CFD-FEA modelling of tuyere damage in an industrial ironmaking blast furnace: A case of coke oven gas injection
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Tuyere damage is a recurring issue in ironmaking blast furnaces, and frequent failures may lead to significant operational disruptions. However, the thermal stress contributing to such damage remains insufficiently understood, particularly in the emerging operation of coke oven gas (COG) injection. In this study, an industrial-scale tuyere-raceway model is developed by combining Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and used to analyse the thermal stress during the COG injection. The results show that thermal stress peaks at the outer edges of the tuyere tip, where the temperatures exceed 1900K and thermal stresses surpass 2.0GPa. Additionally, unlike other regions of the tuyere, the blowpipe and the areas adjacent to the cooling chambers exhibit temporal fluctuations in thermal stress, with stress levels ranging between 2.0 and 2.8GPa and fluctuations of approximately 100MPa, which may increase the risk of fatigue and crack propagation. As a countermeasure, the application of a Fe-Cr coating is tested and can effectively insulate the tuyere core, maintaining its temperature below 780K and reducing the average thermal stress on the tuyere core surface by 41% compared to uncoated designs. The CFD-FEA integration model offers a cost-effective tool for optimising tuyere design and operating parameters under new blast furnace conditions.
Source: Fuel
Authors: Ehsan Farajzadeh, Yuting Zhuo, Yansong Shen
Institution: UNSW Sydney
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,330
OpenAlex ID: W7109994272