Heat transfer analysis of blast furnace cast steel cooling stave

Abstract

Cast steel blast furnace (BF) cooling staves are widely used in the Chinese steel industry. A heat transfer mathematical model of a BF cast steel cooling stave has been developed and verified by thermal state experiments. Calculation of a cooling stave working under steady state has been carried out based on the model. Effects of two factors, thickness of scale on the cooling water pipes and gas clearance between the pipes and main body, which are difficult for experimental measurement but determined mathematically, on the temperature field of the stave body are discussed. The results indicate that much importance should be attached to the two factors during manufacturing of cooling staves as they highly influence cooling capability of cooling stave and hence BF operation.