Numerical and Experimental Study of Alternative Reductant Injection into the Raceway of the Blast Furnace

Aiming for the reduction of coke rates in blast furnace processes, auxiliary reducing agents are utilized as fuel and carbon carrier. CFD models have been developed, implemented, and validated to study the injection of plastics and fuel oil into the blast furnace raceway. Separate sets of conservation equations are solved for the appearing phases, accounting for heterogeneous transport phenomena. To provide for sound boundary conditions, experiments characterizing the involved materials were performed. The model predictions are used for the optimization of operating conditions, supporting further improvement of plant efficiency and economics.