Thermic Lance is commonly used in steel mills or construction sites because of its small size and proven capability to cut thick and large pieces of steel scraps by producing a high temperature of up to 3,000oC ~ 4,000oC.
However, powerful cutting is not everything when it comes to the features of this product. Thermic Lance can also be utilized for other purposes in Blast Furnace Steel Mills. Do you know everything there is to know about Thermic Lance applications in Blast Furnace Steel Mills?
In this article, let's explore several circumstances where we can utilize this little but multi-purpose oxygen lance pipe.
What is Blast Furnace?
Blast Furnace, often called BF, is a type of metallurgical furnace used in the steel mill to produce pig iron from iron ore.
As its name suggests, Blast Furnace works by blasting a combination of natural resources including iron ore, coke, or limestone from the top to the bottom and using 1,200oC hot air pressured from both sides of the vertical shaft to heat the materials inside the furnace into small pieces.
Under the hot air flow and chemical reaction within the furnace, molten slag and molten iron will then be created and transferred to the steel manufacturing factory for the next phase of steelmaking.
As can be seen from the picture above, the operation of Blast Furnace in the course of processing materials for steelmaking involves a number of time-consuming and dangerous procedures. Some of the challenges include opening the tap hole, removing slags stuck in the mechanical equipment, and cleaning slags on the ground, where the participation of Thermic Lance can be of great use.
If you're still curious about exactly what benefits that Thermic Lance may offer to the practical operation of Blast Furnace Steel Mills, just scroll down to the following section to find out.
Read More: Introduction of Thermic Lance
Practical Use | Open the Tap Hole
Opening the tap hole is one of the most dangerous activities in Blast Furnace.
Exposure to high temperature in the tap hole of Blast Furnace can cause heatstroke or eye burn, which can seriously lead to unexpected accidents or lasting damage to the workers.
To achieve a safe and efficient tap hole opening, instead of using tools requiring great human efforts, Thermic Lance - with a light weight, extended length, and heat resistant capability up to 4,000oC higher than the melting point of most metals - can be employed to keep the workers from a suitable distance while still ensuring the procedure being done completely.
Read More: Melting Point - Why It Matters So Much in Metal Cutting!?
Practical Use | Remove Slags in Mechanical Equipment
The accumulation of solidified slag trapped in mechanical equipment such as ladle cars or tundish nozzles in continuous casting equipment after the ironmaking process comes to an end can deteriorate operating performance over time. In the worst cases where the equipment is damaged to the point that repair and maintenance costs are too expensive, we even have to buy a new one. And this is what nobody will expect to experience in the steel production process.
To take advance measures against the formation of slag multiplying uncontrollably, we can use Thermic Lance to melt down the slag situated in every corner of mechanical equipment by heating one end of Thermic Lance to a temperature above the slag melting point of around 1,780oC.
The distinguishing feature of Thermic Lance which makes it stand out and overcome the drawbacks of other products is that only a small flame from the heating source could enable the ignition to take place in a very short time.
Save the time. Lessen the effort. If you're thinking about embracing change in the steelmaking process at your Blast Furnace Steel Mill, Thermic Lance is an innovation that could surprise you!
Read More: 3 Ways To Remove Slag Stuck in Steel Product
Practical Use | Clean Slags on the Floor
As can be seen from the diagram above, after the process of manufacturing scrap materials for steels in Blast Furnace is completed, molten slag will be transported by a railway slag car or a ladle car to a different mechanical machine such as a ladle turret, an oxygen steelmaking furnace, or a casting machine, then will eventually arrive at the rolling mill.
During transportation, minor portions of molten slag may spill over the floor unrecognized. Subsequently, at normal temperature, molten slag in the form of hot liquid will slowly solidify and resist getting off the floor, forcing the workers to work harder to clean it up.
This time, similar to the application of removing slags from mechanical equipment, spillage cleaning on the floor of Blast Furnace Steel Mills can also be performed using the same technology of blowing oxygen into Thermic Lance and burning slags at high temperatures.
Conclusion
To conclude, we have highlighted the overall process of operating activities in Blast Furnace Steel Mills and introduced the usage of Thermic Lance for each unique stage.
When performing operations with Thermic Lance, high temperature combustion and fast ignition are critical factors that enhance the productivity and efficiency of the activities that we suggest such as tap hole opening, slag removing or spillage cleaning.
Another tip to make best use of this oxygen lance pipe is to connect two or three pipes of Thermic Lance using thread or socket to complete the job. In this way, the length of pipe will be further extended then you can use Thermic Lance to reach the farthest areas as much as you want.
Above is just the recommended applications to use Thermic Lance in Blast Furnace Steel Mills from Daiwa Lance. You can come up with more ideas yourself by understanding the properties of Thermic Lance and apply it for your production process.
If you are interested in the product or want to get more consultation from Daiwa Lance, please contact us via info@daiwalance.com.vn or download the catalogue below to get product specifications.
