Blast Furnace Charge Flow Control via Batch-Specific Valve Characteristics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for adjusting the flow rate of charge material in blast furnaces are not sufficiently adaptive to variations in batch properties and mixtures of different materials, leading to unsatisfactory results and requiring complex control systems.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that provide specific valve characteristics for each batch, allowing for real-time adjustment of flow rates by initializing and correcting valve settings based on actual discharge rates, thereby adapting to batch-specific properties such as material mixtures, granularity, and humidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a predetermined average valve opening is used for flow rate control, then the control system is simple, but the flow rate adjustment is not adaptive to variations in batch properties and material mixtures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-determining valve characteristics for different material types before the actual charging process. The system stores multiple valve characteristics corresponding to different material types (coke, pellets, ore, sinter) and their mixtures. Before discharging a batch, the system identifies the material type and selects the corresponding pre-determined valve characteristic, allowing adaptive flow rate control without requiring complex real-time adjustments during discharge.
2Manufacturing precision
If on-line feedback control is implemented during discharge, then flow rate precision is improved, but the control system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent determines the valve setting based on pre-determined valve characteristics before the discharge process begins. The system calculates the required valve opening from stored characteristic data corresponding to the identified material type and the desired flow rate, then maintains this setting throughout the discharge. This eliminates the need for complex on-line feedback control mechanisms while achieving precise flow rate control through advance preparation and selection of appropriate valve characteristics.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate valve characteristics are determined for each material type, then adaptability to different materials is improved, but the data storage and management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal valve characteristic database that serves multiple material types (coke, pellets, ore, sinter) and their various mixtures. Each valve characteristic is associated with a specific material type or mixture composition, and the system universally applies the appropriate characteristic based on batch identification. This multi-functional approach allows a single set of pre-determined characteristics to handle diverse charging scenarios without requiring separate control mechanisms for each material type.
Data Source
AI summary
In a charging process of a shaft furnace, in particular of a blast furnace, batches of charge material are typically discharged in cyclical sequence into the furnace from a top hopper using a flow control valve. A method and system is proposed for adjusting the flow rate of charge material in such a process. Pre-determined valve characteristics for certain types of material are provided, each indicating the relation between flow rate and valve setting for one type of material. According to the invention, a specific valve characteristic is stored for each batch of charge material, each specific valve characteristic being bijectively associated to one batch and indicating the relation between flow rate and valve setting of the flow control valve specifically for the associated batch. In relation to discharging a given batch of the sequence the invention proposes: using the stored specific valve characteristic associated to the given batch for determining a requested valve setting corresponding to a flow rate setpoint and using the requested valve setting to operate the flow control valve; determining an actual average flow rate for the discharge of the given batch; correcting the stored specific valve characteristic associated to the given batch in case of a stipulated deviation between the flow rate setpoint and the actual average flow rate.