Understanding Blast Furnace Hearth Wall Temperatures to Support Operational/Maintenance Decisions
(Room 404)
07 May 19
10:00 AM
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10:30 AM
Blast furnace hearth refractory systems are exposed to high temperatures and harsh conditions during operation, causing refractory degradation that often limits the furnace campaign life. Thermocouples are used to monitor the hearth wear. Proper interpretation of measurements is critical to understand the reason for the wear, and determine the hearth conditions. This paper presents what-if scenarios, using 2D finite element analysis, to evaluate the effect of cooling water temperature, iron fingers, air gaps between refractory and shell, and refractory/skull profile on the thermocouple temperatures. The findings are used to provide operational and maintenance recommendations to improve hearth refractory life.