Investigation of Skull Formation in a Blast Furnace Hearth

Abstract

A stable skull layer formed on the inner surface of the hearth could effectively protect the lining and extend blast furnace campaign life. This is the first comprehensive work of using integrated heat transfer, fluid flow dynamics and solidification numerical simulation to investigate skull formation phenomena in a blast furnace hearth. The impact of hearth design and furnace operation parameters on skull formation is examined, including lining property and structure, cooling water temperature and flow rate, hot metal production rate, temperature and viscosity, and cast practice. The findings from this study are compared with operating experience of United States Steel blast furnaces.