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A Comprehensive Modeling as a Tool for Developing New Mini Blast Furnace Technologies Based on Biomass and Hydrogen Operation

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Abstract

The mini blast furnace based on biomass operation is a viable technology that neutralizes fossil carbon emissions in the production route of green hot metal. In this study, we analyze the actual mini blast furnace operation and propose new operational practices using the multiphase multicomponent modeling approach. We newly introduced additional chemical species and rate equations to account for the proposed new simulated scenarios. The model results for actual operation are favorably compared with the industrial data. Thus, new promising operational techniques based on high rates of pulverized charcoal and hot hydrogen injections are proposed and analyzed from the point of view of the process efficiency and carbon intensity. It is demonstrated that the combined operational conditions of higher pulverized charcoal and hot hydrogen injection furnish the best performance for cleaner hot metal production with the lowest carbon intensity.

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Abbreviations

\(C_{pi}\) :

Heat capacity of the i phases (J/kg/K)

\(D_{n}^{eff}\) :

Effective diffusivity of the chemical species (m2/s)—n stands for the chemical species indexes of the phases

E i − l :

Energy exchange among the phases i and l (J/kg)

\(F_{j}^{i - 1}\) :

Interaction force in j direction between i and l phases, (N/m3/s)

\(h\) :

Enthalpy of the phase (kJ/kg)

M:

Molar weight of the specie (kg/mole)

\(P_{i}\) :

Phase pressure (Pa)—i represents the indexes of the coordinates directions

\(r_{m}\) :

Rates of chemical reactions or phase transformations (kmol/m3/s)—m stands for the index of the chemical reaction

\(x_{i}\) :

Spatial coordinates for i directions (m)—i represents the coordinate directions

\(t\) :

Time (s)

u i,j :

Velocities components of the i phases (m/s)—j represents the coordinate directions.

\(\vec{U}_{i}\) :

Phase velocity vector (i = gas, solid, hot metal, slag and pulverized charcoal) (m/s

Δhm :

Enthalpy of the reaction (J/mol)—m stands for the index of the chemical reaction

\(\varphi_{n}\) :

Mass fraction of specie n in Eq. 5, (calculated by the model) (kg/kg)

\(\phi_{m}\) :

Solid diameter shape factor (m = sinter feed, granular charcoal, pellet, lump) (-)

\(\varepsilon_{i}\) :

Volume fractions of i phases (i = gas, solid, hot metal, slag, pulverized charcoal) (m3/m3)

\(\rho_{i}\) :

Phase density (i = gas, solid, hot metal, slag, pulverized charcoal) (kg/m3)

\(\mu_{i}^{eff}\) :

Phase effective viscosity (i = gas, solid, hot metal, slag, pulverized charcoal) (Pa.s

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the agencies CAPES—Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil; CNPq—National Council for Scientific and Technological Development and Faperj-Rio de Janeiro Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program in Metallurgical Engineering, Federal Fluminense University -UFF, Av. Dos Trabalhadores, 420, Vila Santa Cecilia, Volta Redonda, RJ, 27255-125, Brazil

    Jose Adilson de Castro & Giulio Antunes de Medeiros

  2. Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Federal Center for Technological Education - CEFET/RJ, Angra Dos Reis, RJ, 23953-030, Brazil

    Elizabeth Mendes de Oliveira

  3. IMRAM-Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan

    Jose Adilson de Castro & Hiroshi Nogami

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  1. Jose Adilson de Castro
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  3. Elizabeth Mendes de Oliveira
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  4. Hiroshi Nogami
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Correspondence to Jose Adilson de Castro.

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de Castro, J.A., de Medeiros, G.A., de Oliveira, E.M. et al. A Comprehensive Modeling as a Tool for Developing New Mini Blast Furnace Technologies Based on Biomass and Hydrogen Operation. J. Sustain. Metall. 6, 281–293 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-020-00274-7

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