A Revolution in Blast Furnace Cooling
(Room 404)
08 May 19
8:00 AM
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8:30 AM
Protecting copper stave coolers against wear is critical for extending blast furnace campaigns and reducing downtime. Traditional refractory materials often only provide temporary relief and are subject to rapid failure due to thermal conditions. Prior to failure, refractory protects the copper stave cooler from abrasion at the expense of thermal performance necessary for stable formation of protective accretions. Accretion formation, stability, and re-establishment in case of loss depends strongly on low surface temperature on the furnace lining. Typical refractory lining materials have thermal conductivities an order of magnitude lower than copper, and thermal contact with the underlying copper stave degrades over time, making establishment of protective accretions difficult in higher heat flux conditions. Hatch has developed a wear-resistant stave complete with a hard surface that combines thermal performance comparable to copper and the wear-resistance of leading refractory materials. This combination ensures rapid formation of protective accretions in line with bare copper staves, while providing high wear-resistance in the time between accretion cycles when traditional staves are most vulnerable.