plant technology
A modern blast furnace can produce more than 1Mt/yr of slag. Slag granulation using water
sprays is now an established technology. It not only simplifies blast furnace casting floor
operations, but also provides an economic route for the production of a valuable raw material for
a host of industries.
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RAW MATERIALS AND IRONMAKING
` Side sprays 100m3/hr The entire granulation tank is lined with wear resistant
refractory as it is exposed to a highly turbulent and erosive
Under normal circumstances, 1,800m3/hr is used for mixture of water and slag sand. This mixture is transferred a
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r Fig 5 Slag granulation plant and dewatering system arrangements
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RAW MATERIALS AND IRONMAKING
Static dewatering silos These were developed more than r Fig 8 Dewatering silo charging unit
30 years ago and have been successfully operated at many
European and Asian plants. The higher investment cost and
footprint area are balanced by higher availability and lower the produced slag is possible. High temperature resistant
operation costs. Examples are shown in Figure 7. rubber is recommended for the belt material, as occasional
Three silos are required. As one is filled with the mixture high slag temperatures can occur.
of water and slag sand, the second is being drained, and Normally, the granulated slag can be stored in a vertical
the third is discharged by a vibrating screen to trucks or sand hopper with a clamshell lock-hopper discharge device.
a conveyor belt. The silos also act as a temporary storage However, in mild climates without major frost problems, it
unit. The water/slag mixture is charged to one of the silos can also be stored in simple stockpiles and reclaimed by
by a ‘revolving’ charging unit at the top of the silos (see front loaders or shovelled into trucks.
Figure 8). A fourth discharge line to enable bypassing of The size of the stockpiles could be made sufficiently
the silos when required, is also included. large, such that reclaiming can be done in day shifts only.
The silos include a vertical conical assembly of metallic Some measures must be taken at the conveyor discharge
screens. These are flushed each time the silo has been end, such as by rubber flaps, to prevent the discharged
drained and ensure that the screens remain clean and slag sand blowing away via wind or turbulence. The
efficient. The lifetime of the screens and dewatering plant advantage of storing the granulated slag on the ground is
is more than 20 years. that it naturally dewaters the slag pile over time. Since the
The recycling water temperature is reduced to less slag has very strong chemically binding properties, there
than 50°C by a series of cooling towers whose design is are hardly any contaminants in the drained water.
optimised to eliminate settlement of any fines. This lower
temperature also minimises sulphur emissions. CONCLUSIONS
This proven granulation process ensures economic Efficient blast furnace slag granulation contributes to low
granulation and produces valuable and consistent cost hot metal.
properties of the slag, as characterised by: Advantages of these systems can be summarised as:
` Glass content of the slag sand >98% ` Simple plant configuration with few moving parts
` Water content at discharge <12% ` No heavy crushing equipment required
` Size of slag sand: 98% <3mm ` Specially designed spray head produces uniform grain
` Plant availability >98% size (up to 3mm)
` H2S emission <5mg/Nm3³ ` Adjustable spray head produces slag sand of >98%
` SO2 emission <50mg/Nm3³ glass content
` Condensation tower eliminates H2S and SO2 emissions
Storage section The dewatered granulated material can ` Efficient cooling tower eliminates sand deposits and
MILLENNIUM STEEL 2014
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