Abstract:
The blowpipe is an important part of the hot blast system of a blast furnace, where it directs the blast and injected fuels to the blast furnace, therefore inside of the furnace. It consists of a metal shell filled with refractory castable with heat resistance and a layer of thermal insulation between the refractory and the casing. Failures while in operation, the blowpipes usually generate great material damages, financial and great risk for the life of the operators, so the control and inspection of the structural and thermal integrity of the blowpipe is of great importance. Inspection in the blowpipe is performed in order to detect early hot spots that are indicative of structural failures in the blowpipe. Therefore, a numerical model of heat transfer was made, in order to analyze the conditions of the blowpipe to verify if, in normal conditions of operation, it maintains the thermal acceptance. The model showed satisfactory results, so when compared with the results of inspections on operating parts was obtained an error of about 8%