Lecture26:Ironmakinginblastfurnace

Contents
Preamble
Blastfurnaceoperation
Functionsofcoke
Cokemaking
Howcokeisproduced
Byproductcokeoven
Materialsbalancecalculationprocedureincokemaking
Heatbalance
Conclusions
References
Keywords:Ironmaking,blastfurnace,cokemaking,byproductcokeoven,adiabaticflametemperature
Preamble
Blastfurnaceironmakingisanexampleinwhichbothunitprocessesthatisreductionofironoxideand
smeltingtoseparateliquidpigironfromslagisdonesimultaneouslyinasinglereactor.Heightofthe
blastfurnaceisaround25to30m.Itmustbementionedthatblastfurnaceisaveryefficientreactor
bothintermsofheatandmassexchangebetweensolidsandgases.
Blastfurnaceoperation
Intheblastfurnaceburden(consistsofironoresinter/pellets+coke+limestone/lime)at298Kischarged
fromtop.Duringitsdescent,thereoccursheatandmassexchangewiththehotgaseswhicharemoving
up.HotgasescompriseofCO, CO and N .Thusblastfurnaceisacountercurrentheatandmass
exchangereactor.
Inapproximately75%ofthetotalheightoftheblastfurnace(i.e.fromtoptobottomofstack),
reductionofironoxidetoFeOanddecompositionoflimestoneoccur.Burdenpermeabilityisvery
importantforthesmoothoperation.
Burdenpermeabilityiscontrolledessentiallybycoke,sincecokeistheonlycomponentoftheburden
whichisfusedatthetuyerelevel.RestofthecomponentssaysFe O andlimestonelosesoxygenand
hencethereoccurrencechangesinsizeandshapeduringdecent.

Blastfurnacecannotworkwithoutcoke.Sincecokeisnotanaturalresource,cokemakingisanintegral
partofblastfurnaceironmaking.Inviewoftheimportanceofcoke,letmediscusscokemaking.
Functionsofcoke

Sourceofthermalenergy
Sourceofchemicalenergy
Cokemaintainspermeabilityoftheburden

Strengthreactivity,chemicalcompositionetc.aretheimportantproperties
Cokeconsumptionvariesfrom500 550 kg/tonofhotmetal.Modernblastfurnaceswithpulverized
coalinjectionworkwith300 350 kg/tonofhotmetal.
Cokemaking
Inthislectureaverybriefdiscussiononcokemakingisgiven.Readerscanseethereferencesgivenat
theendofthislecture.
Howcokeisproduced
Cokeisproducedbyheatingcoaltohightemperature T 1000 1100 outofcontactofairuntil
allvolatilemattersareremoved.TheprocessiscalledcarbonizationorDestructivedistillationof
coal.
CoalconsistsofcomplexorganiccompoundsinwhichC, H, N, O,andSatomsarebondedtogether.Asa
resultofheatingtheseboundsarebrokenandnewboundsareformedlikeCO, H S, NH , CO , H , CH
andothercomplexhydrocarbonslikeC H , C H etc.
Themassofcoalduringheatingfusesandbecomesplastic.Itswellsduringcokingandthenrsolidifies.
Thestructureofcokedependsmuchonfusion,swellingandresolidification.Differenceinbehaviorof
differenttypesofcoalaccountforthedifferenceinstructureofcoke.Forexamplenoncokingcoalmay
decomposewithoutbecomingplasticatanystage.Mixingoftwodifferentvarietiesofcoali.e.non
cokingcoalwithcokingcoalresultincontrolovercokeproperties.
Byproductcokeoven
Metallurgicalcoke(cokeusedinblastfurnaceironmaking)isproducedinbyproductcokeovens.By
productcokeovensareflexibleintreatingdifferenttypesofcoalandtocontrolthecokeproperties.
Cokeischargedbatchwiseintosilicalinedorrefractorylinedretortsandtheseretortsareheated
externallybyburninggaseousfuels.Notethatretortsareheatedindirectlyandcoalisheatedthrough
heattransferredfromthewallsoftheretort.Coalnearthewalloftheretortisheatedfasterthancoal
nearthecenter.Asaresult,cokenearthewallsswellsmuchearlierthancoalatthecenter.Therefore,
properdistributionofcoalintheretortwouldbedesirable.

Thevolatilematterfromthecoaliscollectedinthebyproductrecoveryplantwherebyproductare
separatedfromeachother.Ittakesaround18hourstoconvertonebatchofcoalintocoke.Cokeis
dischargefromtheotherendoftheretortmechanicalhopperintoacar,wereitiswetquenched.
Notethathotcokesoproducedcannotbeuseddirectlyintoblastfurnacehencecokeiscooledtoroom
temperature.Duringwetquenchingofcoalconsiderableamountofsensibleheatislostandpollutants
aredischargedinatmosphere.Theaspectofcokemakingisdealtseparatelyinnextlecturewitha
quantitativeillustration.
Thequalityofcokedependsbothontemperatureandrateofheating.Metallurgicalgradecokeis
producedattemperaturehigherthan 1000 .
Amongthebyproducts,cokeovengaspossessesbothsensibleheatandpotentialenergy.Cokeoven
gagisusedasafueltoheatthefurnaceandalsoinheatingthecokeoven.Theleakageofatmospheric
airintocokeovenmustbeavoidedastheaircausesoxidationofCandresultsindecreaseinyields.
Materialsbalancecalculationprocedureincokemaking
Incokemakingcoalofcertaincompositioniscarbonizedinabyproductcokeoven.Asaresultof
carbonization,productsandbyproductareproduced.Mainproductiscoke,whereasbyproductsare
cokeovengasandtar.
Basisofcalculation:onemaytake1kgcoal,100kgcoalor1000kgcoal.
Amountofcokeisdeterminedbyashbalance,namelyifWkgisamountofcokethenashbalanceis
A 1000100

A W100

wt. of tar100

A istheamountofashincoal,A andA areamountsofashincokeandtarrespectively.Byknowing

weightoftar,Wcanbecalculated.
Amountofcokeovengascanbecalculatedbycarbonbalance:
C from coal

C in coke

C in tar

C in coke oven gas

Heatbalance:
Forheatbalancecalculations,reverencetemperatureof298Kisnormallyselected.
Heatbalanceatsteadystateis
Heat input

Heat output

Heat loesses

Incokemakingheatinputisthecalorificvalueofcoalandcalorificvalueofcokeovengascalorific
valueofcoalandofanyothersolidfuelcanbedeterminedbyDulongformula:
GCV

339%C

1427 %H

%O/8

93% S kjkg

NCV

GCV

24.44 9%H

%M kjkg

GCVisgrosscalorificvalueandNCVisthenetcalorificvalue.
Heatoutputconsistsof
(i)

Sensibleheatincoke:

ItcandeterminedbyW C T
298 inKcalorkj,whereXismassofcoke,Cpisspecificheatof
cokeandT
istemperatureofcokedischargedfromcokeoven.C is0.359kcalkg .
Sensibleheatincokeovengas:itmaybecalculatedbyY C

(ii)

298 inkcalorkj,where
C isspecificheatofcokeovengas.Itsvaluemaybetakenas0.44 kcalm .

(iii)
(iv)

CVofcokeandtarcanbecalculatedbyDulongformula.
CVofcokeovengasisthesummationofheatofcombustionvaluesofallcombustible
componentsincokeovengassillustratedonlecture2.

Heatbalancecalculationsdisclose
a. Distributionofheatenergyinproductsandbyproducts.
b. Sensibleheatavailableinproductsandbyproducts.
c. Heatlossescanbedeterminedfromdifferencebetweenheatoutputandheatinputvalues.

Conclusions:
Inthislectureabriefdescriptionofblastfurnaceironmakingisgivensothatonetocanproceedto
performmaterialandheatbalance.Cokeisanintegralpartofblastfurnaceironmaking.Materialand
heatbalanceisdiscussedinlecture27.

References:
R.H.Tupkary:Introductiontomodernironmaking