TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a method for loading (charging) raw material into
a blast furnace by charging the raw material into the furnace with a rotating chute.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Generally, ore material such as sintered ore, pellet, lump ore, and the like and
coke are charged into a blast furnace from the furnace top in a layer state, and combustion
gas is injected through a tuyere to yield pig iron. The coke and ore material that
constitute the raw material charged into the blast furnace descend from the furnace
top to the furnace bottom, the ore reduces, and the temperature of the raw material
rises. The ore material layer gradually deforms due to the temperature rise and the
load from above while filling the voids between ore materials, and at the bottom of
the shaft of the blast furnace, gas permeability resistance grows extremely large,
forming a cohesive layer where nearly no gas flows.
[0003] Conventionally, raw material is charged into a blast furnace by alternately charging
ore material and coke. In the furnace, ore material layers and coke layers form alternately.
At the bottom of the blast furnace, in the so-called cohesive zone, ore material layers
with a large gas permeability resistance, where ore has softened and cohered, exist
along with a coke slit, derived from coke, with a relatively small gas permeability
resistance.
[0004] The gas permeability of the cohesive zone greatly affects the gas permeability of
the blast furnace as a whole and limits the rate of productivity in the blast furnace.
Furthermore, when performing a low coke operation, the amount of coke that is used
is reduced, which is considered to cause unlimited thinning of the coke slit.
[0005] In order to improve the gas permeability resistance of the cohesive zone, mixing
coke into the ore material layer is known to be effective, and much research has been
reported for achieving an appropriate mixing state.
[0006] For example,
JP H3-211210 A (PTL 1) discloses charging, in a bell-less blast furnace, coke into an ore hopper
that is downstream among the ore hoppers, layering coke onto the ore on a conveyor,
and charging the ore and coke into the furnace top bunker and then into the blast
furnace via a rotating chute.
[0007] JP 2004-107794 A (PTL 2) discloses separately storing ore and coke in the furnace top bunker and mixing
the coke and ore while charging them simultaneously in order to yield three batches
at the same time: a batch for regularly charged coke, a batch for mainly charging
coke, and a batch for mixed charging.
[0008] Furthermore, in order to prevent the cohesive zone shape from becoming unstable during
blast furnace operation, to prevent a reduction in the gas utilization rate near the
central region, and to improve operation safety and thermal efficiency,
JP S59-10402 B2 (PTL 3) discloses a method for charging raw material into a blast furnace whereby
all of the ore and all of the coke are charged into the furnace after being completely
mixed.
[0009] In addition,
EP 1 445 334 A1 discloses a method for charging material in a bell-less blast furnace comprising
the steps of: storing coke in at least one of furnace top bunkers; storing ore in
at least one of furnace top bunkers; charging the stored cokes into the blast furnace
while rotating a chute of the bell-less charging device and varying a inclination
angle thereof; and charging the stored ore while rotating the chute of the bell-less
charging device and varying the inclination angle thereof. Discharging of the stored
in the at least one furnace top bunkers commences when the discharging amount of the
coke stored in the at least furnace top bunker is 5 to 50 mass% relative to a coke
amount of one batch. A mixed material of ore and coke is stored in one of furnace
top bunkers, and the mixed material stored in the furnace top bunker is charged in
the blast furnace while rotating the charging chute and changing a inclination angle
of the charging chute.
CITATION LIST
Patent Literature
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
(Technical Problem)
[0011] In order to improve the gas permeability resistance of the cohesive zone, mixing
coke into the ore layer as in the technique disclosed in PTL 3 is known to be effective.
[0012] In the disclosure in PTL 3, however, the representative mean particle size of coke
is approximately 40 mm to 50 mm, and the mean particle size of ore is approximately
15 mm. The particle sizes thus greatly differ, and simply mixing the coke and ore
may lead to problems such as a great reduction in the void ratio, worsening of gas
permeability in the furnace, blowout of gas, and improper descent of raw material.
[0013] Even if ore and coke are simultaneously ejected from two bunkers and mixed when charging,
large size coke rolls further due to the tilt of the charging surface, leading to
the problem of the coke separating easily.
[0014] One possible method for avoiding these problems is to form a layer of only coke near
the center of the furnace shaft. With this method, a path for gas is ensured by the
coke layer near the center of the furnace shaft, allowing for improvement of gas permeability.
It is also known that when simultaneously ejecting ore and coke to mix and charge
the ore and coke, charging by reverse tilting to load the charged raw material from
the center is effective for avoiding the above problem.
[0015] In cases such as when the raw material charging interval is small in the blast furnace
radial direction, however, or there is too much charged raw material per rotation,
the pile of raw material charged during a given rotation is exceeded by the pile of
raw material charged upon the next rotation. In this case, the raw material flows
to the center of the blast furnace, and the mixed coke separates, triggering the problems
of worsened mixing ratio controllability, a drop in the coke mixing ratio, and the
like. Normally, when mixing and charging with simultaneous discharge that uses reverse
tilting, particularly when the raw material charging interval is narrow, the charged
raw material exceeds the pile of raw material spread immediately before and flows
towards the center, and the mixed coke separates. This triggers the problems of worsened
mixing ratio controllability, a drop in the coke mixing ratio, and the like.
[0016] The present invention has been conceived in light of the above circumstances, and
it is an object thereof to provide a method for charging raw material into a blast
furnace that, even when the raw material charging interval is narrow, can ensure mixing
in the mixed layer, stabilize blast furnace operations, and improve thermal efficiency,
and that, when charging by reverse tilting during mixing and charging while simultaneously
discharging coke and ore, adjusts the amount of raw material charged per rotation
or the charging interval to prevent the newly charged raw material from exceeding
the pile of previously charged raw material and flowing towards the center, thereby
ensuring mixing in the mixed layer, stabilizing blast furnace operations, and improving
reaction efficiency.
(Solution to Problem)
[0017] Specifically, main features of the present invention are as follows.
- 1. A method for charging raw material including coke and ore into a blast furnace
using a rotating chute, with one charge of the raw material being divided into two
or more batches of the coke and two or more batches of the ore, the method comprising:
when simultaneously charging the coke and the ore, setting an average layer thickness
Lav1 at each rotation of the rotating chute, calculated by Expression 1, to be smaller
than a thickness h of coke charged into a shaft central portion of the blast furnace:

where Vn is a charged volume (t) per rotation at an nth rotation / (apparent density (t/m3) of a mixed layer of coke and ore), and
Rn is a falling radius (m) of charged raw material at the nth rotation.
- 2. A method for charging raw material including coke and ore into a blast furnace
using a rotating chute, with one charge of the raw material being divided into two
or more batches of the coke and two or more batches of the ore, the method comprising:
when simultaneously charging the coke and the ore, setting an average layer thickness
Lav2(n) at an nth rotation of the rotating chute, calculated by Expression 2, and an average layer
thickness Lav2(n+1) at an (n+1)th rotation, calculated by Expression 3, to satisfy Expression 4, where n is any natural
number:



where Vn is a charged raw material volume (m3) per rotation at the nth rotation,
Rn-1 is a falling radius (m) of charged raw material at an (n-1)th rotation,
Rn is a falling radius (m) of charged raw material at the nth rotation,
Vn+1 is a charged raw material volume (m3) per rotation at the (n+1)th rotation, and
Rn+1 is a falling radius (m) of charged raw material at the (n+1)th rotation.
(Advantageous Effect of Invention)
[0018] According to the present invention, when charging ore material and coke into a blast
furnace, the charged raw material is spread at a predetermined position, and the mixed
coke does not separate. Therefore, gas permeability is improved dramatically at the
bottom of the furnace, reducibility of ore is greatly improved, and the blast furnace
can be operated stably even when the raw material charging interval is narrow, or
when charging by reverse tilting during mixing and simultaneously charging coke and
ore.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0019] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the way of charging ore material into a
blast furnace;
FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) respectively illustrate a state of raw material charging by a
conventional method and according to the present invention;
FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) respectively illustrate another state of raw material charging
by a conventional method and according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a comparison of a state of raw material
charging into a blast furnace according to the present invention and a state of raw
material charging into a regular blast furnace;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a comparison of another state of raw material
charging into a blast furnace according to the present invention and a state of raw
material charging into a regular blast furnace;
FIG. 6 illustrates a comparison of a state of raw material charging into a blast furnace
according to the present invention and a state of raw material charging into a regular
blast furnace, showing the reduction state, gas permeability/thermal conductivity
state, and molten carburizing state in the upper, middle, and lower sections; and
FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a laboratory device for measuring high temperature
properties of ore material.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The following describes a representative embodiment of the present invention with
reference to the drawings.
[0021] The specific way of charging ore material and coke into a blast furnace is described
based on FIG. 1.
[0022] In the following description, it is assumed that only coke is stored in a furnace
top bunker 12a, and that ore material is stored in furnace top bunkers 12b and 12c.
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates the following: a blast furnace 10, furnace top bunkers 12a to
12c, flow regulating gates 13, a collecting hopper 14, a bell-less charging device
15, and a rotating chute 16. Furthermore, 0 indicates the angle of the rotating chute
with respect to a vertical direction.
[0024] The order for charging raw material from the furnace top bunkers is as follows. First,
when forming a central coke layer at the central portion of the blast furnace, the
rotating chute 16 is set to charge raw material into the inner peripheral region of
the blast furnace wall, and by charging only coke from the furnace top bunker 12a,
into which only coke has been charged, a central coke layer can be formed in the central
portion of the blast furnace. A peripheral coke layer may also be formed in the inner
peripheral region of the furnace wall.
[0025] In other words, with the rotating chute 16 set to charge raw material into the blast
furnace wall region, the flow regulating gates 13 of the furnace top bunkers 12b and
12c are closed, the flow regulating gate 13 of only the furnace top bunker 12a is
opened, and only the coke stored in the furnace top bunker 12a is fed to the rotating
chute 16. In this way, a central coke layer is formed in the central portion of the
blast furnace.
[0026] Coke charging and ore charging are performed by simultaneous discharge from the furnace
top bunkers 12a, 12b, or 12c. The order for charging is as follows. The rotating chute
16 successively moves upwards from a position near the central shaft of the blast
furnace, i.e. a position with a small angle θ, subsequently moves away from the central
shaft of the blast furnace towards the outside, i.e. in the direction of a larger
angle θ, and finally the upper edge of the inclined sidewall is charged.
[0027] In the present invention, it is important that an average layer thickness L
av1 at each rotation of the rotating chute, calculated by Expression 1 below, be set
smaller than a thickness h of central coke charged into a shaft central portion of
the blast furnace:
where Vn is a charged volume (t) per rotation at an nth rotation / (apparent density (t/m3) of a mixed layer of coke and ore), and
Rn is a falling radius (m) of charged raw material at the nth rotation.

[0028] When ore material and coke are segregated at, for example, a facility for transport
to the furnace top bunkers, only ore material or coke is charged and is mixed in the
collecting hopper 14 with the coke and ore material charged from the other furnace
top bunkers 12a, 12b, and 12c. In this case, however, the ratio of ore material or
coke increases, and the mixing ratio of the mixed layer of ore material and coke formed
by the rotating chute 16 becomes uneven.
[0029] Therefore, in the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), by setting
L
av1 calculated by Expression 1 to be smaller than the thickness h of central coke charged
into the shaft central portion of the blast furnace, the above unevenness of the mixed
layer is eliminated. As a result, gas permeability and stability in the blast furnace
can be ensured even when the amount of coke is small or an operation to blow in a
large amount of pulverized coal is performed.
[0030] Furthermore, L
av1 is preferably in a range of approximately 0.7 to 0.95 times the value of h.
[0031] The reason is to prevent a situation whereby the charged raw material exceeds the
pile of raw material spread immediately before and flows towards the center, the mixed
coke separates, the mixing ratio controllability worsens, and the coke mixing ratio
drops.
[0032] In the present invention, it is important for the relationship L
av1 < h to be satisfied. As specific values, preferable approximate ranges are 0.90 m
to 1.35 m for L
av1 and 1.20 m to 1.50 m for h.
[0033] In other words, in the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b),
the mixed layers 12e are formed by setting the average layer thickness L
av1 at each rotation of the rotating chute, calculated by Expression 1, to be smaller
than the thickness h of central coke.
[0034] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is important that an average layer thickness
L
av2(n) at the n
th rotation of the rotating chute, calculated by Expression 2 below, and an average
layer thickness L
av2(n+1) at the (n+1)
th rotation, calculated by Expression 3 below, satisfy Expression 4 below, where n is
any natural number. When n = 1, R
n-1 is 0. When forming central coke, the equation L
av2(1) = h may be used, where h is the height of the central coke. Of course, the layer
for the first rotation may be formed regardless of the height of the central coke,
and when n = 1, R
n-1 may be 0, and L
av2(1) may be calculated:
where Vn is a charged raw material volume (m3) per rotation at the nth rotation,
Rn-1 is a falling radius (m) of charged raw material at an (n-1)th rotation,
Rn is a falling radius (m) of charged raw material at the nth rotation,
Vn+1 is a charged raw material volume (m3) per rotation at the (n+1)th rotation, and
Rn+1 is a falling radius (m) of charged raw material at the (n+1)th rotation.

[0035] The coke and ore materials that are simultaneously discharged from the furnace top
bunkers 12a, 12b, or 12c converge in the collecting hopper 14 and are charged through
the charging chute. At that point, when the pile of raw material charged in a ring
shape at the (n+1)
th rotation of the charging chute is higher than the pile of raw material charged in
a ring shape at the n
th rotation, the charged raw material may exceed the n
th pile and flow towards the center. In this case, since the coke separates as the raw
material at the (n+1)
th rotation flows along the tilted surface, the coke mixing ratio drops, preventing
the effect of improving gas permeability from being sufficiently achieved.
[0036] Therefore, in the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), by setting
the average layer thickness L
av2(n) at the n
th rotation calculated by Expression 2 to be larger than the average layer thickness
L
av2(n+1) at the (n+1)
th rotation calculated by Expression 3, the above unevenness of the mixed layer is eliminated.
As a result, gas permeability and stability in the blast furnace can be ensured even
when the amount of coke is small or an operation to blow in a large amount of pulverized
coal is performed.
[0037] Furthermore, the ratio between L
av2(n) and L
av2(n+1), i.e. (L
av2(n+1)/L
av2(n)), is preferably in a range of approximately 0.5 to 0.9. The reason is that when
the ratio is 0.9 or greater, the probability of the raw material charged at the (n+1)
th rotation exceeding the pile of raw material charged at the n
th rotation and flowing towards the center increases, whereas when the ratio is 0.5
or less, controlling the shape of the raw material deposit becomes difficult due to
an increase in the charging interval or a reduction of charged raw material.
[0038] In the present invention, it is important for Expression 4 to be satisfied. As specific
values, preferable approximate ranges are 2 m
3 to 7 m
3 for V
n, 1 m to 2 m for R
1, and 0.2 m to 0.5 m for ΔR.
[0039] The above-described central coke layer and mixed layer 12e are formed sequentially
inside the blast furnace 10 from the bottom to the top.
[0040] In accordance with these methods, by sequentially layering the coke layers and the
mixed layers 12e that are formed by simultaneous discharge, coke layers with small
gas permeability resistance are formed from the bottom of the blast furnace towards
the top of the blast furnace at the shaft central portion and the furnace wall portion
inside the blast furnace 10. Therefore, even when the raw material charging interval
is narrow, the mixed layers 12e in which the coke and ore material are completely
mixed can be formed therebetween, and moreover, worsening of gas permeability at the
top of the blast furnace caused by a drop in void ratio due to coke mixing can be
prevented. Additionally, since the mixed layers 12e in which the coke and ore material
are completely mixed can be formed between coke layers, the effect of improving gas
permeability at the bottom of the blast furnace can be maximized.
[0041] Therefore, as illustrated in the right half of FIGS. 4 and 5, by injecting high-temperature
gas having CO as the main constituent through a blast tube 21 of a tuyere disposed
in a basin at the bottom of the blast furnace 10, a gas flow that traverses the coke
layers and rises is formed, and a gas flow that traverses the mixed layers and rises
is also formed. The coke is combusted by the high-temperature gas injected through
the blast tube 21, and the ore material is subjected to reductive dissolution.
[0042] FIGS. 4 and 5 show the flow of gas in the blast furnace at this time. High-temperature
air is blown from the blast tube 21 provided at the bottom of the blast furnace 10
through the tuyere, and by combusting the coke and the pulverized coal near the tuyere,
high-temperature CO
2 gas is generated. The CO
2 gas reacts with the coke at the bottom of the blast furnace to yield CO, subjecting
the ore material to reductive dissolution.
[0043] In this way, the ore material at the bottom of the blast furnace 10 dissolves, the
coke and ore material charged into the blast furnace 10 descend from the furnace top
to the furnace bottom, and the ore material is reduced and rises in temperature.
[0044] Therefore, at the top of the melt layer, a cohesive zone in which the ore material
is softened forms, and the ore material is reduced at the top of this cohesive zone.
[0045] At this time, as illustrated in the right half of FIG. 6, at the bottom of the blast
furnace 10 in the mixed layer 12e, the ore material and the coke are completely mixed,
with coke penetrating between the ore materials. The gas permeability improves, and
high-temperature gas passes directly between ore materials, allowing for improvement
of heat-transfer properties without delay in heat transfer.
[0046] Additionally, at the bottom of the cohesive zone in the blast furnace 10, the area
of contact between the ore material and the high-temperature gas expands, encouraging
carburizing. In the cohesive zone, gas permeability and thermal conductivity can also
be improved. Furthermore, at the top of the blast furnace 10 as well, ore material
and coke are provided near each other. Hence, due to a coupling reaction, which is
a reciprocal activation phenomenon between a reduction reaction of the ore material
and a gasification reaction (carbon solution loss reaction), reduction proceeds well
without a reduction delay.
[0047] The reduction reaction at this time is represented by FeO + CO = Fe + CO
2.
[0048] The gasification reaction is represented by C + CO
2 = 2CO.
[0049] On the other hand, in the above-described conventional example in which ore and coke
are stacked as layers, ore and coke are alternately charged into the blast furnace
so that ore layers and coke layers are formed in the blast furnace, as illustrated
in the left half of FIGS. 4 and 5. In this case, when injecting high-temperature gas
having CO as the main constituent through the blast tube 21 of the tuyere, gas permeability
is restricted by the reduction in the coke slit at the bottom of the cohesive zone
and the pressure drop increases, as illustrated in the left half of FIG. 6, leading
to the problem of a reduction in the area of contact between the ore and the high-temperature
gas and restriction of carburizing.
[0050] At the top of the cohesive zone, a coke slit is formed, and heat is conducted to
the ore mainly through this coke slit. Therefore, a delay in heat transfer occurs,
causing insufficient heat transfer. Furthermore, since a coke layer with good gas
permeability and an ore layer with poor gas permeability are stacked at the top of
the blast furnace 10, not only does the rate of temperature increase drop, but also
the reduction reaction alone occurs, so that the above coupling reaction cannot be
expected. The problem of reduction delay thus occurs.
[0051] In the present invention, however, as described above, charging layers are stacked
by forming coke layers and mixed layers 12e in which coke and ore material are completely
mixed. Therefore, no coke slit is formed in the mixed layers and gas flow becomes
uniform. Good thermal conductivity can also be ensured, as can stable improvement
in gas permeability, thus resolving the problems in the above conventional example.
[0052] Note that conventionally, in order to produce 1 t of hot metal, the necessary amount
of coke (kg), i.e. the coke ratio is 320 kg/t to 350 kg/t, yet by charging raw material
in accordance with the present invention, the coke ratio can be reduced to approximately
270 kg/t to 320 kg/t.
EXAMPLES
(Example 1)
[0053] In order to prove the effects of the present invention, the laboratory device illustrated
in FIG. 7 was used to simulate the raw material reduction and elevated temperature
process in a blast furnace and to test the change in gas permeability resistance.
[0054] In the laboratory device, a furnace core tube 32 is disposed on the inner peripheral
surface of a cylindrical furnace body 31, and a cylindrical heater 33 is disposed
on the outside of the furnace core tube 32. On the inside of the furnace core tube
32, a graphite crucible 35 is disposed at the upper edge of a cylindrical body 34
constituted by refractory material, and charged raw material 36 is charged inside
the crucible 35. A load is applied to the charged raw material 36 from above by a
load application device 38 connected via a punch rod 37, so that the charged raw material
36 adopts approximately the same state as the cohesive layer at the bottom of the
blast furnace. A device 39 for sampling drops is provided at the bottom of the cylindrical
body 34.
[0055] Gas adjusted by a gas mixing device 40 is sent to the crucible 35 through the cylindrical
body 34 below the crucible 35. Subsequently, gas that has passed through the charged
raw material 36 in the crucible 35 is analyzed in a gas analysis device 41. A thermocouple
42 for controlling the heating temperature is provided in the heater 33, and by having
a control device (not illustrated) control the heater 33 while measuring the temperature
with the thermocouple 42, the crucible 35 is heated to 1200 °C to 1500 °C.
[0056] As the charged raw material 36 charged into the crucible 35, the following materials
were used.
[0057] A high pulverized coal ratio operation with a pulverized coal ratio of 180 kg/t was
performed when not mixing coke into the ore layer at all (Comparative Example 1) and
for the various charging conditions listed in Table 1, with an average layer thickness
L
av1 and thickness of central coke h. The productivity as listed in Table 1 is the amount
of metal produced per day in the blast furnace (t/d) divided by the volume of the
blast furnace (m
3).
[0058] The charged volume of the charged raw material per rotation V
n, the initial falling radius of the charged raw material R
1, and the radial increase in the falling radius of the charged raw material per rotation
ΔR were as listed in Table 1. Note that R
n - R
n-1 = ΔR (n being any natural number).
[0059] Furthermore, the operation results for each case are also listed in Table 1 for comparison.
[Table 1]
[0060]
Table 1
| |
Comparative Example 1-1 |
Comparative Example 1-2 |
Comparative Example 1-3 |
Inventive Example 1-1 |
Inventive Example 1-2 |
| productivity (t/m3/day) |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| coke ratio (kg/t) |
342 |
335 |
330 |
312 |
300 |
| pulverized coal ratio (kg/t) |
180 |
180 |
180 |
180 |
180 |
| reducing agent ratio (kg/t) |
522 |
515 |
510 |
492 |
480 |
| gas utilization rate (%) |
48.1 |
49.6 |
50.5 |
52.6 |
54.5 |
| ΔPN (Pa/m3/min) |
21.8 |
20.5 |
22.6 |
20.5 |
20.1 |
| mixing ratio (%) |
0 |
34 |
69 |
69 |
84 |
| number of batches of coke charging (number of times) |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| number of batches of ore charging (number of times) |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| charged volume per rotation Vn (t) |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
| initial falling radius of charged raw material R1 (m) |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| radial increase in the falling radius of the charged raw material per rotation ΔR
(m) |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.35 |
0.45 |
| average layer thickness Lav1 (m) |
1.30 |
1.30 |
1.30 |
0.86 |
0.81 |
| thickness of central coke h (m) |
1.42 |
1.42 |
1.42 |
1.15 |
0.81 |
[0061] In Table 1, the coke ratio and the pulverized coal ratio are the coke volume and
pulverized coal volume (kg) used when producing 1 t of hot metal.
[0062] The reducing agent ratio is the sum of the coke ratio and the pulverized coal ratio.
[0063] The gas utilization rate is the ratio of the concentrations of CO
2 and CO at the furnace top and is calculated by the following equation:
where CO2 is the furnace top CO2 concentration [%], and
CO is the furnace top CO concentration [%].
ΔP/V is an index yielded by indexation of the gas permeability resistance in the blast
furnace and is calculated by the following equation:

where BP is the blast pressure [Pa],
TP is the furnace top pressure [Pa], and
BGV is the Bosch gas volume (m3 (standard temperature and pressure)/min).
[0064] As is clear from Table 1, the coke ratio in Comparative Example 1 was 342 kg/t, yet
charging raw material in accordance with the present invention, such as by setting
L
av1 to be in a range of approximately 0.7 to 0.95 times the value of h, L
av1 to be approximately 0.90 m to 1.35 m, and h to be in a range of approximately 1.20
m to 1.50 m, allowed for a reduction of the coke ratio to 312 kg/t in Inventive Example
1 and approximately 300 kg/t in Inventive Example 2.
[0065] For the low reducing agent ratio with a low coke ratio as well, it was proven that
gas permeability resistance can be reduced.
[0066] In the above embodiment, the charged volume per rotation V
n and the radial increase in the falling radius of the charged raw material per rotation
ΔR were fixed for each example, yet as long as the relationship L
av1 < h is satisfied, the effects of the present invention can be achieved without any
problem even when V
n and ΔR change with each rotation.
[0067] In the above embodiment, the central coke later and mixed layer are described as
being formed by tilting of the rotating chute and control to open and close the flow
regulating gates of the furnace top bunkers, yet formation is not limited in this
way. A dedicated coke chute that discharges coke directly into the shaft central portion
of the blast furnace may be provided at a position that does not interfere with the
rotating chute, and with this dedicated coke chute, coke may be charged directly into
the shaft central portion of the blast furnace in order to form the central coke layer.
Accordingly, by setting L
av1 to be in a range of approximately 0.7 to 0.95 times the value of h, L
av1 to be approximately 0.90 m to 1.35 m, and h to be in a range of approximately 1.20
m to 1.50 m, it was proven that for the low reducing agent ratio with a low coke ratio
as well, the gas permeability resistance can be reduced.
(Example 2)
[0068] Furthermore, in an actual blast furnace with a 4000 mm
3 class volume, a raw material charging experiment was performed, and operating conditions
were compared. This blast furnace, as illustrated in FIG. 1, had three independent
bunkers at the top of the blast furnace, and coke or ore material was charged from
each bunker. During regular charging, for each charge, two batches of ore material
were charged after charging two batches of coke, whereas during mixed charging (120
kg/t), after charging one batch of coke, coke was charged into the furnace central
region in the first half of coke discharge for the second batch to form the central
coke layer. Thereafter, ore material was simultaneously discharged from another bunker,
and by reverse tilting during mixing and charging, raw material was charged to form
a coke mixed layer.
[0069] Table 2 lists the test results in accordance with the above procedure.
[Table 2]
[0070]
Table 2
| |
Comparative Example 2-1 |
Comparative Example 2-2 |
Inventive Example 2-1 |
Inventive Example 2-2 |
Inventive Example 2-3 |
| charging method |
regular charging |
mixed charging |
mixed charging |
mixed charging |
mixed charging |
| productivity (t/m3/day) |
1.95 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
| coke ratio (kg/t) |
365 |
350 |
345 |
330 |
310 |
| pulverized coal ratio (kg/t) |
165 |
165 |
165 |
165 |
185 |
| reducing agent ratio (kg/t) |
530 |
515 |
505 |
495 |
495 |
| gas utilization rate (%) |
48.5 |
49.3 |
50.8 |
51.0 |
51.8 |
| ΔP/V (Pa/m3/min) |
24.05 |
24.25 |
22.50 |
23.35 |
24.25 |
| coke mixing ratio (kg/t) |
60 |
120 |
180 |
180 |
180 |
| number of batches of coke charging (number of times) |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| number of batches of ore charging (number of times) |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| charged volume per rotation by simultaneous discharge Vn (m3) |
- |
6.3 |
6.3 |
6.3 |
6.3 |
| initial falling radius of mixed charged raw material R1 (m) |
1.749 |
2.385 |
1.815 |
1.815 |
1.815 |
| radial increase in falling radius of the charged raw material per rotation ΔR (m) |
- |
- |
0.2 |
0.4 |
0.4 |
[0071] In Table 2, the coke ratio and the pulverized coal ratio are the coke volume and
pulverized coal volume (kg) used when producing 1 t of hot metal.
[0072] The reducing agent ratio is the sum of the coke ratio and the pulverized coal ratio.
[0073] The gas utilization rate is the ratio of the concentrations of CO
2 and CO at the furnace top and is calculated by the following equation:
where CO2 is the furnace top CO2 concentration [%], and
CO is the furnace top CO concentration [%].
ΔP/V is an index yielded by indexation of the gas permeability resistance in the blast
furnace and is calculated by the following equation:

where BP is the blast pressure [Pa],
TP is the furnace top pressure [Pa], and
BGV is the Bosch gas volume (m3 (standard temperature and pressure)/min).
[0074] As is clear from Table 2, Inventive Examples 1 and 2 exhibit even lower ΔP/V than
Comparative Examples 1 and 2, which have a high coke ratio. In Inventive Example 3
with an even lower coke ratio of 310 kg/t, the same ΔP/V as Comparative Example 2
with a coke ratio of 350 kg/t was obtained.
[0075] Based on the above results, it was proven that for a low reducing agent ratio with
a low coke ratio as well, gas permeability resistance can be reduced.
[0076] In the above embodiment, the charged volume per rotation V
n and the radial increase in the falling radius of the charged raw material per rotation
ΔR were fixed for each example, yet as long as the relationship L
av2(n+1) < L
av2(n) is satisfied, the effects of the present invention can be achieved without any
problem even when V
n and ΔR are changed as appropriate with each rotation.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0077]
10: Blast furnace
12a to 12c: Furnace top bunker
13: Flow regulating gate
14: Collecting hopper
15: Bell-less charging device
16: Rotating chute
31: Furnace body
32: Furnace core tube
33: Heater
34: Cylindrical body
35: Graphite crucible
36: Charged raw material
37: Punch rod
38: Load application device
39: Device for sampling drops
40: Gas mixing device
41: Gas analysis device
42: Thermocouple