Controle das temperaturas dos blocos de carbono do alto-forno, através do seu sistema de refrigeração, visando o prolongamento da campanha

Abstract

With the aim of increasing blast furnace life, alternatives to control the carbon blocks temperature in a blast furnace hearth were studied. The main influences on the wear of the carbon blocks, as well as the control methods used in other plants, as productivity decrease and the use of titanium burden were analyzed. Many models designed to follow the hearth wear were studied, and based on this analysis a model was designed for the blast furnace A from Belgo Arcelor, Monlevade Works. The influence of changes on the hearth cooling system were tested to check if the water flow rate or the water temperature were able to have an effect on the carbon blocks temperature, and the conclusion was that they can affect these temperatures, in a certain extend. A module to control the cooling parameter automatically, depending on the heat flux fromthe furnace hearth, in order to keep constant the carbon blocks temperature must be developed, as well as a split in the cooling system have to be done to allow changes in the bottom cooling avoiding temperatures peaks in the hearth walls.