AISTech 2019 — Proceedings of the Iron & Steel Technology Conference

6–9 May 2019, Pittsburgh, Pa., USA

DOI 10.1000.377.065

Application of On-line Laser Detector of Burden Surface Profile on

Chaoyang No.1 Blast Furnace at AnSteel

Zhengkai, Gao1, Jianhua Dai1,Tianjun Yang1, Hongyu Zhang2, Guangwei Wang2

Deshun Hu2, Xiliang Liu2, Baodong Lv2, Tai Gao3, Fan Zhang3
1
University of Science & Technology Beijing
No.30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China, 100083
Phone: +86-13601285245
Email: okgzk@vip.126.com
2
Ansteel Group Chaoyang Steel & Iron Co., Ltd.
Xidayingzi Town, Longcheng District, Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province, China,
Phone: +86-15804211332
Email:hds105243@163.com
3
Shenwang Pioneer Tech. Corporation Beijing
Room 506, Building 3, Guofeng Meitang Complex Building, Huilongguan Town Changping District, Beijing, China, 102200
Phone: +86 010 62182950
Email: swcx@swcx.com

Keywords: blast furnace, on-line laser detector, burden surface profile

INTRODUCTION

As an important means of adjusting the upper part of the blast furnace, the charging system is an important operation system
for blast furnace production. It directly affects the distribution of burden in the blast furnace, determines the distribution of
gas flow in the blast furnace and the smooth operation of burden, thus directly affecting the "high efficiency, low
consumption, energy saving" production of the blast furnace and the longevity of the blast furnace. But how to know the
distribution of gas flow and the profile of the burden surface in the blast furnace? Blast furnace is a closed reaction vessel
with high temperature and high pressure. In the past, blast furnace operators could only explore the rules through the values
of temperature, pressure, flow and other detection instruments, thus inferring the production and equipment operation
conditions in the blast furnace. With the development of visualization technology of blast furnace in recent years[1], the
application of technologies such as CCD camera, thermal imager and on-line laser burden level detection system on the top
of blast furnace enables blast furnace operators to intuitively monitor the distribution of gas flow in the blast furnace in real
time and obtain the profile of burden level in production in real time, thus guiding the burden distribution operation of blast
furnace and providing an important detection means for upper adjustment.
After years of development, the on-line laser burden surface detection system has been applied to more than a dozen blast
furnaces such as Hanggang, Jigang, Shougang Qiangang, Jingtang, Shagang, Baotou Steel, Handan Steel and Maanshan Steel
[2 - 5]
. Through continuous improvement, great progress has been made and good results have been achieved.
Ansteel Group Chaoyang Steel&Iron Co., Ltd. has only one blast furnace which effective volume is 2600m3. According to
the needs of blast furnace production, a new designed on-line laser detector of burden surface profile was installed on its
No.1 blast furnace on 20th June 2018.

© 2019 by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology. 611

 DISCUSSION

Field Installation of On-line Laser Detector of Burden Surface Profile

The blast furnace on-line laser burden surface detection system mainly includes one or more laser emitters and scanning
devices, a special top camera, a water-cooled protective sleeve, an dust cleaning system, auxiliary facilities(such as electric
control cabinet, cables, cooling water hoses, nitrogen hoses, piping, valves, pressure gauge, etc.) and a special image
processing software. The piping and instrumentation diagram of the system is as shown in figure 1. One or more lasers are
used to inject laser beams into the blast furnace, the laser beam continuously scans the burden surface in the blast furnace
through the movement of the laser scanning device, the laser passes through dust or gas in the blast furnace to form laser
traces, in the process, a camera continuously captures laser trace images, and the obtained images can be subjected to image
synthesis and analysis by specially developed image processing software to obtain data such as real burden surface profile
curves and burden line depth, inner and outer pile angles of the burden, width of a coke platform, burden inflection points,
center funnel depth and so on. Through the changes of the images in the blast furnace, the profile of the burden surface and
its data, the blast furnace operator can directly monitor the in-furnace information such as the operation condition of the
equipment in the blast furnace, the charging process, the profile of the burden surface and the lowering process of the burden
line in real time. The on-line laser burden surface detection system takes 5 to 10 seconds to complete a burden surface
scanning and processing. This system has provided important help to the adjustment of the upper part of blast furnace.

Figure 1. P&I Diagram of on-line laser burden surface detection system

Two laser scanning devices are installed at the relative position of Chaoyang No.1 blast furnace shell in the diameter
direction of the blast furnace, and a special camera is drilled and installed at the position perpendicular to the diameter of the
scanning device. See figure 2 for field installation.

612 © 2019 by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology.

  

Figure 2. Field installation of burden surface laser detector 

Application of On-line Laser Detector of Burden Surface Profile

Chaoyang No.1 blast furnace is operated in a central coke charging mode. In order to ensure stable and smooth operation of
the blast furnace, the central coke charging amount is relatively large, the central gas flow is relatively strong, the top
temperature is high, and water is often sprayed from the top of the furnace. Since the cross temperature measuring device was
removed from the blast furnace, the distribution of gas in the furnace could not be obtained, and the blast furnace operators
could not easily adjust the material system. After a top thermal camera and an on-line laser detector of burden surface profile
were applied on 20th June 2018, the blast furnace operator decided to gradually reduce the central coke. The amount of
central coke is gradually reduced from 5 cycles to 3.2 cycles. Through this adjustment and operation, good results have been
achieved and coke rate has been reduced.

Practice of Reducing Central Coke and Adjusting Burden Surface

From 20th June to 8th August, Chaoyang No.1 blast furnace made more than 20 charge matrix adjustments, mainly to
gradually reduce the amount of central coke, thus reducing the original 5 cycles to 3 cycles and finally increasing it to 3.2
cycles. The situation before and after adjustment of charge matrix and burden surface is as follows:
Before 20th June, the charging parameters are as follows: ore stock line 1.6m, coke stock line 1.3m, ore batch 60 tons, coke
batch 12.83 tons, charge matrix C 403 38.22 362 33.42 30.72 28.82 125, O 401 38.22 362 33.42 30.72 28.82 (the upper is chute degree, the lower is
charge cycles), central coke 5cycles, central gas flow is strong, and the gas flow area is large, with an average gas utilization
rate of 43.30%. During the period, the on-line laser burden surface detector has not been installed, and no burden surface
profile was obtained.
On 4th July, the charging parameters were adjusted as follows: ore stock line 1.6m, coke stock line 1.3m, ore batch 60 tons,
coke batch 12.84 tons, charge matrix C 40.33 38.52 36.52 34.32 31.92 29.12 123.5, O 40.31 38.52 36.52 34.32 31.92 29.12, central coke gradually
decreased from 5 cycles to 3.5 cycles, the chute angles of each ring increased by 0.3 to 1.2 degree. The scanning result of
coke burden surface profile is shown in figure 3. The burden surface is almost inverted V-shaped, with a high center pile tip
and a steamed bun shape. The falling point of the outermost ring of the charge is inward, the inflection point of the burden
surface is inward, the edge has no coke platform, and the average gas utilization rate is 43.20%. The blast furnace is running
smoothly, but there is no obvious change in gas utilization rate.
On 19th July, the charging parameters were adjusted as follows: ore stock line 1.6m, coke stock line 1.3m, ore batch 61 tons,
coke batch 12.86 tons, charge matrix C 41.73 39.92 37.82 35.32 32.62 29.72 123, O 41.71 39.92 37.82 35.32 32.62 29.72, central coke reduced from
3.5 cycles to 3 cycles. The chute angle of each ring increased by 0.6 to 1.4 degree, and the angle of the outermost ring
changed greatly, but at this time, the burden surface was still inverted V-shaped, the coke burden surface had no obvious
change, the center pile tip was higher, the falling point of the outermost ring of the charge was still inward, the inflection
point of the burdne surface was close to the center, the edge had no coke platform, but the center airflow column was
reduced, the edge was properly opened, and the utilization rate of gas was increased to 45.78%. The scanning results of coke
and ore burden surface profile are shown in figure 4 and figure 5. It should be noted that the central part of the burden surface
could not be obtained directly because of the central gas flow influence, thus the central part curve is drawn by simulation
calculation result.

© 2019 by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology. 613

 C 40.33 38.52 36.52 34.32 31.92 29.12 123.5 C 41.73 39.92 37.82 35.32 32.62 29.72 123 O 41.71 39.92 37.82 35.32 32.62 29.72
(Before the chute was replaced) (Before the chute was replaced)
Figure 3. Coke burden surface profile Figure 4. Coke burden surface profile Figure 5. Ore burden surface profile

On 8th August, the blast furnace was in stoppage. It was found that the chute angles of the old chute with the same ring were
more than one degree different from the set value, and the chute liner was seriously worn and replaced with a new charging
chute. After replacing the new chute, a maximum chute angle test was carried out and the chute angles of the new chute were
measured and corrected. According to the test results and in combination with the previous blast furnace operation, the new
charging parameters were determined. On 10th August, the charging parameters were as follows: ore stock line 1.6m, coke
stock line 1.3m, ore batch 61 tons, coke batch 13.16 tons, charge matrix C 41.73 402 382 35.72 332 302 123.3, O 41.71.5 403 383 35.72 332 302,
central coke 3.3 cycles, the outer three rings of ore increased charging cycles. At this time, the burden surface profile change
is more obvious than before, W-shaped with edge platform width 1.1 to 1.2m, funnel depth approximately 0.75m, the blast
furnace worked smoothly, average gas utilization rate increased to 44.06%. The scanning results of coke and ore burden
surface profiles are shown in figure 6 and figure 7. Since then, the blast furnace has basically determined to carry out the
charging operation according to the charging parameters and the profile of the burden surface.

C 41.73 39.92 37.82 35.32 32.62 29.72 123 O 41.71.5 403 383 35.72 332 302
(After the chute was replaced) (After the chute was replaced)
Figure 6. Coke burden surface profile Figure 7. Ore burden surface profile

According to the difference of chute angles before and after the chute replacement, the simulation results using burden
distributing simulation program are as shown in figure 8. From the simulation results, the trend of burden surface profile is
basically the same as the scanning results. Thus, it can be seen that after a period of blast furnace production, the chute angles
may change to a certain extent with the actual set value, which will affect the distribution of blast furnace burden surface, and
then affect the distribution of gas flow and blast furnace production. By using the on-line laser burden detector, the problem
of top equipment and the changing of burden distribution can be found in time.

614 © 2019 by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology.

 C 41.73 402 382 35.72 332 302 123.3 C 41.73 402 382 35.72 332 302 123.3
41.7 39.9 37.8 35.3 32.6 29.7
O 1 2 2 2 2 2 O 41.71.5 403 383 35.72 332 302 
(Before the chute was replaced) (After the chute was replaced)
Figure 8. Simulation Results of Burden Distribution

Charging operation during the period of the chute angle encoder failure
At 8: 00 a.m. on 20th August, the blast furnace operators found the abnormal profile of the burden surface in time through the
scanning results of the on-line laser burden surface detector, see figure 9. After that, the inspection found that the chute angle
encoder failed, the actual chute angle was inconsistent with the set angle, and the angle of the outermost ring was smaller by
more than 1.5 degree, and the more the angle toward the furnace center was, the greater the difference. Since only a single
blast furnace in Ansteel Chaoyang Plant produces molten iron for steelmaking, if the blast furnace is shut down, the
production of the whole plant will be affected and certain economic losses will be caused. In order to avoid the influence of
the shutdown, the factory decided to operate the blast furnace by adjusting the charging system and re-exploring the charging
rules. During this process, the blast furnace operator uses the on-line laser detector to scan the burden surface after charging
parameters adjustment. According to the previous experience, the operator obtained the appropriate profile of the burden
surface soon, and by 4th September, the charge matrix was adjusted as follows: C 433 41.52 39.72 37.72 35.42 32.92 123.4，O 431.5 41.53 39.83
37.7 35.4 32.9
2 2 2. The setting value of chute inclination angle increases by 1.3 to 2.9 from the outer ring to the inner than the
original angle, and changes greatly. The obtained burden surface profile is shown in figure 10.

The Changing of No.1 Blast Furnace Operation Index

Since 20th June, Chaoyang No.1 blast furnace has obtained better production indexes through the above charging parameters
adjustment. The changes in production indexes of the blast furnace from June to early September are shown in figures 11 and
12. The average daily output of blast furnace increased from 5863 t/d in June (excluding the influence of the 20th and 21st
June stoppage) to 5994 t/d in late August to early September, and the average daily output of blast furnace in September
exceeded 6000 t/d, the fuel rate decreased from 552kg/t to 538kg/t, the fuel rate decreased by approximately 14kg/t, and the
coke rate in the furnace decreased from 342.6kg/t to 338.6kg/t. The coke nut rate decreased from 70.7kg/t to 63kg/t, the coal
rate decreased from 138.7kg/t to 136.5kg/t, and the gas utilization rate increased from 43.30% to 44.78%.

C 41.33 39.62 37.62 35.42 32.72 29.72 123.2 C 433 41.52 39.72 37.72 35.42 32.92 123.4
(Before the encoder failure) (After the encoder failure) (After the charging parameter adjustment)
Figure 9. Coke burden surface profile Figure 10. Coke burden surface profile

© 2019 by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology. 615

 Figure 11. Trend of Daily Output and Fuel Rate Figure 12. Trend of Top Temperature and Daily Spout Water Times

CONCLUSIONS

Under the condition of no fixed cross temperature measurement, Chaoyang No.1 blast furnace uses an on-line laser burden
surface detector to obtain the profile in time for guiding the operation of the blast furnace. By adjusting the charging
operation, the profile of the burden surface and the distribution of gas flow have been improved and good production results
have been achieved. The blast furnace is stable, the output is increased, the central coke is reduced, the top temperature is
lowered, the amount of spout water is obviously decreased, the fuel rate and the coke rate are reduced, thus achieving the
purposes of energy conservation, emission reduction, cost reduction and efficiency improvement.
Due to the production of a single blast furnace in the whole process, the operation of Chaoyang No.1 blast furnace is based
on a long-term stable and compliant behavior policy, and unplanned stoppage is avoided as much as possible. In the event of
the failure of the chute angle encoder, the on-line laser detector plays a vital role in guiding the blast furnace burden
adjustment operation.

REFERENCES

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3. Chuanhui LI, Dianzhi ZHANG, et al., Proceedings of the 16th National Annual Conference on Blast Furnace
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616 © 2019 by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology.