As a core piece of equipment in metallurgy, unplanned shutdowns of blast furnace often result in huge losses. Effectively avoiding downtime has become crucial for enhancing core competitiveness.
1.Operating characteristics and loss mechanisms of blast furnaces
Blast furnaces are core equipment in non-ferrous metal smelting. Its furnace lining has long been subjected to multiple effects such as high temperature, mechanical erosion and chemical corrosion.
Due to the extreme operating environment of blast furnaces, refractory bricks in parts such as the hearth and belly of the furnace will gradually experience problems such as hot surface spalling and carbon deposition and penetration.
Therefore, the furnace lining, especially the inner layer of high-alumina bricks or carbon bricks, is the first line of defense against these erosions. Its wear and tear directly affects the overall lifespan of the furnace.
Once the furnace lining is damaged, unplanned shutdowns will be inevitable. The resulting losses far exceeded the price of the blast furnace itself.
Compared to other intermittently operating kilns, blast furnaces have higher requirements for continuous production. Therefore, its downtime issues are particularly prominent.
2.Predictive maintenance: From reactive repair to proactive management
Traditional maintenance methods are mostly reactive, meaning that repairs are only carried out after a fault occurs. This method is inefficient and extremely risky.
Predictive maintenance, on the other hand, is a completely new proactive management strategy. It continuously monitors data such as temperature, pressure, and furnace lining thickness by installing sensors in key parts of the furnace body, and uses data analysis models to assess the health status of refractory bricks in real time.
When the system predicts that the refractory materials in a certain area are about to reach their service life limit, it will issue an early warning. This allows managers to schedule maintenance windows in a planned manner, thereby avoiding sudden downtime accidents.
3.Comprehensive consideration of economic efficiency and material selection
Predictive maintenance can significantly extend the overall service life, thus providing substantial comprehensive benefits.
A reasonable maintenance strategy should combine monitoring data with brick type selection. For example, carbon composite bricks with good resistance to molten iron penetration should be used at the bottom of the furnace, while the upper and middle parts of the furnace body should focus on resistance to alkali metal corrosion.
At the same time, the supplier’s technical service capabilities are equally crucial. Choosing a refractory brick supplier with data integration capabilities and experience in customized development will provide reliable support for the long-term operation of the blast furnace.
Henan Ruitai Lianxin Refractory Materials Co., Ltd. not only provides blast furnaces, but also industrial kilns such as reverberatory furnaces, converters, and electric arc furnaces. We also provide high-quality refractory materials such as corundum refractory bricks, high alumina bricks, magnesia series bricks, zirconia series bricks, insulation materials, refractory castables, and ramming mixes. Please feel free to contact us if you have any needs.
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