The blast furnace No. 4 with a volume of 5,800 cubic meters of the Jiangsu Shagang Group at the Zhangjiagang plant in Luojiangsu Province has been put back into operation after the modernization project implemented by Danieli Corus.
The project consisted of transferring the shoulder pads, bulge and lower chimney to a highly conductive Danieli Corus lining based on a dense pattern of copper plate coolers and graphite refractory.
The aim of the project was to ensure longer furnace campaigns compared to the existing lining design by cooling the stove.
A level 2 heat loss control system was installed to prevent heat loss in eight sections and on three levels, which improved process control.
The upgraded blast furnace, the largest in China, was re–launched just four months after the purge, which is an outstanding achievement considering the scale of the upgrade.
In accordance with the project objectives, the average shell temperature remained below a safe 60 °C. The cooling system has demonstrated its ability to handle high thermal loads, saving the operator from worrying about the integrity of the furnace in such conditions.
Within a few months of commissioning, a coke consumption of 326 kg/tm was achieved, which is 6% lower than before.
