Status, technological progress, and development directions of the ironmaking industry in China

Abstract

The ironmaking industry in China is developing rapidly. This paper discusses the status, technological progress, issues, and possible development directions of ironmaking in China. Because the standards for waste discharge and energy consumption have become more redundant, the steel production capacity has decreased by ∼145 million tons from 2016 to 2018. New sintering and coking technologies, such as water vapour spray sintering, high-temperature exhaust gas sintering, and semi-coke utilization, have led to distinct energy and efficiency improvements. Moreover, blast furnaces (BFs) are becoming larger and more intensive, due to which labour productivity has increased noticeably. However, some issues still remain, such as high fuel ratios, hot blast temperatures, and BF longevity. Nevertheless, eco-friendly and intelligent ironmaking is gaining importance and could be the development directions of the future.

Research on low-carbon smelting technology of blast furnace – optimized design of blast furnace

“…where ε l is the voidage of lumpy zone; m o is the iron ore ratio, kg t −1 ; m c is the coke ratio, kg t −1 ; ρ o is the iron ore density, kg m −3 ; V is the effective volume of the blast furnace, m 3 ; N is the number of tuyeres; d t is the diameter of the throat, m; h t is the depth of burden, m; and d t is the depth of the tuyere raceway, m.…”

Characterization and Properties of Scaffold in a Dissected Blast Furnace Hearth

“…Fan XIAOYUE, 1,2) Jiao KEXIN, 1,2) * Zhang JIANLIANG, 1,2) Wu SENRAN, 1,2) E DIANYU 3) and Yan BINGJI 4) 1) School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083 China. The blast furnace scaffold can only be obtained while the blast furnace shut down after operating for many years.…”

“…The blast furnace (BF) is the world's largest metallurgical reactor, with more than 95% of the molten iron produced by BF. 1,2) For the economic and low carbon operation of the ironmaking BF, it is important to ensure a long campaign life without expensive and time-consuming relining. 3) The service life of the BF hearth directly determines the longevity of BF.…”

Phase Composition and Formation Mechanism of Slag Crust in Blast Furnace

“…[1][2][3] And the damage of the copper stave of a blast furnace body is one of the restrictive links of blast furnace longevity. 4) In recent years, Chinese commercial blast furnaces have suffered a large amount of economic losses due to the damage of copper stave. 5,6) The formation of slag crust on the cooling stave of a blast furnace plays an important role in protecting the copper stave.…”

“…5,6) The formation of slag crust on the cooling stave of a blast furnace plays an important role in protecting the copper stave. 4,[7][8][9][10][11][12] On the one hand, the slag crust can effectively protect the copper stave by avoiding mechanical wear, thermal shock and chemical corrosion of the copper stave caused by the solid charge, high-temperature melt and gas flow. On the other hand, a reasonable slag crust thickness plays a key role in maintaining a reasonable operating shape of the blast furnace and provides good conditions for the smooth operation of a blast furnace.…”