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2021 Copper Staves
2021 Copper Staves
2021 Copper Staves
[EN]
Table of contents
KME 2
Copper staves - advanced cooling technology 4
Blast furnace cooling 6
Cooling elements 8
Skull formation 9
Furnace revamping 10
Increased working volume 11
Advanced stave engineering 12
Improved "flanged" joint design 13
Copper stave manufacturing 14
Product range and materials 15
Advantages of hot wrought 17
structure copper stave
KME‘s corporate goal is to develop and manufacture products that meet customer
demands, supporting them in finding solutions for their specific applications,
and providing services as a long-term partner.
KME’s strategy for accomplishing this goal is based on a highly skilled and
experienced workforce. KME has the capacity for inventing and developing new
materials and innovative production processes, which KME sustains by ongoing
advancement and training of its employees as well as the continual improvement
of its organisational structures.
Stack
Bosh
Tuyere level
Hearth
Upper stack
Middle stack
Lower stack
Belly
Bosh
Tuyere level
Hearth
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Hours (h)
Although the specific zone and the magnitude of peak heat loads
can vary significantly between furnaces, the belly and lower stack
region usually encounter the highest heat fluctuations [see Fig.
shown above]. The area in which the highest heat load is experienced
is closely related to the position and shape of the cohesive zone and
specific charging pattern of the furnace. The main cause of high heat
fluctuations is irregular high velocity gas jets venting toward the
furnace walls through coke slits in the burden. High-performance
cooling systems are needed to ensure that the operational process
runs smoothly even when under such stress.
With more than 11,000 units produced, KME copper staves have
proven to be a reliable and effective solution also in the high loaded
zones of the blast furnaces.
The theory that the high thermal conductivity of copper would lead
to an increased dissipation of process heat has been disproved.
The high conductivity of copper results in low surface temperatures
and a rapid formation of a thin layer that reduces the heat removal
from the furnace. Recent results have shown that the level of heat
removed from the furnace is even lower than experienced with cast
iron staves.
Burden composition and quality have been Cast iron staves have a lower cooling efficiency
observed to significantly affect heat loads and heat compared to copper staves due to the relatively
fluctuations. Blast furnace burden with more than low conductivity of cast iron and the presence of
70 % sinter can result in peak loads of 100,000 to an insulating layer. This layer results in a thermal
200,000 W/m2. While burden with a high percent- barrier between the water-cooled tube and cast
age of pellets or lump can generate peak heat iron stave body reducing the heat transfer.
loads of over 400,000 W/m2. Depending on the
expected heat load, different cooling elements Inefficient heat transfer results in a significantly
have to be applied (see table below). higher hot face temperature of the cast iron stave
(over 700 °C) and subsequent thermal deforma-
tion of the cast iron stave. The cast iron body
also experiences phase volume transformation at
elevated temperatures, resulting in fatigue crack-
ing, loss of stave body material and exposure of
steel cooling pipes directly to the furnace heat.
Table: Overview of different cooling and refractory designs with their maximum peak heat load capabilities
Thicker cast iron staves with multiple cooling water circuits 200,000 W/m2
Plate cooler (closer spacing 300 mm), closer spacing with special refractories 400,000 W/m2
It must be emphasised that these peak thermal load is the primary determining factor
for the long-term survival of the furnace lining or cooling staves.
This skull is composed of condensed vapours, Thus the lining and cooling design should ide-
solidified slag and metal that attaches the cooling ally be able to handle such heat loads to avoid
element surface by splashing, dripping and free- premature failures. Detailed investigations
zing onto it. The thickness can vary by up to have revealed that the higher the cooling effi-
20 mm. The stability of the skull mainly depends ciency of the cooling element, the more stable
on the cooling capacity and mechanical adherence the skull and the longer it will adhere to the
ability of the cooling element to which it adheres. cooling element and retain its insulating and
The severity of gas streaming at the wall will also protective properties.
affect skull retention. The skull is a natural insula-
tor if metallic content is low. The outcome is that highly efficient cooling
systems will usually result in lower overall heat
During periods of extreme heat load (i.e. high tem- losses from the furnace.
perature gas jets or process upsets) the skull may
spall off, then build up again afterwards. The falling
and building up of skulls causes significant fluctua
tions in heat loads on the furnace wall with peak
loads in the range of 300,000 to 500,000 W/m2.
As most modern integrated steel plants have a 1. Partial replacement of cast iron staves
minimum number of large blast furnaces in opera- Copper staves are used in high heat load zones
tion, blast furnace availability has become an where cast iron staves do not reach the desired
important factor for achieving production targets. life-time. The existing shell can be used because
Consequently, intermediate repair and revamping the staves can be engineered to match the existing
times must be kept to a minimum. openings in the shell. If the design of the furnace is
to be changed, copper staves can be designed with
KME staves achieve very high life-times due to larger dimensions so as to reduce the number of
their good thermal and crystallisation properties. cooling water openings.
Experience to date has shown that it is possible
to achieve a campaign life of over 15 years. This 2. Replacing plate-cooler design
means that the costs related to furnace downtimes with copper staves
and maintenance work can be reduced signifi- The main reason for this replacement strategy
cantly compared to conventional coolers. is a reduction of downtime due to the improved
lifetime of copper staves. Furthermore, an increase
Revamping strategies in the working volume can be achieved. Project
When determining the most suitable relining costs may increase but the refractory costs for
program, downtime and reline costs must be copper stave design compared to plate cooler
considered along with the consequences for design are substantially less.
the lining and cooling design.
Copper stave installation will save as a result
There are a number of possibilities available for significant downtime and field labour which
converting existing furnaces to copper stave tech- results in future savings.
nology. They need to be adapted to the specific
needs of the individual customer’s project. Some
of the typical procedures involved in replacing the
cooling elements are:
When copper staves are installed, an increase of working volume of up to 20 % can be achieved using the
existing shell, due to the reduced lining thickness. The working volume increase will contribute to
– increased production
– lower wall stresses
– increased campaign life
Thicker cast iron staves with multiple cooling water circuits 450 – 600
Plate cooler (closer spacing 300 mm, with special refractories) 450 – 550
To help our customers determine the right type of The services that are available for determining the
stave design for them, KME also provides services most appropriate cooling ducts and the matching
in the concept and project settlement phases as cooling effects of the staves are especially suited
part of KME’s advanced stave engineering. to converting cast iron staves to copper staves in
the blast furnace.
Since the copper staves supplied by KME are so
varied and extensive in number, a customised solu- As part of its service package, KME also helps to
tion can be found for each individual application. determine the losses of pressure that will occur in
the cooling system of the staves. Moreover, KME
Having established the basic engineering of the will also assist customers in selecting the right
staves, FEM calculation programs are then used compensators for installing the copper staves in
to determine the number and progression of the the blast furnace.
cooling bores in KME’s copper staves. In this way,
it is possible to apply simulation calculations to KME engineers and technicians provide their
compute the impact of various cooling scenarios services as part of KME's customer service.
on the emerging temperature load of the staves
and deduce the deformations arising from this.
As a result, it is possible to pinpoint the ideal
cooling effect for each individual application.
FEM calculation of the temperature distribution of copper staves under heat load.
The properties of the new design were assessed by Keeping in mind the proven reliability of the cur-
an endurance test of the assembly in comparison rent stave design it was a clear goal not to design
to the standard design. An independent institute a new stave, but to improve the current design.
simulated the thermally induced deformations of In the course of this systematic analysis of the
copper staves under operating conditions. The new optimization potentials an improved type of welded
design has proven that the number of cycles to joint between the stave body and cooling pipe has
fracture significantly increases. To be derived from been developed and extensively fatigue life tested.
this is a higher degree of safety against leaks at The advantage of this improvement is a stronger
the cooling tube – to stave joint during service and weld connection which would be more durable.
a higher safety against thermal overloads which The improved stave is assembled to the furnace
may cause early fatigue cracks. shell in the same manner as the current stave.
1.0
Displacment, Amplitude radial, mm
0.1
KME has hot and cold rolling systems for forming the material in Quality assurance
addition to systems for forging and heat treating the material. Supplying high-quality components is an essential prerequisite of
Special procedures and process sequences developed by KME our business that assures our customers smooth, trouble free plant
make it possible to produce various geometries while maintaining operation. To ensure that our customers only receive high-quality
the highest level of quality. components, all processes and operational procedures at KME are
certified in accordance with the DIN ISO 9000 series.
Melting
Casting
Gun drilling
Machining
Welding
Quality control
Stave dimensions*
Stave accessories
Stave types
Bent horizontal
Bent vertical
Connecting tubes
15
Stave accessories Stave material
Analysis Cu ≥ 99.9 % To achieve life time cycles of more than 15 years,
P ≤ 0.008 % the copper base material that is used must display
exceptional properties and a first-rate, homog-
O ≤ 0.005 %
enous crystallisation structure. At KME therefore,
Structure hot wrought
fine grained
only top-grade SE-Cu / Cu-HCP is used in copper
staves as it maintains its hot wrought structure
exactly as a result of the specifically designed
Physical Properties metal forming stages. Only when the structure
Electrical conductivity ≥ 55 S.m/Ω mm2 takes on this state it can be tested to ultrasonic
≈ 95 % IACS standard.
oC
Melting point 1083
Mechanical Properties*
16
Advantages of hot wrought structure copper stave
Material structure
– Equiaxed grains
Technological data
17
ENGINEERING
COPPER
SOLUTIONS
Further information:
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0320.000.0508
KME Special Products GmbH & Co. KG Engineered Products for Melting and Casting
P.O. Box 33 20 49023 Osnabrück Klosterstrasse 29 49074 Osnabrück GERMANY
T +49 541 321-3001 F +49 541 321-3005 info-mouldtubes@kme.com www.kme.com