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Ebook: Modern Blast Furnace Ironmaking
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This book describes the principles of the blast furnace process and especially the control of the process. As a starting point, the blast furnace is seen as a simple iron ore smelter, while gradually the physical, chemical and metallurgical background of the blast furnace process is clarified. The book focuses on the control of the blast furnace process with respect to thermal control, gas flow control and casthouse operation. In this book, all essential process details are described and a special focus is on optimization of coal injection. The optimization of the blast furnace process is not only based on ‘best practice transfer’, but also requires conceptual understanding as to why a measure works well in some cases and does not work in other situations. In other words: operational improvement is not only based on know–how, but on know–why as well.
This publication was and can be used as an introductory text for students of metallurgy as well as for blast furnace operators and management. The latter will benefit to solve operational problems and process optimization issues. The authors have very extensive experience as operators as well as consultants to many steel plants worldwide. With Modern blast furnace ironmaking - An Introduction the reader has a compact compendium of the blast furnace process available: by operators and for operators and for those who are preparing to become operators.
The third edition of “Modern Blast Furnace Ironmaking” was prepared by an international staff of experts in blast furnace ironmaking. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Mr. Cor van der Vliet and Mr. Hisko Toxopeus, who co-authored the first two editions of the book and agreed to hand over future editions of the book to a next generation. Hisko Toxopeus asked to see the revised edition, but he passed away before publication.
The objective of the book is to share our insights that optimization of the blast furnace is not only based on “best practice transfer”, but also requires conceptual understanding of why a measure works in some cases and not in other cases. In other words, operational improvement is not only based on know-how, but also on know-why.
Compared to the second edition we have included gas injection as well as coal-gas co-injection, expert systems, more elaborate descriptions of alkali cycles, the deadman and operational challenges.
We are indebted to many colleagues we have worked with. We are grateful to Jennifer Wise-Alexander and Tim Vander, who find the major part of their contributions to the second edition in chapters 10 and 4 respectively. Jim Plooij shared with us his insights and benchmarking data. Edo Engel did the editing and developed the colorful and insight-giving illustrations.
We learn by sharing our knowledge. We wish the same to our readers.
Maarten Geerdes, Rénard Chaigneau, Ivan Kurunov,
Oscar Lingiardi and John Ricketts
February 2015