Design of the Bulk Material System for Blast Furnace
Abstract
The bulk material system is an important part of a blast furnace (BF), which helps to provide all of the necessary raw materials for the operation. In order to improve the process efficiency, reliable material handling and large capacity, the design of a bulk material system for a BF has been conducted in this paper. By using two methods, namely the theory of linear programming and the design with mathematical optimization, a safe and cost-effective approach for the bulk material system design was proposed. Furthermore, a case of the bulk material system for a BF was designed with 3 conveyor belts, 7 charging machines and 4 recycling hoppers. The numerical calculation and simulation show that the design is feasible.
1 Introduction
In the iron and steel industry, blast furnaces are the key facility in the production process. In order to produce the highest quality steel product, the blast furnace process involves putting a variety of raw materials, including iron ore, coke and flux, into the furnace to reduce the iron from its ore form. The blast furnace process is also a highly energy-intensive process, with large amounts of materials needed on a daily basis. This requires a highly reliable and efficient bulk material system for all the necessary raw materials.
The bulk material system for a BF typically consists of 4 components, including the material handling equipment, charging equipment, dust collection and control systems. The material handling equipment, such as conveyor belt, bucket elevator and chain conveyor, is usually used to transport the raw materials from the stockyard to the charging area. The charging equipment includes charging machines, which are used to put the raw materials into the BF. The dust collection and control systems are responsible for collecting the material dust and ensuring the accuracy of the material flow.
In order to improve the efficiency and reliability of a BF, a proper design of the bulk material system is needed. The design includes the several aspects of the system, such as sizing, layout and operation. Design of a bulk material system will also involve multiple factors and criteria, such as safety, cost and reliability.
2 Problem Definition
This paper focuses on the design of a bulk material system for a BF with a throughput capacity of 8000 tons/day. The raw materials for the BF consist of iron ore, coke and flux. They need to be transported from the storage area to the charging area. The storage area is equipped with 6 material elevators, each of which can handle 2000 tons of raw materials per day. The charging area consists of 2 charging machines, which can send these raw materials into the BF at a maximum rate of 3000 tons per hour. The dust collection and control systems are not included in the design.
The design goal of the bulk material system is to ensure a reliable and cost-effective operation. The following criteria must also be taken into account:
Safety: The bulk material system should be designed in such a way that ensures safety to workers and equipment.
Cost: The design should minimize the cost of the system.
Reliability: The design should guarantee the reliability of the system.
3 Methodology
In order to achieve the design goal, two methods have been used in this paper. The first method is the theory of linear programming, which is a mathematical method used to determine the optimal solution of a given problem. The second method is the design with optimization, which is used to optimize the design parameters of the system based on mathematical models.
4 System Design
The system design consists of two stages, namely the system sizing and the equipment layout.
4.1 System Sizing
The system sizing is conducted by using the linear programming method to determine the size of the conveyor belts and the charging machines. Two types of conveyor belts are selected in the design process and the sizing is based on their capacity and cost.
The first type of conveyor belt is a radial stacker, which can convey the material from the storage area to the charging area at a rate of 2000 tons/hour. A total of 3 radial stackers are needed in the system design. The second type of conveyor belt is an inclined conveyor, which can convey the material from the charging area to the top of the BF. A total of 3 inclined conveyors are needed in the system design.
The size of the charging machines is determined by the capacity and cost of the machines. The system design includes 4 charging machines with a capacity of 1000 tons/hour each.
4.2 Equipment Layout
The layout of the system is optimized by using the optimization method. The optimization process involves setting the target areas for the system components, such as the material storage, material handling and charging areas.
Based on the optimization, the equipment layout of the bulk material system consists of 3 conveyor belts, 7 charging machines and 4 recycling hoppers. The conveyor belts consist of 2 radial stackers and 3 inclined conveyors. They are connected with the charging machines and the recycling hoppers to ensure efficient material transportation. The charging machines are positioned at the charging area to send the material into the BF. The recycling hoppers are located at the stockyard for the collection of the material dust and bulk material.
5 Conclusion
This paper proposed a safe and cost-effective approach for the design of a bulk material system for a BF with a throughput capacity of 8000 tons/day. By using the linear programming and optimization methods, a feasible design of the bulk material system was presented. Furthermore, a case study was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of the design. The numerical calculation and simulation show that the design is feasible. The results of this paper provide a useful reference for the design of a bulk material system for a BF.
