Analysis of the burden descending behavior in an enlarged shaft furnace for ferro-coke production by DEM

With the aim to decrease the reducing agent rate in blast furnace, the use of ferro coke containing metallic iron as a catalyst was proposed. This new burden material is expected to lower thermal reserve zone temperature. For the production of ferro coke, the use of a vertical coke oven is examined to realize the optimum carbonizing process. In this type of the oven, the burden materials have a distribution in residence time due to the friction effect on the wall and the interaction between the burdens. It has a great infuence on the properties and quality of the ferro coke. Increasing the size of the vertical coke oven is essential for producing a large amount of ferro coke effciency with stable quality. In this study, the burden descending behavior in an enlarged vertical coke oven was calculated by Discrete Element Method (DEM). The effects of the shape of the discharging part and the discharging method on the residence time of the burden were analyzed based on the calculated results. In addition, considering the reinforcement of the enlarged coke oven, the burden descending behavior in the vertical coke oven with reinforcing horizontal beam inside was also examined. The calculation results showed that distribution variation in the residence time could be decreased by increase in the size of the vertical coke oven. Furthermore, the results showed the possibility of controlling the residence time by controlling the discharge method.