Technical Requirements of Coke Carbon Blocks for Blast Furnaces
The use of blast furnaces to produce iron has been a central component of the steelmaking process since the early 19th century. The process involves burning coke, a product of coal, which produces the heat required to smelt iron ore and reduce it to iron. This heat is produced by the burning of the volatile matter in the coke carbon block, a high-temperature product which is placed in the blast furnace hopper. The quality of this virtual matter is important as it affects the production rate of the blast furnace. The amount of volatile material in the coke carbon blocks depends upon the uniformity of the particles size and the content of the coking and ash material. The coke carbon blocks, which are placed in the hopper, must meet certain requirements of size and bulk density, as well as uniformity of size.
The coke carbon blocks must have a size which is within the limits specified by the blast furnace design and operating personnel. They must be uniform in diameter, in cubicity, and have parallel faces. The blocks should be between 25 and 70 mm in diameter, with a tolerance of two to three mm, and preferably between 30 and 70 mm. The thickness of the blocks should be between 10 and 25 mm, with a tolerance of two to three mm, and preferably between 13 and 20 mm. The block shape should be highly cubical, with parallel faces, a cubicity of at least 0.8 and a bulk density of 1.1 to 1.2 g/cm3.
The size and shape of the coke carbon blocks are critical to ensure consistent operation of the blast furnace and good performance. The ideal block size must be larger than the size of the opening in the hopper and small enough to allow support of the molten burden while not restricting its life. In addition, the coke block should be dense and strong, to withstand the high temperatures in the hopper, and uniform in size, to provide an efficient flow of material into the furnace.
The uniformity of the size of the cokecarbon blocks is important in ensuring a uniform rate of coking and prevention of clinkering and formation of blockages in the hopper. Clinkering occurs when larger particles are mixed with smaller ones, while blockage occurs when the entire hopper is filled with coke particles of similar size. To ensure uniformity, the coke carbon blocks must be made of small particles of homogeneous size and shape, so that large particles are not mixed with small ones. All particles must also be of uniform composition, without any foreign material, to ensure proper burning and formation of volatile material.
In conclusion, the quality of the coke carbon blocks is important for the efficient and successful operation of the blast furnace. The blocks must be of uniform size, shape and density and of uniform composition, to ensure an efficient flow of material into the hopper and the formation of volatile material which will produce the heat required for the smelting process. The size and shape of the coke blocks must also be carefully controlled to ensure the support of the molten burden and the prevention of blockages in the hopper.
