The Fundamentals of Liquid Flow Through A Reactive Packed Bed. A new and improved understanding of reactions that occur between liquids and coke in the lower zone of the blast furnace will enable ironmaking process optimization, and result in a significant reduction in carbon usage. This will decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The results will benefit metal refiners and associated support industries that utilize coal or coke in their process. Process optimization also helps to ensu ....The Fundamentals of Liquid Flow Through A Reactive Packed Bed. A new and improved understanding of reactions that occur between liquids and coke in the lower zone of the blast furnace will enable ironmaking process optimization, and result in a significant reduction in carbon usage. This will decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The results will benefit metal refiners and associated support industries that utilize coal or coke in their process. Process optimization also helps to ensure that Australia's vitally important steel industry remains internationally competitive, able to provide both quality steel for domestic and export markets and employment for thousands of Australians.Read moreRead less
Insoluble Oxide Product Formation and its Effect on Coke Dissolution in Liquid Iron. This investigation addresses the key issue of the effect of oxide formation on coke dissolution during ironmaking. A fundamental understanding of the nature of the oxide layer and its penetration by liquid metal is critical to the optimization of both traditional and new ironmaking technologies. The project will obtain kinetic data that will be used in process models to improve productivity, reduce coke consump ....Insoluble Oxide Product Formation and its Effect on Coke Dissolution in Liquid Iron. This investigation addresses the key issue of the effect of oxide formation on coke dissolution during ironmaking. A fundamental understanding of the nature of the oxide layer and its penetration by liquid metal is critical to the optimization of both traditional and new ironmaking technologies. The project will obtain kinetic data that will be used in process models to improve productivity, reduce coke consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This knowledge is particularly important for maintaining the competitiveness of Australian iron producers due to the high refractory oxide content of local coking coals.Read moreRead less
Model studies of transport and solidification phenomena in blast furnace hearth. Blast furnace ironmaking is a key operation in the steel industry which, with annual turnover around $11 billion, is a largest manufacturing sector in Australia. This project will generate computer models that can reliably describe the complicated multiphase flow and thermochemical processes in blast furnace hearth. The implementation of reliable computer models and the development of new understanding through the c ....Model studies of transport and solidification phenomena in blast furnace hearth. Blast furnace ironmaking is a key operation in the steel industry which, with annual turnover around $11 billion, is a largest manufacturing sector in Australia. This project will generate computer models that can reliably describe the complicated multiphase flow and thermochemical processes in blast furnace hearth. The implementation of reliable computer models and the development of new understanding through the conduct of this project should lead to long life campaigns, better operational control, decreased fuel consumption, improved productivity and reduced environmental impact. This, together with the proposed research training, is important to the development of Australia's competitive steel industry.Read moreRead less
Free Surface Instability and Gas Entrainment during Blast Furnace Drainage. Iron and Steelmaking operations have underpinned Australia's industry base for many years. To remain competitive in a global market BHP has undertaken considerable research and development to constantly improve process performance. An area of on-going concern is the unexpected release of gas during Blast Furnace drainage resulting in hazardous conditions for the operators and overall loss of production. This project aims ....Free Surface Instability and Gas Entrainment during Blast Furnace Drainage. Iron and Steelmaking operations have underpinned Australia's industry base for many years. To remain competitive in a global market BHP has undertaken considerable research and development to constantly improve process performance. An area of on-going concern is the unexpected release of gas during Blast Furnace drainage resulting in hazardous conditions for the operators and overall loss of production. This project aims to identify the causes of gas release and to devise operational strategies and design modifications to prevent this occurrence. Once implemented the outcomes of the research will be a more stable operation leading to increased production and less environmental emissions.Read moreRead less
Inter-metallic Inclusion Reduction in Continuous Metallic Coating. The ZINCALUMER coating process is a core business of BlueScope Steel. Operational and quality issues are being experienced due to inter-metallic particles in the liquid metal bath. The particles cause defects in the metal coating and agglomerate, resulting in periodic shutdowns to remove the dross. Both of these factors impact significantly on the profitability of the operation. In this project a new strategy is being investigate ....Inter-metallic Inclusion Reduction in Continuous Metallic Coating. The ZINCALUMER coating process is a core business of BlueScope Steel. Operational and quality issues are being experienced due to inter-metallic particles in the liquid metal bath. The particles cause defects in the metal coating and agglomerate, resulting in periodic shutdowns to remove the dross. Both of these factors impact significantly on the profitability of the operation. In this project a new strategy is being investigated, whereby the fluid mechanics and heat transfer mechanisms within the bath will allow inter-metallic particles to be continuously removed in the metal coating before they reach the critical size that adversely affects product quality. This will also reduce dross accumulation, thereby reducing shutdown time.Read moreRead less
Multiscale modelling of the transport phenomena of liquid iron and slag in ironmaking blast furnace. Blast furnace ironmaking is a key operation in the steel industry which, with an annual turnover around $11 billion, is a significant manufacturing sector in Australia. This project, focused on the behaviour of liquid iron and slag, can generate computer models that can reliably describe the complicated multiphase flow and thermochemical processes in the furnace. The implementation of the resulta ....Multiscale modelling of the transport phenomena of liquid iron and slag in ironmaking blast furnace. Blast furnace ironmaking is a key operation in the steel industry which, with an annual turnover around $11 billion, is a significant manufacturing sector in Australia. This project, focused on the behaviour of liquid iron and slag, can generate computer models that can reliably describe the complicated multiphase flow and thermochemical processes in the furnace. The implementation of the resultant models and the new understanding should lead to long life campaigns, better operational control, decreased fuel consumption, improved productivity and reduced environmental impact. This, together with the proposed research training, is important to the development of Australia's competitive steel industry.Read moreRead less