Title

DRAGON STEEL’S No.1 BLAST FURNACE – DESIGN AND INITIAL OPERATION

DRAGON STEEL’S No.1 BLAST FURNACE – DESIGN AND INITIAL OPERATION

Authorship

Smith, Martin; Cheetham, Iain; Harvey., Richard

Smith, Martin

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Cheetham, Iain

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Harvey., Richard

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DOI

10.5151/2594-357X-22167

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Abstract

In 2006, Dragon Steel Corporation, a subsidiary of the China Steel Corporation Group, commenced construction of an integrated steel mill to supplement their existing electric arc furnace facilities. The first phase of the expansion project included the hot strip mill, continuous caster, steelmaking facilities, coke plant, sinter plant and blast furnace. A contract was awarded to Siemens VAI Metals Technologies in May 2006 to design and supply the new 12 m hearth diameter blast furnace and additional facilities. On startup of the furnace Dragon Steel’s annual hot metal capacity of 1 million tonnes from the existing electric arc furnace was increased by a further 2.5 million tonnes. The project included the supply of equipment required for a modern free-standing blast furnace including a copper stave cooling system, casthouse equipment integrated into a flat floor arrangement, bell-less top charging facilities, 3 external combustion chamber hot stoves and gas cleaning plant with top gas recovery turbine arrangement. Also supplied were 2 electric axial blowers, a 100,000 m³ gasholder and pulverised coal grinding and injection facilities. The blast furnace blow-in occurred on the 27th February 2010 and continues to supply in excess of the designed 7,143 tons of hot metal per day. This paper will discuss the project scope and highlight some of the design features such as the integration of the blower operation, stove crossover improvements and coal injection facilities. Some of the challenges faced through the various phases of the project (design, supply, construction, commissioning and operation) will also be reviewed.

In 2006, Dragon Steel Corporation, a subsidiary of the China Steel Corporation Group, commenced construction of an integrated steel mill to supplement their existing electric arc furnace facilities. The first phase of the expansion project included the hot strip mill, continuous caster, steelmaking facilities, coke plant, sinter plant and blast furnace. A contract was awarded to Siemens VAI Metals Technologies in May 2006 to design and supply the new 12 m hearth diameter blast furnace and additional facilities. On startup of the furnace Dragon Steel’s annual hot metal capacity of 1 million tonnes from the existing electric arc furnace was increased by a further 2.5 million tonnes. The project included the supply of equipment required for a modern free-standing blast furnace including a copper stave cooling system, casthouse equipment integrated into a flat floor arrangement, bell-less top charging facilities, 3 external combustion chamber hot stoves and gas cleaning plant with top gas recovery turbine arrangement. Also supplied were 2 electric axial blowers, a 100,000 m³ gasholder and pulverised coal grinding and injection facilities. The blast furnace blow-in occurred on the 27th February 2010 and continues to supply in excess of the designed 7,143 tons of hot metal per day. This paper will discuss the project scope and highlight some of the design features such as the integration of the blower operation, stove crossover improvements and coal injection facilities. Some of the challenges faced through the various phases of the project (design, supply, construction, commissioning and operation) will also be reviewed.

Keywords

Blast furnace operation design.

Blast furnace operation design.