BOF secondary off-gas cleaning systems

The off-gases released during steelmaking operations, particularly during the charging of low-quality scrap with its inherent hydrocarbon impurities, frequently overloads the exhaust and cooling capability of conventional off-gas treatment systems. The resulting combustion of the emitted gases occasionally leads to uncontrolled fume emissions and high gas temperatures which can cause excessive damage to the system, especially to the bag filters. An advanced off-gas treatment system by Siemens VAI eliminates these problems thorough optimised plant design and hot metal pouring speed, leading to increased operational safety and shorter tap-to-tap times.

AUTHOR: Alfred R. Hampel Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH & Co (Siemens VAI)

MILLENNIUM STEEL 2007

For many years the design criteria for secondary off-gas cleaning systems were rather simple, with the evacuation performance based on converter tapping size only. Comparing all emission sources, the gases evacuated during hot metal charging via the charging hood show the highest temperature profiles and are characterised by high gas flows. Considering the limitations with respect to the filter inlet temperature, the hot charging gases have to be cooled so that the filter bags are not damaged by overheating. The maximum allowable temperature for polyester filter bags should not exceed 160C. This is r Fig.1 Schematic view of secondary off-gas cleaning system

OF steelmaking comprises several operating steps, including charging, oxygen blowing and tapping; all of which involve emissions of hot and dust-laden gas. Usually, two different off-gas systems are installed; for fume evacuation and to keep the converter environment cool and clean. Major quantities of hot gases are emitted during the oxygen blowing phase, mainly in the form of hot carbon monoxide. Specially designed primary off-gas systems collect these gases and cool the partial or fully combusted carbon monoxide. To evacuate the hot fumes produced during the other converter operation steps such as scrap charging, hot metal charging, steel tapping and slag dumping, doghouses and secondary off-gas cleaning systems are normally installed (see Fig. 1). For a number of steel shops the primary off-gas system accomplishes the secondary ventilation via a by-pass function. However, the evacuation performance is very

poor during converter charging and is not carried out at all during the blowing phase. In the majority of steel shops independent secondary off-gas cleaning systems are installed. They ensure the required evacuation capacity with properly designed induced draught (ID) fans and meet the required clean gas dust content using fibre bag filters. These systems are usually designed not only to evacuate the converter environment during charging, tapping and de-slagging, etc., but also other dust emission sources on the hot metal side (reladling, desulphurisation, de-slagging and scull cutting) as well on the liquid steel side (ladle treatment stations, ladle furnaces, etc.).

DESIGN DEVELOPMENTS IN SECONDARY DE-DUSTING SYSTEMS

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INTRODUCTORY THEMES

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achieved by mixing the hot charging gases with fumes coming from `cold` evacuation sources and by activating, so-called, emergency cooling air flaps as a source of cold ambient air for mixing. System designs which achieve the required temperature by mixing high and low temperature evacuation gases (cooling by mixing) can be classified as `conventional`. Figure 2 shows different conventional off-gas cleaning systems where the ratio of the converter suction volume and the converter tapping capacity are compared. The horizontal axis shows the converter tapping weight of the plant indicated by name in the field. The vertical axis shows the total suction r Fig.2 Comparison of converter suction volume and tapping capacity in volume in m3/h. In order to enable a conventionally designed steel shop ventilation systems neutral assessment of the results, both Siemens VAI -supplied off-gas systems As an example, the figures for the reference point of and off-gas systems from other suppliers - referenced with voestalpine Stahl (VAS), Linz, Austria (160 t tapping the denomination OX1 to OX9, were investigated. weight) show a cooling capacity of 43 MW. This means As clearly seen, most of the reference points of the that as long as the total thermal power emission of the assessed systems are located within two parameter lines: converter operation (charging, tapping, de-slagging, etc.) remains below 43 MW, the off-gas system will not ` Upper parameter line, which represents a high become overloaded with respect to the temperature and evacuation performance of 5,400m3 off-gas/hr/t tapping weight volume of fumes. ` Lower parameter line representing the low CONVERTER HEAT EMISSIONS evacuation performance of 2,100m3 off-gas/hr/t As indicated above, the bulk of the thermal power load tapping weight to be absorbed by the secondary system comes from The figures `xx MW` of the different reference points the converter during hot metal charging. The scrap define the cooling performance of the off-gas system in usually contains combustibles, mostly in the form of Megawatt (MW), and represent the physical magnitude of hydrocarbons such as paint, plastics, grease, oil, etc., as thermal power which is absorbed from the off-gas sucked well as galvanised and tin-coated metals. The specific through the system. It can be explained as follows: heating values of these substances are of the order of 80 - 90% of the energy content of the same quantity of oil by weight. During charging of hot metal onto the ` The actual volumetric gas flow VA [m3/h] refers via the gas temperature to a certain gas mass flow VM scrap in the converter, the hydrocarbons are heated [Nm3/h] and the zinc or tin is vapourised. However, they cannot combust due to the lack of oxygen inside the converter ` The air and fumes have a certain specific heat Cp [kJ/Nm3.C]. The temperature increase t [C] from during the charging period. Pyrolysis (decomposition) ambient temperature to the maximum filter inlet gases (e.g., CO, H2, CH4 compounds) and/or vapours of Zn or Sn are produced which carry the energy in a temperature (which has to be controlled to prevent chemical phase. The pyrolysis and vapourising damage) multiplied by the specific heat Cp results in processes are endothermic, with the required energy the specific thermal energy content Espec [kJ/Nm3]. The specific thermal energy content [kJ/Nm3] brought in by the hot metal during pouring. The multiplied by the mass flow [Nm3/h] results in the composition of the pyrolysis gases depends on the total energy flow [kJ/h] equivalent to thermal power decomposition temperature. At a lower temperature Pth expressed in kilowatts [kW] or Megawatts [MW]. the dominating elements are CH4 compounds and at a Espec = Cp x t, Pth = VM x Espec higher temperature the equilibrium moves to higher

r Fig.3 Schematic diagram of thermal power balance factors

formulae are similar to those already outlined for the cooling capacity of a plant. The further reactions take place in the sequence of process steps depicted in figure 3. The gases and vapours leaving the converter come into contact with the ambient air supplying the combustion oxygen and begin to combust. The chemical energy converts to thermal energy and the permanent gas flow creates the thermal power emission of the converter (Pconv). For the design of the off-gas system with respect to the required cooling capacity (Poff), the maximum thermal power emission of the converter (Pconv, peak,) is the key design factor. Only in cases where the figure Poff is higher than the figure Pconv, peak, can the off-gas cleaning system safely absorb and remove the thermal power emission of the converter. If this is not the case, the charging hood cannot remove all of the fumes, and secondary emissions accumulate in the hood which lead to fugitive emissions. The combusted hot gases above the converter rise and also suck air into the combustion zone, increasing the total gas volume. Dilution air is required as excess combustion air in order to avoid incomplete combustion of the emitted gas concentrations.

H2 concentrations with increased explosion risk. The presence of water charged with the scrap (liquid or ice) increases the generation of hydrogen. During hot metal pouring the converter emits a continuous flow of combustible gases of a certain specific energy (calorific) content, depending on composition. This energy flow is expressed by means of the magnitude of the thermal power. The respective

INFLUENCE OF SCRAP QUALITY

In the past the major portion of scrap for BOF steelmaking came from the steelworks as return scrap; with external scrap accounting for only a minor portion of the charge. This situation has changed during the past 10 to15 years as clean return scrap from the steelworks continually decreased as a result of better process control in the upstream and downstream facilities. External scrap in the a

MILLENNIUM STEEL 2007

r Fig.4 Trend of thermal power emission from a 295t converter

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INTRODUCTORY THEMES

form of metal cuttings, cans and also an increased number of scrapped car bodies has increased. This type of scrap is mostly compressed to bundles or blocks which typically contain 2 to 4kg of combustibles per tonne of scrap. An example highlights the current situation in steel shops, which are increasingly encountering problems in connection with thermally overloaded off-gas systems, resulting in significant visible fume emissions during charging and by high equipment temperatures: ` Considering a scrap weight of 50 tonnes for charging and a combustible content of 3.0kg/t, r Fig.5 Uncontrolled combustion and fume emissions during charging of scrap onto the total weight of combustibles in hot metal the scrap chute amounts to 150kg ` The energy content of this quantity of combustibles compared with oil shows an energy equivalent of 120kg of oil (150 litres), equivalent to nearly one barrel of oil ` The burning of this energy in less than one minute means the release of 4,800MJ, leading to an average thermal power emission of 4,800/60 = 80MW Considering the reactivity of the scrap, the thermal peak power development can increase to two or more times that of the average, which means 160MW, and more. Figure 4 illustrates the trend of a thermal power emission life during hot metal charging. The power peak shows the same figure as shown in the example, i.e., 160MW. (Note that the integration of the thermal power versus time equivalent to the shadowed area - expresses the energy released during the observation period. On the basis of these figures the energy content in the scrap can be determined.) Even with a lower hot metal charging rate, an eruptive reaction cannot be avoided. This data of thermal power emissions by converters during hot metal charging has now to be compared with the diagram showing the cooling performance of the off-gas system with a conventional design (see Fig. 2). The comparison makes it understandable that the thermal power development set free by a 50 tonne scrap charge easily exceeds the cooling and evacuation capability of all off-gas systems shown in figure 3. The example for 50t scrap charging corresponds with the reference point of voestalpine Stahl (Linz, Austria), which shows a cooling capacity of the off-gas system of only 43MW, compared to a typical converter emission considerably exceeding

r Fig.6 Roof emissions during converter charging

100MW. As a result, their off-gas system was suffering permanently from overheating, from escaped fume emissions at the charging hood, and from system explosions as a result of incomplete combustion. Numerous other steelmakers - mostly in Europe, but also in the U.S.A. - are suffering from the same problems because their systems are positioned in the `conventional` design group and because they are charging cheap, but obviously energy-rich scrap. Figures 5 and 6 reflect the situation occasionally faced by steel producers.
MILLENNIUM STEEL 2007

ADVANCED DESIGN OFF-GAS SYSTEMS

OF

SECONDARY

Starting in 2003, Siemens VAI improved the design of secondary off-gas cleaning systems by quantifying and

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Each of the two 295t converters was equipped with the following: ` One evacuation system designed for both charging hot metal followed by scrap charging, and vice versa. At Sidmar it was decided to charge scrap first followed by hot metal. ` One evacuation system for tapping ` One roof extraction system (RE) ` Exhaust system for two ladle treatment stands At the same time the dust emission level inside the steel building had to be kept to below 5 mg/Nm3, the gas-cooling system had to cope with a thermal load of 180 MW and the gas cleaning system had to ensure a clean gas dust level at the stack to less than 10 mg/Nm3. The solution to achieve these targets was as follows (see Fig. 7): ` Installation of an evacuation system with a capacity of 2,400,000 Nm3/h for the start of hot metal charging (at 0C ambient temperature). During hot metal pouring, the total gas flow can reach 3,800,000 Nm3/h for all hoods. ` Installation of plate-type convection coolers which can absorb the generated heat (see Fig. 8) ` Development and application of a thermal power control system to control the hot metal pouring speed in order to avoid any heat overload of the plant by extremely energy-rich scrap mixtures The design of the patented coolers requires the application of sophisticated calculation programs because the temperature profile of the gas and the plates varies considerably. The coolers are made of different sized plates which enable the rapid cooling of exhausted gases. Even during slopping, the large volumes of generated gases can pass the cooler without overheating the filter bags. As seen in figure 9, even after 21 2 years of operation no major accumulations of dust on the cooler plates can be observed. The cooling performance of Sidmar's coolers is depicted in figure 10. The gas temperature trend (red line) shows a peak temperature of 540C at the cooler inlet and a temperature of only 90C at the cooler outlet. The coolers are designed for a maximum outlet temperature of 250C at a maximum inlet temperature of 750C which represents a cooling performance of 95MW per converter. After the off-gas cooling phase the cooler commences with a regeneration phase, which means the removal of

r Fig.7 3D plant layout of advanced secondary off-gas cleaning system

qualifying thermal power emissions, by applying high performance cooling capabilities, integrating thermal power emission control systems and by reducing the flow resistance in the duct systems. The engineering of this advanced design includes the determination of the content of combustibles in the scrap, the maximum thermal power emission of a converter (based on the amount of scrap charged, the energy content in the scrap, and the hot metal pouring speed), the required cooling capabilities as well as the combustion requirements with a controlled hot metal pouring speed. The charging hoods and duct systems were designed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. The first major application was the off-gas system designed and supplied for the BOF plant of Sidmar in Gent, [1] Belgium.

MILLENNIUM STEEL 2007

r Fig.8 Sidmar, Gent, Belgium - outside view of coolers

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r Fig.9 Cooler plates after 2.5 years of operation

r Fig.10 Inlet and outlet gas-temperature trends with advanced cooler design

accumulated heat energy by an air stream sucked through the coolers to cool down the plates. As seen in figure 10 the regeneration phase starts when the outlet temperature (blue line) shows a higher value than the inlet temperature. Regeneration takes approximately 25 minutes. The air stream sucked through the coolers during regeneration additionally evacuates fumes escaping during blowing and tapping, eliminating the need for doghouse doors. Figure 11 illustrates the thermal power flow, showing the distribution of generated power, absorbed power and passing power as designed for the Sidmar cooling system. Scrap charging releases 180MW of thermal power, of which, the ducts between the hood and the coolers absorb 22%. The gas temperature during charging can rise to 1,000C which results in a large heat transfer to the cold ducts. The coolers reduce the gas temperature to 250C by removing a further 50% of the input energy, which is absorbed by the cooler plates. The tapping exhaust and roof exhaust are included in the balance (accounting for approximately 25MW). A few further percentages are absorbed by the filter, so only 30% (approximately 60MW of the total input power passes to the stack. The corresponding exit-gas temperature is below 80C.

where double-evacuated charging hoods for two converters will be installed and where one cooler will be provided for both converters (red coloured). The filter plant, fans, stack and the major part of the ductwork remain unchanged. This new system is now under design and will boost the cooling capacity by more than 100%. At voestalpine Stahl the installation of additional coolers within the charging ducts of the off-gas system boosted the cooling capacity by approximately 50% and the evacuation capacity by nearly 100% (referred to the gas mass flow). The improved heat removal efficiency that results by installing coolers in conventional steel shop ventilation arrangements are shown in figure 13. Figure 2 has been enlarged in the ordinate direction with respect to the suction volume and a parallel scale was included to show the equivalent cooling capacity in MW. The respective arrows show the increased cooling capacities a

APPLICATIONS IN EXISTING PLANTS

MILLENNIUM STEEL 2007

The described cooler design is not only applicable for new steel plants, but is also highly suitable for retrofitting to existing plants. Figure 12 shows the basic layout of a steel shop in Germany,

r Fig.11 Thermal power balance of advanced cooler system

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with the cooler installations for the following plants: ` Sidmar (Belgium): +90MW originally installed ` Alchewsk, Ukraine: +75 MW originally installed ` Thyssen-Krupp CSA, Brazil: +65MW originally installed ` voestalpine Stahl, Linz (Austria): +28MW post installation ` Steel shop in Germany: +80MW post installation The comparison of thermal power versus flow explains the amount of air required as a substitute for cooling air if no coolers are applied: 1MW cooling capability of coolers substitutes 20,000 m3/h of cooling air for `cooling by mixing` purposes.

r Fig.12 Basic layout of off-gas cleaning system for a steel plant in Germany

SAFETY ASPECTS
With the described advanced design, enough cooling capacity is provided so that the plant can operate without the need for emergency cooling air flaps while assuring a high enough air flow through the system to ensure safe combustion conditions. With increasing thermal power development the temperature in the system rises and the increasing volumes of gas create a higher pressure drop which results in a reduction of the air mass flow passing through the system. This means a reduced oxygen mass flow despite an increasing demand for oxygen. Due to this fact under-ventilated systems are quickly overloaded, not only with respect to the temperature profile, but also in connection with the consumption of available oxygen. The gases emitted by the converter are thus incompletely combusted and the remaining non-combusted gases can lead to potentially dangerous situations. The trend of oxygen consumption can be seen in figure 14 during two weeks of recordings. The red line `stalactites` show the remaining oxygen in the gas downstream of the charging hood. The content of oxygen in the air is 21% before charging which drops r Fig.13 Improved thermal cooling capabilities with installation of coolers during hot metal charging according to the quantity of oxygen consumed during combustion. If the remaining oxygen content drops to below 10%, the content of non-combusted gases (visible on the `stalactites` line in blue) can go higher than 3%, which is the lowest explosion risk limit. The computer can calculate the actual power development instantaneously as well as the actual oxygen consumption before receiving the O2 analysis results (usually 15 - 20 seconds delay r Fig.14 Content of remaining oxygen and non-combusted gases in the charging duct time). The designed thermal power

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INTRODUCTORY THEMES

removal by the off-gas system is the set point for controlling the hot metal pouring speed (reduced or interrupted). This means that a total consumption of the available combustion oxygen can be avoided with this type of control.

SUMMARY
With the application of absorption coolers in secondary off-gas cleaning systems the following advantages can be achieved: Operational and safety benefits ` Higher gas throughput due to a low gas temperature profile downstream of the plate-type cooler ` Emergency cooling air is not required, meaning that the high gas flow will not be diminished by the opening of a cooling air flap ` Reduced fume emissions at the charging hood ` No spark arrestors are required (hot particles are cooled to harmless temperatures by the coolers) ` In combination with the charging power control system there is no risk to operate at understoichiometric combustion conditions and no risk of explosion

Commercial benefits Shorter pouring times result, on average, because a high pouring speed can be applied which is controlled by the control system. With less contaminated scrap faster pouring speeds can be used, resulting in shorter pouring times of 40 seconds or less. This allows more heats to be produced on a daily basis. Cheaper scrap, usually with a higher content of impurities, can be charged to the converter without risk of overloading the system. The evacuation capacity and cooling performance of existing systems can be increased at relatively low investment costs.

REFERENCES
[1] L. Pieters, Secondary Dedusting of the LD (BOF) Converters at Arcelor Gent, IS 06 Iron and steel Conference, Linz, Austria, October 2006. Alfred R. Hampel is Senior Expert, Environmental Engineering with Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH & Co (Siemens VAI), Linz, Austria

CONTACT: alfred.hampel@siemens.com