Review
Thermodynamics
Yiran Liu, Yansong Shen
Summary: This study reviews key aspects of biomass combustion in blast furnaces, including experimental and numerical studies, and the application of research findings. It covers biomass pretreatment, mathematical modeling, furnace phenomena understanding, among others, providing valuable insights for improving green ironmaking technology.
PROGRESS IN ENERGY AND COMBUSTION SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ming Jiang Gan, Yiran Liu, Yansong Shen
Summary: A novel ironmaking decarbonisation technology, co-injection of hydrogen and biochar (CoHB) in blast furnaces, is proposed for a feasible and sustainable carbon-neutral ironmaking. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to understand the internal combustion behavior related to CoHB. The model is validated and the results show that proper hydrogen injection can enhance biochar burnout, but the competition with oxygen hinders char reactions.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Pengcheng Yuan, Hui Xiang, Shenchun Xu, Jian Liu, Yu Su, Kefo Qu, Chengqing Wu
Summary: This study investigated the multiple blast resistance of SWM reinforced G-HPC slabs protected by UHMWPE FRC through experimental and numerical studies. The results showed that the SWM reinforced G-HPC slab exhibited superior resistance against multiple blast loadings compared to plain G-HPC slab. The UHMWPE FRC effectively mitigated the blast loading and reduced the damage to the slab.
ENGINEERING STRUCTURES
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Lian Ye, Jianliang Zhang, Guangwei Wang, Chen Wang, Xiaoming Mao, Xiaojun Ning, Nan Zhang, Haipeng Teng, Jinhua Li, Chuan Wang
Summary: Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) technology can upgrade combustible waste to high-quality fuel called hydrochar. The study thoroughly analyzed the physical, chemical, and metallurgical properties of hydrochar and found that it has improved properties compared to waste feedstocks. The HTC process can also effectively remove harmful elements from feedstocks, reducing their negative effects in blast furnaces.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Xiaojun Ning, Wang Liang, Guangwei Wang, Runsheng Xu, Peng Wang, Jianliang Zhang, Xingmin Guo, Chunhe Jiang, Jinhua Li, Chuan Wang
Summary: This research investigates the impact of pyrolysis temperature on the metallurgical properties of biochar and provides a theoretical reference for preparing biochar suitable for blast furnace injection. By analyzing the physical and chemical properties of biochar, the study reveals that higher pyrolysis temperature improves the fuel performance of biochar, increases carbonization degree, and weakens combustion performance and reactivity. Additionally, the application of the Coats-Redfern kinetic equation in fitting the combustion process of biochar has yielded favorable results.
Article
Thermodynamics
Tianlu Gao, Yining Huang, Lei Zhang, Jianliang Zhang, Zhenxing Zhou, Lifeng Yan, Kexin Jiao
Summary: The heat transmission properties of different cooling stave structures were examined and compared under various furnace conditions. The presence of a steel layer increases the maximum temperature of the cooling stave, but it remains within the allowable working temperature range. The temperature of the cooling stave is influenced by factors such as gas temperature, inlet water temperature, inlet water velocity, and slag thickness.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THERMAL SCIENCES
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Zebin Han, Wenjun Qu, Peng Zhu
Summary: The service environment of civil air defense engineering structures is harsh, and the corrosion of steel bars is the main reason for reducing their durability. The use of hybrid FRP-steel-reinforced concrete (hybrid-RC) structures is a good choice for civil air defense engineering. Close blast and contact blast experiments were conducted to study the blast resistance of hybrid-RC structures. The results showed that the hybrid-RC slab had a better capacity to dissipate energy and exhibited smaller residual deformation compared to the steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) slab. Damage assessment criteria and a prediction formula for hybrid-RC slabs were proposed.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Kai Wang, Jianliang Zhang, Shengli Wu, Jianlong Wu, Kun Xu, Jiawen Liu, Xiaojun Ning, Guangwei Wang
Summary: In this paper, the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) method was used to upgrade biomass for blast furnace injection. The hydrochar prepared through HTC treatment showed high fixed carbon and low ash and alkali metal content. It also exhibited good grindability and combustion performance, meeting the requirements for blast furnace injection.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Zhiyuan Fan, S. Julio Friedmann
Summary: With the urgency to transition to a net-zero CO2 economy, governments and industries are focusing on decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors like steel making. Current decarbonization technologies have limitations, and achieving deep decarbonization in the iron and steel industry will require a combination of factors including cost and technical maturity.
Article
Thermodynamics
Sheng Xie, Jingshu Zhang, Datao Shi, Qi Zhang
Summary: The multi-energy system in iron and steel plants poses challenges in energy distribution and management due to its strong coupling characteristic. This study establishes a multi-energy and multi-objective mixed integer non-linear programming model to optimize the energy system under the water-energy-carbon nexus. The model considers the coupling of gas-steam-electricity and includes multiple objectives such as economic performance, CO2 emissions, water generation, and global energy efficiency. The results show that the studied iron and steel plant has significant potential in reducing economic cost, emission mitigation, improving system water production, and enhancing global energy efficiency, thus helping achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets.
APPLIED THERMAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Da Huang, Christian Doh Dinga, Zongguo Wen, Darine Razmadze
Summary: This study builds a 6-objective optimization problem to quantify energy conservation and emission reduction potentials in China's iron and steel industry. The results show that neglecting uncertainties increases the risk of noncompliance with policy targets, and the steel ratios and technology penetration rates are the critical uncertainty parameters that have the most severe impacts on objectives' performance.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xiaojun Ning, Han Dang, Runsheng Xu, Guangwei Wang, Jianliang Zhang, Nan Zhang, Chuan Wang
Summary: This paper investigates a co-hydrothermal carbonization process of biomass and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and examines the effects of different conditions on the characteristics of the co-HTC products. The results show that co-HTC enhances the carbon and HHV content, improves the removal efficiency of alkali metals and organic chlorine, and modifies the structure and combustion characteristics of carbon.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jue Tang, Mansheng Chu, Feng Li, Zedong Zhang, Yating Tang, Zhenggen Liu, Junichiro Yagi
Summary: The study showed that injecting H-2 into the blast furnace leads to stable operation, increased productivity, reduced environmental impacts, especially a significant decrease in CO2 emissions.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Tianqi Chen, Liang Sun, Qing Li, Chao Liu, Zhiyong Liu, Xuequn Cheng, Xiaogang Li
Summary: The corrosion failure of blast furnace gas pipeline made of Q235 carbon steel in a steel plant was comprehensively investigated. The mechanism of pitting corrosion was found to be acid chemical corrosion and electrochemical corrosion. Chlorine was found to be enriched in the rust layer.
ENGINEERING FAILURE ANALYSIS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Jalen Johnson, Man Xu, Eric Jacques
Summary: Hybrid FRP-steel reinforced concrete beams display strong self-centering tendencies under blast loads, reducing residual damage, repair cost, and facility downtime. FRP bars activate self-centering behavior, while steel reinforcement and concrete dissipate energy through their inelastic response.
ENGINEERING STRUCTURES
(2021)
Article
Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering
Weiqiang Liu, Debanga Nandan Mondal, Alf Hermanson, Lei Shao, Henrik Saxen
Summary: An image analysis-based method has been developed to interpret videos of a transparent Hele-Shaw model for quantitative assessment of draining phenomena in blast furnace hearth. This method extracts information and quantifies findings to gain a deeper understanding of the complex two-phase flow.
IRONMAKING & STEELMAKING
(2021)
Review
Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering
Wei Zhang, Jing Dai, Chengzhi Li, Xiaobing Yu, Zhengliang Xue, Henrik Saxen
Summary: The theoretical study of the oxygen blast furnace process has led to suggestions for revisions of static and dynamic models, focusing on the newest theoretical findings in thermodynamics and kinetics. Further development of models concentrating on energy demand and emissions are recommended for enhanced efficiency and sustainability.
STEEL RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Han Wei, Weitian Ding, Ying Li, Hao Nie, Henrik Saxen, Hongming Long, Yaowei Yu
Summary: The porosity distribution of burden layers in the blast furnace is crucial for gas distribution and gas-solid two-phase interaction. Research has shown that as a layer of burden moves from top to bottom, it becomes more compact with decreased porosity, stabilizing after 4-5 new layers are added on top.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Lei Shao, Quanle Wang, Yingxia Qu, Henrik Saxen, Zongshu Zou
Summary: The breakthrough route of using a reduction shaft furnace with pure hydrogen gas and an electric arc furnace is considered a viable option for industrial-scale steel production with low CO2 emissions. The largest portion of energy in the process is consumed by the H-2-SF operation, which requires a high gas feed rate for smooth operation. Increasing gas feed temperature or furnace height can reduce gas consumption, but excessive length may result in higher total energy consumption.
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS B-PROCESS METALLURGY AND MATERIALS PROCESSING SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering
Qing Zhao, Xiang Zheng, Chengjun Liu, Maofa Jiang, Henrik Saxen, Ron Zevenhoven
Summary: This study investigates the corrosion behavior of MgO-C refractory in contact with molten slag, finding that the corrosion depth is influenced by the FeO content in slag, carbon content in refractory, and rotation speed. The corrosion mechanism is primarily attributed to the penetration corrosion caused by carbon oxidation.
STEEL RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Chemical
Henrik Saxen, Marco A. Ramirez-Argaez, Alberto N. Conejo, Abhishek Dutta
Article
Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering
Chengbo Zhang, Chenxi Zhao, Lei Shao, Henrik Saxen, Yingxia Qu, Zongshu Zou
Summary: A wear model based on the solution of an inverse heat conduction problem was developed to track the evolution of the internal geometry of a large-scale BF in Chinese steelworks, revealing that the skull layer at the bottom of the BF hearth is thicker, preventing excessive lining erosion in the sidewall, and correlating well with taphole length.
STEEL RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shiyu Wei, Han Wei, Henrik Saxen, Yaowei Yu
Summary: This paper uses the discrete element method (DEM) to study the effects of rolling and static friction coefficients on the repose angle. The results show that the repose angle increases with increasing coefficients of rolling and static friction, although the rate of increase diminishes. The coefficient of static friction has a greater impact on the repose angle than the coefficient of rolling friction, and the roughness of the base surface affects the repose angle.
Article
Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering
Debanga Nandan Mondal, Han Wei, Yaowei Yu, Henrik Saxen
Summary: This study analyzes the thermal and flow conditions in the upper shaft of a blast furnace using computational fluid dynamics combined with the discrete element method. The results show that charging significantly affects the gas and temperature distribution in the furnace, and discuss the implications of the findings.
STEEL RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Weitian Ding, Bing Qi, Huiting Chen, Ying Li, Yuandong Xiong, Henrik Saxen, Yaowei Yu
Summary: This paper studies the effects of different inlet velocities, liquid densities, and viscosity on bubble and velocity distribution in an industrial furnace. The research finds that an appropriate inlet velocity and liquid viscosity can ensure the uniform distribution and fluidity of gas in the furnace.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Huiting Chen, Weitian Ding, Han Wei, Henrik Saxen, Yaowei Yu
Summary: The physical meaning of Basset force is studied using polynomial approximation and Fourier series representation. A mathematical model is set up to describe the upward motion of a single bubble, and the coupling interface with Basset force is experimentally verified. Various factors, such as initial velocity, releasing depth, bubble size, density ratio, and viscosity ratio, are qualitatively studied due to their importance to Basset force. Quantitative analysis of the contribution of Basset force is conducted using different ratios. Furthermore, insightful outlooks and recommendations for the further development and appropriate use of Basset force are provided.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuandong Xiong, Ying Li, Huiting Chen, Dejin Qiu, Shiyu Wei, Henrik Saxen, Yaowei Yu
Summary: Cold-bonding technique is an environmentally friendly and low-consumption method for treating silicon nitride and silicon powder waste in industrial production. The experiment showed that increasing molding pressure and high-temperature treatment had a positive impact on the compressive strength of Si3N4 briquettes, while the effect on Si briquettes was minimal.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Chengbo Zhang, Binbin Hou, Lei Shao, Zongshu Zou, Henrik Saxen
Summary: The undisturbed and well-controlled hearth state is crucial for the operation of an ironmaking blast furnace. A wear model was developed to estimate the hearth state of a three-taphole blast furnace. The model uses thermocouple readings and solves an inverse heat conduction problem to optimize the erosion and skull lines. The results showed excessive erosion in the hearth periphery and low permeability in the core of the deadman.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Meng Li, Xu Wang, Hao Yao, Henrik Saxen, Yaowei Yu
Summary: This paper proposes a method for coke particle detection using deep learning algorithm and estimates the particle size distribution using statistical methods. The experimental results show that the method is fast, accurate, and has a small error, providing a new approach for analyzing particle size distribution from images.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Han Wei, Henrik Saxen, Yaowei Yu
Summary: A proper burden and porosity distribution in the upper shaft of the ironmaking blast furnace is crucial for stable and efficient operation. The effects of static friction coefficient and shaft angle on the burden profile and porosity distribution were investigated using the discrete element method. The results show that a large static friction coefficient leads to particles staying closer to the impact point, and a larger mixed region decreases gas permeability, while an increase in burden particle roughness worsens the problem. The burden surface shape becomes flatter with increased shaft angle, and these findings shed light on the role of particle properties and wall geometry in the inner structure of the burden bed.