Chad Van der Woude

Join Chad for the following presentations:

Campaign Life Extension of Blast Furnace Offgas System

May 16, 2022
4:00-4:30 p.m.
Location 404

During the 33 years of operation, an operator’s blast furnace offgas system experienced high metal loss, significant dust buildup due to process issues, and buckling damages due to high-temperature events. This paper presents the fitness-for-service assessment that developed strategies for: short-term local repairs without production interruptions and long-term repairs for campaign life extension until next planned major maintenance shutdown. These strategies include external reinforcements, refractory lining, operational controls and a health monitoring plan. The plant successfully performed the repairs and was able to continue the operation without production interruptions, resulting in major financial benefits and improved safety conditions.

Thermal Assessment of Salamander Cooling During a 10-Day Blast Furnace Shutdown

May 17, 2022
3:30-4:00 pm
Location 317

Extended blast furnace shutdowns introduce risk should the salamander completely freeze during the stop. This risk was identified by an operator when planning a 10-day shutdown of a blast furnace to replace copper staves. To mitigate this risk, Hatch and the operator assessed the extent of salamander freezing using transient heat transfer analysis. The salamander freezing time was estimated for several scenarios and strategies to safely delay freezing were identified. Hearth temperatures were monitored from blowdown to blow-in and compared to estimates, details of which will be presented herein.