Effect of charcoal physical parameters on the blast furnace powder injection

Abstract

Brazil produces close to 35 % of hot metal directly from charcoal blast furnaces with low internal volume < 300 m3. This production generates a waste, charcoal fines that can be used into Charcoal Powder injection system. The main point of this paper is to study the behavior of this powder injected into the tuyeres of blast furnaces. It was used a simulator, considering the conditions into the tuyeres. In this context, physical characteristics like porosity, grain size distribution, and specific surface were correlated with the combustion index and charcoal injection rate. It was concluded that physical parameters are not limiting to higher charcoal injection rate, when the values are in the values supported by authors, it was concluded that the charcoal grain size can be increased till 0,162 mm without problems to its combustion.