APPLICATIONS AND BENEFITS OF THERMAL AND THERMOMECHANICAL LINING ANALYSES IN STEEL INDUSTRY

摘要

Refractory lining systems in steelmaking units can experience high operating temperatures and numerous heat cycles during their service lives. The heat transfer through a lining system and the consequential temperatures, deformations, and stresses in the lining and its vessel shell become essential design issues. A proper lining design and vessel operation can not only lengthen the lining life, but also reduce avoidable damage to the lining shell system. This can substantially improve the steelmaking productivity and reduce the production cost. The development of thermal and thermomechanical design basis for lining systems has come along way. The early stages of the development were mainly based on field experience or used rather simple finite-element analysis tools. Because of the complex, nonlinear, and transient behavior involved in lining systems, the calculated temperatures, stresses, and deformations were not sufficiently accurate and realistic. The analysis results could be used only for semi-quantitative or comparative studies. Direct applications of the analysis results to the actual lining designs were limited. More realistic thermal and thermomechanical analyses with finite-element modeling (e.g. Figure 1) and formulations have been incrementally developed in the past 10 years, and become reliable in predicting lining behavior. While there are many commercial finite-element software programs available today, however, the realistically analysis technologies have to rely on representative modeling of the material behavior, system behavior, and operating conditions. These models should be based on extensive material testing, field measurements, and careful calibrations.