No. kg/hOre kg/hCoal Limestonekg/h Fuel kg/hPulverised Oxygenrmr/h Oil
g/h
118 341 237 60 75 360 15
119 341 237 60 75 360 15
The batch experiments had been terminated by dropping the rotation speed of the furnace gradually to zero, whence the entire contents of the furnace were cast out. Obviously, the contents of the furnace could not be removed in this way during the continuous experiments so, as
described in section 6-3 -5 a system of surge casting was developed for
the continuous experiments. This system was developed in conjunction with model work that showed the furnace capacity to increase with its speed of rotation so that a significant reduction in this speed, once the furnace was near its normal operating capacity, resulted in the
controlled casting of part of the furnace contents. Not only were the
liquid contents cast out, but also a proportion of the carbon bed, as was discovered in a series of special surge casting tests carried out on the furnace between the end of the factorial experiments and the start of the continuous experiments. Consequently the coverage of the slag layer by the carbon bed was drastically reduced each time the furnace was surge cast. In order to stop resulting increases in slag oxidation,
a single additional charge of 50 kg of coal was made to the furnace each
time it was surge cast, over and above the feed rates shown in Table 6.5-
6 .8 The Results of the Continuous Experiments
The progression of each of the three continuous experiments is set out schematically in each of Figures 40 to 42. Each Figure shows, at the top, the feed rates of ore, coal and pulverised fuel (PF) that were actually used at different times during the experiment. The totals of these three materials charged to the furnace are then shown graphically, as they increased throughout the period of the experiment. Below this graph, arrows indicate the times at which bed samples were taken (see section 6-3-8), and at which the furnace was surge cast; and then a graph
shows how the bed temperature changed during the experiment. Once the initial start up period was completed, these graphs show that average
bed temperatures of about 1 5 00 °C were maintained in each experiment.
The drops in temperature indicated each time the furnace was surge cast are more apparent than real. The radiation pyrometer measuring the bed temperature was sighted through the cast end. This opening was obscured during the surge cast by finely divided carbon that had fallen from the bed, and by a mist of fine liquid drops thrown away from the main liquid streams leaving the furnace. Thus the pyrometer was not able to read the bed temperature over the surge cast period and this gives rise to the apparent troughs in the temperature trace.
Below this trace, four longitudinal charts show:-
(i) The iron content in the slag that was separated from each bed sample.
(ii) The appearance of material emerging from the tap hole of the casting chamber over the time periods indicated between the arrows.
(iii) The weight of slag emerging during each of these time periods, and its iron content.
(iv) The weight of iron emerging during each of the indicated time periods together with its carbon content.
The final graph shows gas analysis samples taken from the cast end of the furnace•
Certain of the quantitative data shown in the Figures is set out again with greater precision in Tables 6 .6 to 6.8, together with more complete
for each experiment, highlighting in separate sub-tables the weighed yield of iron obtained.
Apart from this quantitative data, qualitative observations were made during each experiment, and these are described below.
6.8 .1 Experiment No. Il8
The total duration of this experiment including the initial iron shot
feeding period was 10 hours. The feeding of the raw materials was con
tinuous over this period apart from the intended stoppages to allow
surge casting to be carried out. A total of 1865 kg of iron ore and
1761 kg of coal were charged into the furnace. The input rates were reasonably uniform over the feeding periods and were close to the intended values.
The bed temperature was reasonably steady throughout the experiment, the
average bed temperature being 1 550 °0. During the ore feeding periods
the exhaust gas analysis showed 55 - 60% CO with 25 - 30% CO. The nitrogen level was 15 - 20%, with the oxygen level peaking at 2%. Gas analysis was not available during the surge casting periods when the probe was completely withdrawn from the furnace to prevent material build up on its water cooled surface. High nitrogen levels of up to 70% and oxygen levels of 17% were occasionally monitored. These corresponded, however, to the formation of solid blockages in the mouth of the probe when the resulting enhanced suction in the sampling line tripped the threshold pressure in the condenser and filtering system, causing air to leak into the line.
Six surge casts were carried out during the experiment but for the first three nothing emerged from the tap hole of the casting chamber at the time of casting. However, small quantities of slag ran out of the tap hole between the casting times, as indicated in Figure 40. The first time this occurred it was thought that no material had been cast at the moment of the contrived surge cast but that a minor involuntary surge cast had occurred subsequently. It was soon realised, however, that the material had been cast into the casting chamber at the time of the contrived surge cast, but took some time to emerge from the tap hole. This took place for the first three surge castings in this experiment, and then an actual involuntary surge cast took place to be followed
immediately by contrived surge cast number 4. Surge casts 5 and 6
produced reasonable quantities of material from the tap hole almost instantaneously, and this material contained metallic iron for the first
time in this experiment. Surge cast 6 was conducted virtually 8 hours
after the start of the experiment.
At this time, the plant was fully under control and no operating problem had arisen, other than the foreseen limitation of hopper capacity. The experiment was therefore terminated in a controlled manner, by arranging two collapses of the bed, of the type used to conclude the batch experi ments. Over one metric tonne of metal was collected at the first collapse
(see Figure 40, and Tables 6 .6 and 6.9)? this being the greatest amount
of metal that had been obtained from the furnace up to that time. Except in the initial stages, the casting and sampling procedures functioned as expected, the slag samples showing that reduction was occurring during the early stages of the experiment even though no iron was cast from the furnace until surge cast 5- The iron contents of the
slag sampled from the furnace remained more or less in the same range throughout the experiment, but the iron contents of slag cast from the furnace at the latter stages of the experiment showed increasing
quantities of iron. As will be discussed later, this was thought to be due to a drawback to the surge casting technique.
It was found that very little material could be cast or sampled from the furnace during the very early stages of the experiment - the first
sample produced no material whatsoever - and this was realised to be due to the extremely shallow bed present in the furnace at this time.
By the end of the experiment, a total of 1245 kg of metal had been
collected from the furnace, its carbon content varying from 0.56% to
2.37%- After the initial quantity of iron shot, used in the start up procedure, had been subtracted (see mass balance in Table 6.9) this
quantity of iron represented no more than 5 2 0 kg of iron obtained by the
reduction of the iron ore charged to the furnace - a yield of 43%. However, 390 kg of iron remain unaccounted for in this overall external mass balance. Observations inside the furnace showed that a shallow
layer of iron remains within the furnace however stringent the final collapses of the bed. Moreover, although as much material as possible had been physically removed from the inner walls of the casting chamber, slag is significantly easier to remove than iron. Thus it is likely that the bulk of the iron that has been unaccounted for comprises
metallic iron that had remained inside the furnace, or had been sprayed onto the inside of the casting chamber from where it could not be
removed. If this assumption is correct, the iron yield becomes 75%* a figure much more in keeping with the iron contents of the slag samples obtained from the furnace during the experiment.
TABLE 6.6
EXP. No. 118
• To reduce iron ore continuously for a minimum period of f( AIM from an appraisal of the Factorial Experiment and incorp<
induced surge cast.
INPUT:- ORE kg/h COAL kg/h CaCO kg/h P.F.
Desired input 341 237 60 6
Actual input(Av) 335 227 57 8
Total input 1 865 kg 1 761 kg 335 kg 56