INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUE FOR RELIABLE OPERATIONS AND BLOW-BACK PREVENTION OF EAF ANNULAR BURNERS, COMBINED BURNERS AND INJECTORS

摘要

In recent years, EAF process promoted the use of chemical energy for both enhancing productivity and reducing electricity consumption. Combined burners and sidewall oxygen lances are now currently operated in modern EAF. However, these tools are operated following pre-set patterns, without any feedback information from the process. This leads both to non-optimised operations and to occasional blow-back problems, resulting in damages to burners, lances, water-cooled panels and refractory lining. CRM has developed an on-line "distance-to-scrap" measurement technique that can be fitted inside annular burners and provides a monitoring of the melting of scrap in front of each burner. This information allows controlling burner operation and detecting blow-back occurrences before any damage is created. This sensor was successfully tested in the ArcelorMittal Esch-Belval steel plant This technology has been extended to combined burners. The size of the measuring beam has been reduced in order to allow the sight through narrow nozzle throats. The switch from the preheating to the lancing mode can be decided based on the distance information. First tests of the size-reduced sensor device have been carried out in the ArcelorMittal Esch-Belval steel plant.