J. BILIK at all.: ACTUAL POSSIBILITIES OF COAL UTILIZATION IN IRON METALLURGY
Received - Primljeno: 2002-07-25 Accepted - Prihvaceno: 2002-12-15 Review Paper - Pregledni rad ISSN 0543-5846 METABK 42 (2) 107 (2003) UDC - UDK 662.66:669.1:669.094.2220 J. BILIK, V. ROUBICEK, S. VILAMOVA, P. PUSTJOVSKA J. Bilik, V. Roubicek, S. Vilamova, P. Pustjovska, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic ACTUAL POSSIBILITIES OF COAL UTILIZATION IN IRON METALLURGY This paper deals with actual possibilities of coal utilization in iron - and steelmaking. Particular attention is devoted to coal utilization in the blast furnace process. Our paper presents also coal utilization as alternative methods of iron production. The script notices even other possibilities of coal utilization in metallurgy. Concludingly, orientation form is introduced for the further development of coal usage in iron metallurgy. Key words: coal, iron, coke, reduction technology Stvarne mogucnosti koristenja ugIjena u metaIurgiji zeIjeza. U radu se govori o stvarnim mogucnostima iskoristavanja ugljena pri proizvodnji zeljeza i celika. Posebna paznja se posvecuje uporabi ugljena u procesu visoke peci. Rad predstavlja i uporabu ugljena kao alternativne metode u proizvodnji celika. Rukopis se osvrce i na druge mogucnosti uporabe ugljena u metalurgiji. Na kraju, donosi se zakljucak o daljnjem prosirivanju mogucnosti uporabe ugljena u metalurgiji. Kljucne rijeci: ugljen, zeljezo, koks, tehnologija redukcije INTRODUCTION In the connection with the changed internal and external economic situation, a drop in oI metallurgical production took place in the past years that changed the overall struc- ture oI production in our country. As a consequence oI the concentration process, a new iron-works, Blast Furnaces Plant oI Ostrava, has come into existence. The concentra- tion oI production into Iour modernized blast Iurnaces cre- ated Iavourable condition Ior Iurther development. There has been a long, historically established rela- tionship between the coal mining and steel industry, which is evidenced by the present statistics Ior the production/ consumption oI steel and coal worldwide. It is evident Irom |1| that the percentage oI the steel total production ranks only second as related to the most important coal consum- ers represented by the producers oI electricity and heat. It is Iurther to aIIirm that about 60 oI energy Ior steel industry purposes comes Irom coal, and about 70 oI the steel total production depends directly on coal. Simi- lar data can be applied not only world-wide but also re- gionally, where a geographic correlation oI coal and steel production oIten amount as a base oI the regional economy development. No substantial modiIication oI the current state is anticipated in the near Iuture. COAL IN IRON PRODUCTION The role played by coal in iron production is mani- Iold. Coal provides not only energy Ior the process but serves also as a reduction and protection agent. As such, coal is Ior current technological routines indispensable. The modern technology oI coal processing allows com- bining coal with various waste recycled and environmen- tal - Iriendly materials. Both a processed by-products can be employed Ior iron production technologies (Table 1.). Functional and product deIinitions have enabled chart- ing Ior coal utilisation in individual metallurgical processes. Figure 1. illustrates the outcome oI such structuring. It is
Coal Processing By - product for Steel Production Coking Coke, Gas, Tar, Pitch Gasification Gas, Tar Underground gasification, Carboniferous gas mining Gas Table 1. Tablica 1. Relationships between coal processing and its products in iron production Odnos izmedu obrade ugljena i njegovih produkata u proizvodnji zeljeza METALURGIJA 42 (2003) 2, 107-111 108 J. BILIK at all.: ACTUAL POSSIBILITIES OF COAL UTILIZATION IN IRON METALLURGY evident that coal has its role in nearly all metallurgy pri- mary production, commencing with burden sintering and blast Iurnace raw iron production through basic oxygen Iur- nace (BOF) and electric arc Iurnace steel production up to the Iinal products eventual disposal oI unwanted and harm- Iul substances. Related to individual process, also the Iorm oI coal employed has been changing. In the primary pro- cesses, solid Iorms oI coal - coke and coal are dominate. Contrary to this, gaseous Iorms predominate in steel pro- duction Iinal stages. Coke and gasiIied coal are most com- mon Iorms oI coal employed in steel metallurgy. BLAST FURNACE PROCESS Presently a substantial accent is laid upon the changes in the raw material and energy supply with the objective to attain optimum blast Iurnace burden, and minimal Iuel/ energy rates. Coal in the Iorm oI coke plays a dominant role in the blast Iurnace process. As such, coke production, coal charge composition, and coke properties are subject oI continuous study and research. The coke-making process development goes beyond its traditional limits, as regards emission decrease or new coking equipment (JRC). Test- ing Ior brown coal coke application (low shaIt Iurnace, as well as direct charging) is obsolete and it is necessary to wait Ior a new impetus. The evaluation oI metallurgical coke properties became a priority oI the Czech blast Iur- nace technologists in the second halI oI the eighties in connection with the eIIort to decrease the coke rates, as well as to Iind a potential auxiliary Iuel. A new test, the NSC, has been added to the existing classical testing pro- cedure, and introduced to all cokemaking and blast Iurna- ce plants in the country. In our opinion, not all technologi- cal routines known Ior increasing quality oI hard coal coke and coking process have been Iully exploited. The required coke properties are commonly known but the quantiIica- tion oI individual data reIers closely to the economy oI preparing the coal mixture and its constituents. For this reason, interaction between crucial properties oI coal and coke - chemical composition, granulometry, strength (wear resistance), reactivity - are subject oI constant care. In this context, investigations have been perIormed at the Tech- nical University oI Ostrava that succeeded in establishing the relationship between the CSR index and dominant vari- ables: volatile matter content and plasticity properties, which have proved to be dominant Ior the Czech coals. In 1995 a joint research team oI VSB-TU Ostrava and Nova hut Ostrava started experimenting, monitoring and researching in this subject. The experimental equipment Surrogate fuel for BF Fuel and Reduction Agent in processes of direct smeltin reduction Basic fuel for sintering and BFs Slag foaming in EAF Carburisation of steel Surrogate fuel for sintering Rediction gases into BF schaft
Converter jets cooling Filling agent for porousrefractories Removal of unwanted and harmful substances Surrogate fuel for BF Processed Coal Pitch Gas Coke Tar Actived Carbon Liqnefaction Underground gasification Carboniferous gases Coal Mining and Processing Coking
Activation Coal District Sintering Fuel: * Ignition head * Extra heating Fuel for various metallurgical furnaces Pre-heating of scrap in converter * Charge admixture * Jet injection (KMS) Reactor gasification Completion of converter thermal balance Figure 1. Slika 1. Coal utilisation overview for steel metallurgy Pregled iskoristavanja ugljena u metalurgiji celika METALURGIJA 42 (2003) 2, 107-111 109 J. BILIK at all.: ACTUAL POSSIBILITIES OF COAL UTILIZATION IN IRON METALLURGY oI the pilot coking plant at Nova Hut enabled the experi- mental coking oI particular coal types mono charge and the targeted selection oI coal mixtures. The acquired data were subjected to a detailed processing to quantiIy their causal relations |2|. Figures 2. and 3. illustrate results oI model calcula- tions. The model was developed in two options: a regres- sive non-linear statistical model, and a selI-learning neu- ron network. The predictive quality oI both options has been practically the same. The consumption oI Iuel in a blast Iurnace varies betwe- en 300 - 600 kg per ton oI iron, which is primarily given by the content oI impurities in the burden. While the consumpti- on oI coke is one oI cost primary items, it has been the obje- ctive oI iron producers to employ various substitute Iuels: heavy oils, natural gas, tars, etc. Injecting pulverised coal (PCI), which can theoretically decrease the signiIicant pro- portion oI coke consumption, has dominated lately. Decreas- ing consumption oI metallurgical coke demands a better qua- lity oI coke employed Ior the purpose. The consumption oI injected coal increases all over the world. Nevertheless Ior a concrete blast Iurnace and its operational conditions, deIi- nite limits exist that cannot be exceeded. Investigations into blast Iurnace processes have shown that the principal limit- ing Iactors are in Iact the same Ior all kinds oI Iuels and substitutional Iuel variants. Charge rate principal limiting Iactors are represented by permeability stock oI solids (es- pecially in the Iurnace lower part), and Iurnace Iocus Iire temperature. When considering injection, it is burning abil- ity/granularity oI coal, and particularly the chemical com- position that inIluences the coeIIicient oI interchange abil- ity Ior coke/coal, and some iron quality indicators. Data oI utmost signiIicance Ior establishing the injection cost eIIec- tiveness, as the investment cost are generally well managed. For variant calculations oI the blast Iurnace process and optimizing surrogate Iuel charges, a system Ior blast Iur- nace process modelling has been developed at the Techni- cal University oI Ostrava, which Iacilitates establishment oI basic technological data Ior cost eIIectiveness calcula- tions, staying within the boundaries oI the process elemen- tary limits. Figure 4. illustrates rough outlines oI the model- ling. A detailed model description has been provided by papers oI Bilik at al., 1995 |3|. Apart Irom common mate- rial and heat balances, the original modelling Ior coke deg- radation and kinetics oI ore charge reduction should be es- pecially brought to the IoreIront. One oI particular calcula- tions actual coke consumption is illustrated in Figure 5., which clearly demonstrates boundaries given by thermal and thermo-dynamical conditions, reduction kinetics, and gas- dynamic balance. It seems promising to employ the model- ling Ior assessment oI various technological and burden variations, as well as other innovations. The modelling sys- tem is being continuously custom-tailored and improved. analyse Gas dynamical model Thermodyna- mical model * reducibility of burden * reactivity * coke strength Special tests: * theoretical and real minimum fuel rate * real fuel rate prediction * prediction of direct reduc- tion rate * burden optimization Coke degra- dation model Kinetical gasre- duction model Material balance Process data Heat balance Boudouard- reaction model Figure 4. Slika 4. Blast furnace process modelling Modeliranje visokopecnih procesa Analitical model: 20 30 40 50 60 70 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 CSR predicted [ % ] C S R
o b s e r v e d
[
%
] Neural model: R-sq. = 82 % Stat. model: R-sq. = 74 % Figure 3. Slika 3. The results of model calculations Rezultati izracunavanja modela Figure 2. Slika 2. Relationship between the CSR and the quality of coal charge (VM, b) Odnos izmedu CSR i kvalitete ugljene sarze (VM, b) 55 50 60 45 40 35 25 26 27 28 b Vdaf 24 60 58 61 59 62 63 CSR METALURGIJA 42 (2003) 2, 107-111 110 J. BILIK at all.: ACTUAL POSSIBILITIES OF COAL UTILIZATION IN IRON METALLURGY Inter alia, the modelling system has been employed Ior establishing limit values oI coal charge under the conditi- ons in oI the Czech Republic. The algorithm is based on the assumption that when the burden ceases descending, equi- librium has been attained between the weight oI the charge granules and liIt power oI the ascending gases. Such an equi- librium condition enables establishing critical voidage, epsk- rit, oI which the Iailure stops the descent oI the burden colu- mn. A continuous Ilow oI gas through the blast Iurnace plas- tic zone, passing smoothly down through liquid slag and molten metal, is conditioned by the presence oI suIIicient amount oI coke. This coke amount may be assumed as a minimum boundary Ior its consumption without limiting the blast Iurnace productivity. A carbon deIiciency can be outba- lanced by injecting pulverised coal. The maximum proporti- on is deIined by the point oI intersection Ior curves oI plas- tic zone actual voidage, epsbosh, and critical voidage. The dependence also illustrates the inIluence oI coke strength characterized by the index CSR. Reliability and good predic- tion value (130 - 180 kg/t) have been veriIied by comparing calculations with the actual parameters Ior coal injection as regards the blast Iurnaces abroad. This is the reason Ior curre- nt employment oI the combined injection oI oil-coal suspen- sion and gas Irom mining and surIace degassing measures. SMELTING REDUCTION PROCESSES As regards alternative processes oI reduction (DRI/ HBI, SRI), an extensive range oI assessment papers and comparative studies exist Irom various points oI view, e.g. the LOCKWOOD GREENE, 2000 |4|. II we neglect the use oI coal Ior reduction gas production, a direct coal em- ployment is characteristic Ior processes that have been summarized under the term oI smelting reduction. The cha- racteristics oI representative processes (COREX, Grids- melter,Romelt, DIOS, CCF, HIsmelt, Tecnored, Plasmas- melt, Redsmelt, IronDynamics, Fastmet/Fastmelt, IFCON) are obviously Irom numerous reIerences. The processes can be Iundamentally split into smelting reductions with or without pre-metallization. The principal diIIerence oI these processes vis-a-vis blast Iurnace constitutes a com- plete exclusion oI metallurgical coke Irom the process oI liquid metal production. Coal serves the role oI primary reduction agent and Iuel or carburiser, as the case might be. The elimination oI coke Irom the process demands coke substituting or otherwise solving the problem oI coke sup- portive skeleton deIiciency whose skeleton presence is in- dispensable Ior the blast Iurnace zones oI soItening and smelting. These solution oI the problem within the pro- cesses oI smelting reduction is either in dividing oI reac- tion spaces and excluding the soItening zone by an abrupt change oI temperature (COREX), supplying burden indi- vidual portions oI pre-reduced charge or deleting pre-re- duction and concentrating all processes in one high tem- perature bath and single reaction space (Romelt). Both solutions have their weak points: - big waste oI Ilue gas energy, both thermal and chemical, (in spite oI post-combustion), - heavy load, wear, and consumption oI reIractories, - velocity oI heat supply to bath, which concerns all pro- cesses, wstit in particular, - optimum combination and concurrent separation oI en- dothermic carbon reaction and exothermic combustion (post combustion) oI the originating CO by oxygen, - problematic control oI processes and Iinal stability in product composition. A comparison between a premetalization degree and reductions gas rate Ior various process intensity with origi- nal model oI indirect reduction |5| illustrates the Figure 6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 D i r e c t r e d u c t i o n d e g r e e Burden residence time in zone of indirect reduction (hours) kmol Carbon / t iron 0.8-0.9 0.7-0.8 0.6-0.7 0.5-0.6 0.4-0.5 0.3-0.4 0.2-0.3 0.1-0.2 0-0.1
Figure 6. Slika 6. Carbon rate for indirect reduction in connection with the process intensity Brzina sagorijevanja ugljika u neizravnoj redukciji u vezi s intenzitetom procesa 0 Direct reduction degree 900 1000 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 Kinetical boundary Gasdynamical boundary (coke carbon only) Thermo- dynamical boundary Heat boundary Operation point Figure 5. Slika 5. Model trials calculation for fuel consumption minimum Model probnih izracuna minimalne potrosnje goriva C a r b o n
r a t e
[
m / t
H M ] ! 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.4 0.3 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.0 METALURGIJA 42 (2003) 2, 107-111 111 J. BILIK at all.: ACTUAL POSSIBILITIES OF COAL UTILIZATION IN IRON METALLURGY Exclusion oI piecing together the burden is employed only in a Iew oI the processes. In analogous way the prod- uct oI the majority oI the processes is only raw iron and not raw steel or at least a kind oI liquid metal with a low content oI carbon. The eIIectiveness oI these alternative processes is relative, more than oI any other, to local con- dition and national environmental legislation. The model- ling mentioned can be without any major problem tailored also to processes oI smelting reduction. ORIENTATION FOR THE FURTHER DEVELOP- MENT OF COAL USAGE IN IRON METALLURGY Any summing up investigation is oI importance only iI the summary oI the subject enables Iormulation oI current weaknesses and though this token can provide impetus Ior Iurther research and development or, as the case might be, Iacilitate a cost-eIIective optimum. Regarding this, we can sum up: 1. At higher temperature, many iron metallurgy processes provide volatile matter that is not used and constitutes a nuisance (dedusting). In this case only anthracite coals are used. ThereIore it is purposeIul to develop Iurther iron metallurgy technologies, as well as the ensuing processes, so that also less expensive coals oI lesser coaliIication value can be used. REFERENCES |1| World Coal Institute (2001). http://www.wci-coal.com/ Iatcscoal99.htm |2| V. Machek, V. Roubicek, J. Kret, J. Bilik: Proceedings 3rd Euro- pean Ironmaking Congres, Gent, 1996, 38-45 |3| J. Bilik, R. Luzny, W. SchtzenhIer: Hutnicke listy, LIV (1999), 7/8, 13-16 |4| LOCKWOOD GREENE, Ironmaking Process, Alternatives Screening Study, 2000, 147 |5| J. Bilik, W. SchtzenhIer, H. Hiebler: Berg- und Httenmnnische MonatsheIte 143, (1998) 5, 166-169 2. Coal brings by itselI slag Iorming or unwanted substances (sulphur, phosphorus) in metallurgical processes. There- Iore it is purposeIul to reduce ash content in coal to a cost-eIIective permissible level, as depends on individual usage mode, or remove sulphur Irom coal. Also the em- ployment oI super clean coal produced by chemical tech- nologies cannot be excluded. 3. It is purposeIul Iurther to develop coal based metallurgi- cal processes, especially the processes oI smelting reduc- tion and blast Iurnace process, aiming at increasing eIIec- tiveness oI coal use or, as the case might be, employ coal by-products that are diIIicult to exploit in basic pro- cesses. At the same time observe environmental- Iriendly character oI the process.