Abstract:
Blowing hydrogen-rich gas into the blast furnace has become an important method for reducing emissions, aligning with the national strategy for carbon emissions reduction and carbon neutrality. Research on blowing coke oven gas (COG) into the blast furnace has also received widespread attention; however only little research has been conducted on the effect of the blowing amount on blast furnace smelting. This study adopts the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method to explore the effect of COG blowing amount on the pulverized coal combustion rate, gas reduction reactions, and coke reactions at the tuyere and cohesive zone of the blast furnace. The results show a decreasing trend in gas temperature at the tuyere due to the injection of coal powder. Afterward, the gas temperature increaseed significantly, reaching its peak as it exits the raceway. This is mainly attributed to the intense combustion of coal powder and gas-phase combustible components. The temperature then gradually decreased as the gas moved away from the raceway. As the COG injection rate increased from 30 to 120 m
3·min
–1, the contents of H
2O, CO, CO
2, and H
2 showed a certain degree of upward trend. From the perspective of the coal powder combustion rate, the increased COG injection sustained the volatilization reaction of coal powder and enhanced the water-gas reaction. With the increase in COG injection volume, the reducing atmosphere in the furnace was enhanced. Owing to the competitive effect between H
2 and CO, the CO reduction pathway decreased, while the H
2 reduction pathway increased. The reaction intensity of coke in the furnace body also changes with the increasing COG injection. As the COG injection increased, the H
2 content in the furnace belly gas continued to rise, the water-gas reaction was enhanced, and the combustion reaction of coke was reduced. During the increase of the COG injection rate from 30 to 90 m
3·min
–1, the thickness of the cohesive zone continued to increase, resulting in decreased permeability and an elevation of the high-pressure zone, which forced more gas to flow rapidly toward the center. However, when the injection rate reached 120 m
3·min
–1, the thickness of the cohesive zone decreased, permeability improved, the high-pressure zone shifted downward, and the gas velocity distribution at the center became relatively uniform. After injecting COG, the temperature inside the furnace decreased, with significant changes observed in the waist and lower regions, and the high-temperature zone shrank. This occurred because the injected COG gas, at normal temperature, introduced low-temperature gas into the furnace, and the gasification of hydrocarbons absorbed heat. This process increased the total amount of combustion products, thereby requiring more heat for heating. However, as the COG injection volume and oxygen enrichment rate increased, the high-temperature area gradually expanded.