise.