Mathematical model for the evaluation of refractory wear in the open-hearth blast furnace

A dynamic analysis of the fluid flow and thermal behaviour of iron inside blast furnace hearth is considered. The model employs Navier Stokes two-dimensional turbulent kappa-epsilon formulation, together with corresponding energy equations, the latter considering thermal energy and permanent fluid flow equations. The differential equations are solved by means of finite element tools, with the help of ANSYS/FLOTRAN software. The obtained results allow the determination of the 1150 degrees C isothermal, which is a crucial element for pig iron production. The results is an analysis of potential importance to the iron making industry, evolving strategies for optimising energy consumption observing the quality of the final product, refractory wear, by means of control of the process parameters.