Criteria for Assessing Optimal Distribution of Ore/Coke Ratio Along Blast Furnace Radius

The distribution of the ore/coke ratio along the radius of a furnace is currently estimated by a change in two criteria, i.e., the proportion of CO used and the temperature of the blast furnace gas. Although this approach provides only a qualitative representation, changes are made to the load programs on this basis, which may result in less than optimal decision-making and deterioration in performance. To determine the optimal distribution of the ore/coke ratio, in this study, we selected additional known criteria that characterize the reduction and thermal energy processes of the gas stream, which more accurately reflect the influence of changes in the ore/coke (O/C) ratio on the course of blast-furnace smelting. Several easily calculated criteria are adopted to characterize the thermal and reduction processes, namely the carbon consumed to meet thermal needs C_t, the change in the ratio of the water equivalents W_g/W_b along the throat radius, the proportion of CO used (η_CO), and the temperature of the blast furnace gas (T_bfg). As a result, we obtained a single integrated calculation method for assessing the optimal distribution of O/C that includes these four criteria. Based on the analysis of these criteria, we make recommendations regarding the optimal distribution of O/C along the radius of the blast furnace.