Simulation of blast furnace operation with intensive hydrogen injection

Recent years various trials to decrease carbon dioxide emission from iron and steelmaking industries have been made. One of these trials is utilization of hydrogen in blast furnace process, and this study performed numerical simulation of blast furnace operation with hydrogen injection through tuyere. The simulations were carried out under the conditions of constant bosh gas flow rate, adiabatic flame temperature and hot metal temperature. The simulation results showed that the temperature level in the stack part was decreased with increase in the hydrogen injection ratio. This resulted in the lowering of the top gas temperature and retarded the reduction of iron oxide especially one of magnetite. The injection of the hydrogen remarkably decreased the coke rate. The converted reducing agent rate, that is sum of coke rate and six times (molecular weight ratio of carbon to hydrogen gas) as hydrogen rate showed small change. Although this decrease in coke rate deteriorated the permeability of the burden materials in the furnace, pressure drop in the furnace was reduced. Since the molar flow rate of the reducing gas was kept constant, the decrease in the gas density due to the increase in the hydrogen content was mainly considered to lead the decrease in the pressure drop. The water gas shift reaction played an important role in the generation of the field of gas composition, thus this reaction has to be carefully discussed for further utilization of hydrogen in blast furnace.