|
The sequence impulse process developed by thyssenkrupp
AT . PRO tec GmbH has long been used on cupola furnaces to increase costeffectiveness . In over ten years of development work with Schubert & Salzer as their partner , Dr Rainer Klock and the team at AT . PRO tec also succeeded in getting the SIP technology to work on blast furnaces with the help of sliding gate valves .
Text by Sandro Caravita , Marketing at Schubert &
Salzer Control Systems
|
The history of the blast furnace process is a story of great innovations and technical improvements . Again and again , courageous innovators have been willing to question common methods to optimise pig iron production process further . In the 18th century , Abraham Darby succeeded in using coke instead of charcoal . As a result , blast furnaces became considerably larger and more efficient . In the 19th century , Edward Alfred Cowper managed an innovation leap with the newly emerging blast preheaters . Today the so-called “ Cowpers ” are part of every blast furnace plant . For over a decade , Dr Rainer Klock and the thyssenkrupp AT . PRO tec GmbH team worked on perfecting “ sequence impulse process ( SIP ) with induced shock waves ” to achieve the next evolution in blast furnace technology . The basic concept of the new process is to activate the areas deeper inside the furnace . In the standard process technology , a cone of coke is created - the so-called “ dead man ”. Incompletely reacted fine particles block this coke bed . The gas flow and heat cannot penetrate deeply enough into the furnace . The solution : strong intermittent impulses to enable the necessary deep penetration of the technical oxygen . This leads to a short-term , |
local surplus of oxygen and a more complete chemical conversion of the fine particles – even deep inside the coke bed . The shock waves associated with the impulses break open blockages at this point and mix the contents with strong turbulence . They ensure a more homogeneous gas distribution and a better flow-off of the molten metal and the slag .
Phase 1 : ASIPGO – collaborative research project ( 2007-2011 )
The technology has worked successfully for years on a smaller scale in cupola furnaces and enables a considerable increase in cost-effectiveness . Use on the much larger blast furnaces was , however , completely unresearched . When AT . PRO tec approached RWTH Aachen and the Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy ( IEHK ) with the subject , Rainer Klock had just completed his degree thesis . RWTH looked for research associates for the new project , which was supported by thyssenkrupp as the industrial partner . “ That was the perfect opportunity for me . Not only could I write my doctorate thesis directly following my degree , the project also offered me the possibility to work on one of the largest blast furnaces in Europe ”, said Dr Klock . “ The ASIPGO project pursued two
|
π |