Structure and Casting Process Optimization of Inclined Copper Cooling Stave for HIsmelt Furnace Using Process Simulation Based on Taguchi Method

To increase the life of a blast furnace, copper cooling staves with high cooling capacity are installed in different locations of the blast furnace. The structure and size of the copper cooling stave depend on the structure and size of the blast furnace and the operating characteristics of the blast furnace. In HIsmelt (high-intensity smelt) direct smelting process, the furnace has some differences from the conventional blast furnace in the fuel used and in the structure. To manufacture the copper cooling stave for the HIsmelt furnace, its structure with cooling capacity to ensure the safe operation of the furnace is designed and then its casting process is also designed. The design of the copper cooling stave is given by the size of copper cooling stave, the diameter of copper tube installed in it and the arrangement of copper tube. The wall thickness of the cooling stave and the flow rate of the cooling water are determined and the cooling capacity of the copper cooling stave under the HIsmelt furnace operating conditions is simulated using Fluid Flow (Fluent) of Ansys Workbench programme (version 15), in order to examine the stability of the copper cooling stave. Hence, the thickness of the copper tube is determined to be 60 mm, the distance between the copper tube centers is 200 mm and the wall thickness of the copper cooling stave is 200 mm. The casting process is simulated using commercial simulation software, ProCAST, to construct a casting process for copper cooling stave and to prevent the melting of copper pipe in the mold during casting and solidification of the molten metal, the occlusion of flow channel of the cooling water, and the supply of the cooling agent, water of 94%+ air of 6%(weight percentage), in order to prevent the separation of the cooling stave and copper pipe. Based on the simulation results, copper cooling staves are produced and installed in the HIsmelt furnace.