Integration of waste biomass thermal processing technology with a metallurgical furnace to improve its efficiency and economic benefit

The article presents innovative technology which integrates a metallurgical pusher-type furnace with a waste heat recovery system that consisted of a reactor for torrefaction and pyrolysis of waste biomass. The technology is designed for utilizing both liquefied and gaseous by-products (torgas, pyrolysis gas and condensate denoted as TPC) obtained from torrefaction and pyrolysis of waste biomass. TPC is considered to be applied as an additional fuel for a metallurgical furnace as an example of effective energy management in metallurgical industry. In detail, the technology contains waste heat recovery unit installed on the furnace smoke stack as the heat source for the pyrolysis/torrefaction reactor. The analysis was carried out for a pusher furnace, fed optionally with either natural gas or coke gas. Share of this gaseous/liquid TPC fuel from waste in the total fuel mixture fed to the furnace was varied from 5 to 15% by volume. Practical usefulness of TPC fuel was tested on a specially constructed test stand. Financial analysis in energy consumption and economy of using the obtained TPC fuel for co-combustion with coke gas in the metallurgical pusher furnace was carried out on the basis of data from a steel sheet roller combined with the pusher furnace located in one of large steel works. It was shown that the use of this TPC fuel derived from thermal treatment of waste biomass and other organic substances can be considered an effective method of reducing production costs in the analyzed steel company and can lead to increase in the attractiveness of their products and thus strengthen their competitiveness on the global market. Graphic abstract

The Flexibility of Pusher Furnace Grate

The lifetime of guide grates in pusher furnaces for heat treatment could be increased by raising the flexibility of their structure through, for example, the replacement of straight ribs, parallel to the direction of grate movement, with more flexible segments. The deformability of grates with flexible segments arranged in two orientations, i.e. crosswise (perpendicular to the direction of compression) and lengthwise (parallel to the direction of compression), was examined. The compression process was simulated using SolidWorks Simulation program. Relevant regression equations were also derived describing the dependence of force inducing the grate deformation by 0.25 mm ‒ modulus of grate elasticity ‒ on the number of flexible segments in established orientations. These calculations were made in Statistica and Scilab programs. It has been demonstrated that, with the same number of segments, the crosswise orientation of flexible segments increases the grate structure flexibility in a more efficient way than the lengthwise orientation. It has also been proved that a crucial effect on the grate flexibility has only the quantity and orientation of segments (crosswise / lengthwise), while the exact position of segments changes the grate flexibility by less than 1%.

Integrated Multimotor Electrical DC Drive for Metallurgical Rolling Table

A drive system of a section of a metallurgical rolling table consisting of six dc motors, 2220 amperes of total current, fed from a single ABB reversible thyristor converter has been described in this paper. Autonomous excitation circuits of the motors are fed from independent thyristor converters working in the so called MULTIFEX system linked with a supervisory high power converter. There are presented schemes of the DSL communication realized by FEX excitation cards of the motors using the SDSC card of the DCS-800-S02 converter and logic control system based on a PLC controller. The parameterization of the DCS-800 converter and the DCF 803 excitation systems was conducted using the DriveWindow software tool. Significant waveforms of voltages, currents and the estimated motor velocity are described and presented for the idle run as well as during transporting sheets discharged from a pusher furnace.

Solution to Problem of Heating of Metal in the Furnace Taking into Account Pulse Nature of Heating

The method of calculation of heating of metal in the thermal furnace taking into account pulse system of heating is presented in article. The experimental dataobtained on the pusher furnace, heated by high-speed recuperative torches with pulse system of burning of fuel are submitted.

The Influence of Radiation Model on the Distribution of Heat Flux in the Pusher Furnace / Wpływ Modelu Promieniowania Na Rozkład Gęstości Strumienia Ciepła W Piecu Przepychowym

A three dimensional numerical model of the heat exchange during a charge heating process in a pusher furnace, using the finite element method, was used in this study. The radiative heat exchange in the furnace chamber was carried out based on two methods: the zone method and the method of basing on the average configuration ratio. In the zone method the flux of radiation energy reaching the surface of the heated charge was determined by performing calculations of brightness in a multi-surface closed system which is the pusher furnace chamber filled with an emitting-absorbing medium. In the second case an average configuration ratio was used by setting the radiation energy flux through linking the walls temperature with the furnace atmosphere temperature.