Modeling of the Temperature Field of Air Tuyeres in the Blast Furnaces with Thermal Insulation of the Nose Portion

The computer modeling of the dynamics of heating of the nose part of an air tuyere of a blast-furnace is performed with the help of the DEFORM-2D computational environment for finite-element analysis. We investigate the influence of the thickness of heat insulation mounted at the end of the nose portion inside the annular flange on the temperature field. The results of modeling demonstrate that the temperature of the copper flange guaranteeing the protection of heat insulation in the course of transportation of the tuyere and its installation in the furnace does not exceed the temperature permissible for copper. The heat insulation of the end of the nose portion of the tuyere decreases the temperature of its heating, which guarantees a decrease in the heat losses caused by water cooling the tuyere. The increase in the thickness of heat insulation from 10 to 20 mm insignificantly affects the temperature of the end face of the nose under the insulation and, hence, in choosing the thickness of heat insulation, it is necessary to analyze its strength characteristics and the conditions of cooling of the nose part. The possible destruction of heat insulation does not lead to failure of the tuyere.