Improvement of a cold blast furnace supply scheme

The paper provides an assessment of the energy efficiency of the existing cold blast supply scheme for two blast furnaces included in the complex of the blast furnace shop of an iron and steel company. Cold blast is supplied to the air heaters of blast furnaces by powerful steam and electric driven blowers. Based on an in-depth analysis of the data obtained, the disadvantages of the existing operating mode of the blowers are identified, which reduce the energy efficiency of the scheme under consideration. A new scheme for the blast furnace air supply using a gas jet injector is considered. The proposed scheme is more energy efficient and reduces the cost of smelting cast iron while maintaining its high quality. A blast supply process for two blowers working together is simulated using a software package for 3D modeling Solidworks Flow Simulation. A constructive calculation of the gas jet injector is performed, its geometric characteristics are determined, and the injection coefficient is evaluated. A 3D model of the injector is built and its operation in the most adverse conditions is analyzed. The injection factor of the jet device is calculated for all operating modes of blast furnaces, its characteristic is constructed, and a solution is proposed that allows for uninterrupted operation of the device in all ranges of cold blast pressures of blast furnaces. Simulation of the movement of the working and injected streams confirms the functionality of the proposed technical solution. The operating points of the blowers for the considered blowing modes are determined. An assessment of the technical effect of the proposed technical solutions is given.