Hybrid model for BOF oxygen blowing time prediction based on oxygen balance mechanism and deep neural network

The amount of oxygen blown into the converter is one of the key parameters for the control of the converter blowing process,which directly affects the tap-to-tap time of converter. In this study, a hybrid model based on oxygen balance mechanism (OBM) and deep neural network (DNN) was established for predicting oxygen blowing time in converter. A three-step method was utilized in the hybrid model. First, the oxygen consumption volume was predicted by the OBM model and DNN model, respectively. Second, a more accurate oxygen consumption volume was obtained by integrating the OBM model and DNN model. Finally, the converter oxygen blowing time was calculated according to the oxygen consumption volume and the oxygen supply intensity of each heat. The proposed hybrid model was verified using the actual data collected from an integrated steel plant in China, and compared with multiple linear regression model, OBM model, and neural network model including extreme learning machine, back propagation neural network, and DNN. The test results indicate that the hybrid model with a network structure of 3 hidden layer layers, 32-16-8 neurons per hidden layer, and 0.1 learning rate has the best prediction accuracy and stronger generalization ability compared with other models. The predicted hit ratio of oxygen consumption volume within the error±300 m^(3)is 96.67%;determination coefficient (R^(2)) and root mean square error (RMSE) are0.6984 and 150.03 m^(3), respectively. The oxygen blow time prediction hit ratio within the error±0.6 min is 89.50%;R2and RMSE are0.9486 and 0.3592 min, respectively. As a result, the proposed model can effectively predict the oxygen consumption volume and oxygen blowing time in the converter.

Prediction of lime utilization ratio of dephosphorization in BOF steelmaking based on online sequential extreme learning machine with forgetting mechanism

The machine learning models of multiple linear regression(MLR),support vector regression(SVR),and extreme learning ma-chine(ELM)and the proposed ELM models of online sequential ELM(OS-ELM)and OS-ELM with forgetting mechanism(FOS-ELM)are applied in the prediction of the lime utilization ratio of dephosphorization in the basic oxygen furnace steelmaking process.The ELM model exhibites the best performance compared with the models of MLR and SVR.OS-ELM and FOS-ELM are applied for sequential learning and model updating.The optimal number of samples in validity term of the FOS-ELM model is determined to be 1500,with the smallest population mean absolute relative error(MARE)value of 0.058226 for the population.The variable importance analysis reveals lime weight,initial P content,and hot metal weight as the most important variables for the lime utilization ratio.The lime utilization ratio increases with the decrease in lime weight and the increases in the initial P content and hot metal weight.A prediction system based on FOS-ELM is applied in actual industrial production for one month.The hit ratios of the predicted lime utilization ratio in the error ranges of±1%,±3%,and±5%are 61.16%,90.63%,and 94.11%,respectively.The coefficient of determination,MARE,and root mean square error are 0.8670,0.06823,and 1.4265,respectively.The system exhibits desirable performance for applications in actual industrial pro-duction.

A process model for BOF process based on bath mixing degree

The process model for BOF process can be applied to predict the liquid steel composition and bath temperature during the whole steelmaking process. On the basis of the traditional three-stage decarburization theory, the concept of mixing degree was put forward, which was used to indicate the effect of oxygen jet on decarburization. Furthermore, a more practical process model for BOF steelmaking was developed by analyzing the effect of silicon, manganese, oxygen injection rate, oxygen lance height, and bath temperature on decarburization. Process verification and end-point verification for the process model have been carried out, and the verification results show that the predic- tion accuracy of carbon content reaches 82.6% （the range of carbon content at the end-point is less than 0. 1wt%） and 85.7% （the range of carbon content at end-point is 0. 1wt% -0.7wt%） when the absolute error is less than 0.02wt% and 0.05wt%, respectively.

Technological progress in the production of pipeline steel at Baosteel

Baosteel started the production of pipeline steel in the early 1990s. The company has so far produced more than 4 Mt of API X42-X80 and hydrogen sulfide resistant X52-X65 steel. In 2006, it succeeded in producing X100 and X120 pipeline steels,which have been used in many important projects, such as the oil transporting project in the Tarim Basin, the pipeline project in Sudan,the West to East gas pipeline project,the Sino-Russian oil transporting project,etc. Baosteel has made great progress in the purity control of pipeline steel, the homogeneity control of slab composition and surface quality over the last ten years. The company has achieved this by improving its steelmaking equipment and operation management technology,and by integrating its process technology. The phosphorus and sulfur levels of the pipeline steel have been decreased to 50 ppm and 12 ppm respectively （1 ppm = 10-6）.

HMPT-BOF-RH-CSP process for SPHE substrate of cold rolled deep drawing steel

Based on hot metal pretreatment （HMPT）-basic oxygen furnace （BOF）-Rheinstahl Heraeus （RH）-compact strip production （CSP） process, parameters controlling on cold rolling deep drawing substrate SPHE were investigated during smelting and rolling process by composition design and technology control. The influence of parameters on chemical compositions, mechanical properties and microstructure was revealed by scanning electron microscope （SEM）. The results show that, 1） main chemical components in SPHE are w（C）_〈40×10^-6, w（Si）_〈 0.01%, w（S）_〈0.009%, w（N）〈20×10^-6, w（O）〈_ 25×10^-6; 2） main mechanical properties of the SPHE are Crs=274 MPa, 00=334 MPa, A=48.9%; 3） main performances of deep drawing quality （DDQ） grade steel produced by SPHE are as follows, transversely crs=167 MPa, 00=298 MPa, n=0.219, r=2.46; vertically σs=166 MPa, 00=298 MPa, n=0.226, r=2.39; in 45° direction σ=171 MPa, 00=308 MPa, n=0.214, t=2.26; 4） microstrueture of DDQ is ferrite, average grain size is Grade 7.5, and inclusion size is 3-10μm.

Application of variable-filtrating technique on fuzzy-reasoning neural network system predicting BOF end-point carbon content

Artificial intelligence techniques have been used to predict basic oxygen furnace(BOF) end-points. However,the main challenge is to effectively reduce the input nodes as too many input nodes in neural network increase complexity,decrease accuracy and slow down the training speed of the network.Simply picking-up variables as input usually influence validity of model.It is quite necessary to develop an effective method to reduce the number of input nodes whereby to simplify the network and improve model performance.In this study,a variable-filtrating technique combining both metallurgical mechanism model and partial least-squares(PLS ) regression method has been proposed by taking the advantages of both of them,i.e.qualitive and quantative relationships between variables respectively.Accordingly,a fuzzy-reasoning neural network(FNN) prediction model for basic oxygen furnace(BOF) end-point carbon content based on this technique has been developed.The prediction results showed that this model can effectively improve the hit rate of end-point carbon content and increase network training speed.The successful hit rate of the model can reach up to 94.12%with about 0.02% error range.

Numerical Analysis of Slag Splashing in a Steelmaking Converter

Some variables that influence the slag splashing phenomenon in an oxygen steelmaking converter are numerically analyzed in this work. The effect of lance height, jet velocity, jet exit angle and slag viscosity on the washing and ejection mechanisms of slag splashing is studied employing transient two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulations. A parameter here called average slag volume fraction is proposed for the quantitative evaluation of the slag splashing efficiency. Besides, a qualitative comparison is made between the computational fluid dynamics results and physical model results from literature.

Numerical investigation of basic oxygen furnace slag modification with gas bottom-blowing and SiO_(2) modifier

To avoid the volume expansion of basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag for use in building materials, a hot slag modification process was proposed to reduce free CaO (f-CaO) in the molten slag. A transient 3D numerical model of BOF molten slag modification by SiO_(2) particles was established. The flow and heat transfer of molten slag, movement and dissolution of the modifier, and concentration distribution of f-CaO in slag during the modification of BOF were studied. The distribution of f-CaO concentration is inhomogeneous all over the molten slag. The mixing effect at the slag surface is weaker than that at the half-height plane of the slag. To consume the f-CaO below 2.0 wt.% in the slag, the optimum quantity of the SiO_(2) modifier is 10.0% of the mass of the slag. The fine SiO_(2) particles help attain a lower final mass fraction of f-CaO and a higher SiO_(2) utilization ratio.

Multi-process production occurs in the iron and steel industry,supporting‘dual carbon'target:An in-depth study of CO_(2)emissions from different processes

Reducing CO_(2)emissions of the iron and steel industry,a typical heavy CO_(2)-emitting sector is the only way that must be passed to achieve the‘dual-carbon’goal,especially in China.In previous studies,however,it is still unknown what is the difference between blast furnace basic oxygen furnace(BF-BOF),scrap-electric furnace(scrap-EF)and hydrogen metallurgy process.The quantitative research on the key factors affecting CO_(2)emissions is insufficient There is also a lack of research on the prediction of CO_(2)emissions by adjusting industria structure.Based on material flow analysis,this study establishes carbon flow diagrams o three processes,and then analyze the key factors affecting CO_(2)emissions.CO_(2)emissions of the iron and steel industry in the future is predicted by adjusting industrial structure The results show that:(1)The CO_(2)emissions of BF-BOF,scrap-EF and hydrogen metallurgy process in a site are 1417.26,542.93 and 1166.52 kg,respectively.(2)By increasing pellet ratio in blast furnace,scrap ratio in electric furnace,etc.,can effectively reduce CO_(2)emissions(3)Reducing the crude steel output is the most effective CO_(2)reduction measure.There is still 5.15×10^(8)-6.17×10^(8) tons of CO_(2)that needs to be reduced by additional measures.

Reduction Behavior of Sinter Based on Top Gas Recycling-Oxygen Blast Furnace

In order to explore the behavior laws of sinter reduction in TGR-OBF ( top gas recycling-oxygen blast furnace ), reduction experiments of sinter have been conducted by thermal balance mass loss method with different atmospheres , temperatures and volume flows.The changes of RI ( reduction degree of Fe 2 O 3 ), RI′ ( reduction rate of Fe 2 O 3 ) and r ( reduction degree of FeO ) have been examined.The results show that the reduction of sinter was significantly improved under TGR-OBF atmosphere , and the RIand r were measured up to 98.2%and 97.8%at 900℃ respectively.With increasing of the reduction temperature , the reduction of sinter speeded up greatly , and the reduction time-duration shortened from 117min at 900 ℃ to 63min at 1 100 ℃.Moreover , the reduction of sinter enhanced with increasing of the reductive gas flow.When the flow increased from 10to 15L / min , the initial reduction rate of sinter increased from 2.47% / min to 3.73% / min.While increasing H2and CO contents in the reductive atmosphere , the reduction of sinter was promoted.Besides , H 2 influenced more evidently than CO to the reduction of sinter , especially in the later stage of the reduction process , for instance , the reduction of wustite will be improved enormously when increasing the H2content in the reductive atmosphere.

Softening and Melting Behavior of Mixed Burden for Oxygen Blast Furnace

The behaviors of mixed burden in the cohesive zone of oxygen blast furnace were studied by softening and melting tests, and the influence of reducing gas and burden basicity on the softening and melting behaviors of mixed burden was also investigated. The results indicated that the softening range became wide, however, the melting range narrowed sharply in the atmosphere of oxygen blast furnace. The permeability of burden in the oxygen blast furnace was obviously improved comparing with the conventional blast furnace. In addition, the content of sulphur in the dripping iron of oxygen blast furnace was much lower than that of conventional blast furnace, however, the content of carbon increased. An optimum basicity of burden, which could lead to the appearance of the narrower melting range and better permeability of burden, was obtained in the atmosphere of oxygen blast furnace.

Softening and Melting Behavior of Ferrous Burden under Simulated Oxygen Blast Furnace Condition

The softening and melting behavior of sinter, pellet and mixed burden was researched through high tem- perature reaction tests under load simulating traditional blast furnace （T-BF） and oxygen blast furnace （OBF） condi- tions. The results indicated that compared with T-BF, the softening zone of sinter and pellet became wide, but the melting zone became narrow in OBF. The permeabilities of both sinter and pellet were improved in OBF. Under the condition of OBF, the temperature of softening zone of mixed burden was increased by 63 K, but the temperature of melting zone was decreased by 76 K. Therefore, the permeability of material layer was significantly improved. This was mainly caused by the change of the melting behavior of pellet. In addition, the quality Of dripping iron in OBF was much better than that of T-BF.

Steel scrap melting model for a dephosphorisation basic oxygen furnace

Dephosphorisation basic oxygen furnaces (deP-BOFs) greatly differ from conventional BOFs in the melting process, especially its many limits on adding scrap. A mathematical model of the steel scrap melting process was established in MATLAB to investigate the mechanism of scrap melting in deP-BOF in terms of coupling effects of the carbon content of the molten steel, temperature, scrap preheating and converter blowing time on the melting rate and size of the steel scraps. The scrap melting rate was influenced by both the heat and mass transfer during the melting process: at 1350℃, when the carbon content was increased from 4.5 to 5.0 mass%, the scrap melting rate increased by 43%;for the carbon content of 4.5 mass%, when the temperature was increased from 1350 to 1400℃, the scrap melting rate increased by 60%. The carbonisation was found to be the restrictive step of the scrap melting process in deP-BOFs with respect to conventional ones. The scrap heating from room temperature to 800℃ reduced the crusting thickness on the scrap surface but there was no obvious influence on the melting rate. The scrap melting size in the deP-BOF was rather limited by its low melting rate and short melting time.

Reduction Behavior of Pellet under Simulated Oxygen Blast Furnace Condition

The reduction behavior of pellet was researched through the programming apparatus under simulated con- ditions of oxygen blast furnace （OBF） and traditional blast furnace （T-BF）. The results indicated that compared with traditional blast furnace, the reduction starting temperature of pellet decreased by 60 ℃ under oxygen blast furnace condition. The reduction degree of pellet could almost reach 100% under oxygen blast furnace condition when the temperature reached 1100 ℃, whereas it was only 82.49% in traditional blast furnace. The content of carbon in pel- let of oxygen blast furnace was about 5 times more than that of traditional blast furnace. In addition, the microstruc- ture at the periphery and core of pellets after reaction was characterized by means of SEM and EDS.

Removal kinetics of phosphorus from synthetic wastewater using basic oxygen furnace slag

Removal kinetics of phosphorus through use of basic oxygen furnace slag（BOF-slag）was investigated through batch experiments. Effects of several parameters such as initial phosphorus concentration, temperature, BOF-slag size, initial p H, and BOF-slag dosage on phosphorus removal kinetics were measured in detail. It was demonstrated that the removal process of phosphorus through BOF-slag followed pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics. The apparent rate constant（kobs） significantly decreased with increasing initial phosphorus concentration, BOF-slag size, and initial p H, whereas it exhibited an opposite trend with increasing reaction temperature and BOF-slag dosage.A linear dependence of kobson total removed phosphorus（TRP） was established with kobs=（3.51 ± 0.11） × 10^-4× TRP. Finally, it was suggested that the Langmuir–Rideal（L–R）or Langmuir–Hinshelwood（L–H） mechanism may be used to describe the removal process of phosphorus using BOF-slag.

Dephosphorization stability of hot metal by double slag operation in basic oxygen furnace

Double slag process was adopted to produce low-phosphorus steel from middle-phosphorus hot metal.To achieve a stable dephosphorization operation,conventional process was modified as follows：the blowing time was extended by approximately 1min by reducing the oxygen supply flow rate;calcium ferrite pellets were added to adjust the slag composition and viscosity;the dumping temperature was lowered by 30-50°C by the addition of calcium ferrite pellets during the double slag process to prevent phosphorus in the slag from returning to the molten steel;and the bottom-blown gas flow was increased during the blowing process.For 40 heats of comparative experiments,the rate of dephosphorization reached 91% and ranged between 87% and 95%;the phosphorus,sulfur,manganese,and oxygen contents calculated according to the compositions of molten steel and slag as well as the temperature of molten steel at the end-point of the basic oxygen furnace process were similar to the equilibrium values for the reaction between the slag and the steel.Less free calcium oxide and metallic iron were present in the final slag,and the surface of the slag mineral phase was smooth,clear,and well developed,which showed that the slag exhibited better melting effects than that produced using the conventional slag process.A steady phosphorus capacity in the slag and stable dephosphorization effects were achieved.

Kinetics and mechanism of hexavalent chromium removal by basic oxygen furnace slag

Basic oxygen furnace slag（BOFS） has the potential to remove hexavalent chromium（Cr（VI））from wastewater by a redox process due to the presence of minerals containing Fe2＋. The effects of the solution p H, initial Cr（VI） concentration, BOFS dosage, BOFS particle size, and temperature on the removal of Cr（VI） was investigated in detail through batch tests. The chemical and mineral compositions of fresh and reacted BOFS were characterized using scanning electron microscope（SEM） equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer（EDS）system and X-ray diffractometer（XRD）. The results show that Cr（VI） in wastewater can be efficiently removed by Fe2＋released from BOFS under appropriate acidic conditions. The removal of Cr（VI） by BOFS significantly depended on the parameters mentioned above. The reaction of Cr（VI） with BOFS followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Fe2＋responsible for Cr（VI） removal was primarily derived from the dissolution of Fe O and Fe3O4 in BOFS. When H2SO4 was used to adjust the solution acidity, gypsum（Ca SO4·2H2O）could be formed and become an armoring precipitate layer on the BOFS surface, hindering the release of Fe2＋and the removal of Cr（VI）. Finally, the main mechanism of Cr（VI） removal by BOFS was described using several consecutive reaction steps.

Strength Activity Index of Air Quenched Basic Oxygen Furnace Steel Slag

Air quenched basic oxygen furnace steel slag （BOF-SS） is processed at very high cooling rate, which is expected to have different cementitious properties from conventional slowly cooled BOF-SS. For this purpose, the strength activity indexes of air quenched and slowly cooled BOF-SS are investigated. The results reveal that, under the specific surface area （S） of 490 m^2/kg, the compressive strength activity index reaches 1.24 after 28 days with replacement of 15% air quenched BOF-SS and reaches 1.05 after 28 days with replacement of 20% air quenched BOF-SS and 30%granulated blast furnace slag （GBFS）. The cementitious activity of air quenched BOF-SS is obviously higher than that of slowly cooled BOF-SS, mainly because it contains more C3 S and glassy phases.

Medium oxygen enriched blast furnace with top gas recycling strategy

Top gas recycling oxygen blast furnace（TGR-OBF）process is a promising ironmaking process.The biggest challenge of the TGR-OBF in operation is the dramatic decrease of top gas volume（per ton hot metal）,which once led to hanging-up and shutdowns in practice of the Toulachermet.In order to avoid this weakness,the strategy of medium oxygen blast furnace was presented.The maneuverable zone of the TGR-OBF was determined by the top gas volume,which should not be far from the data of the traditional blast furnace.The deviation of ±12.5% was used,and then the maneuverable blast oxygen content is from 0.30 to 0.47 according to the calculation.The flame temperature and the top gas volume have no much difference compared to those of the traditional blast furnace.The minimum carbon consumption of 357 kg per ton hot metal in the maneuverable zone occurs at the oxygen content of 0.30（fuel saving of 14%）.In the unsteady evolution,the N2 accumulation could approach nearly zero after the recycling reached 6 times.Thus far,some TGR-OBF industrial trials have been carried out in different countries,but the method of medium oxygen enriched TGR-OBF has not been implemented,because the accumulation of N2 was worried about.The presented strategy of medium oxygen enriched TGR-OBF is applicable and the strategy with good operational performance is strongly suggested as a forerunner of the full oxygen blast furnace.

Analysis of gas-solid flow and shaft-injected gas distribution in an oxygen blast furnace using a discrete element method and computational fluid dynamics coupled model

lronmaking using an oxygen blast furnace is an attractive approach for reducing energy consumption in the iron and steel industry. This paper presents a numerical study of gas-solid flow in an oxygen blast fur- nace by coupling the discrete element method with computational fluid dynamics. The model reliability was verified by previous experimental results. The influences of particle diameter, shaft tuyere size, and specific ratio （X） of shaft-injected gas （51G） flowrate to total gas flowrate on the SIC penetration behavior and pressure field in the furnace were investigated. The results showed that gas penetration capacity in the furnace gradually decreased as the particle diameter decreased from 100 to 40 mm. Decreasing particle diameter and increasing shaft tuyere size both slightly increased the SIG concentration near the furnace wall but decreased it at the furnace center. The value of X has a significant impact on the SIG distribution. According to the pressure fields obtained under different conditions, the key factor affecting SIG penetration depth is the pressure difference between the upper and lower levels of the shaft tuyere. If the pressure difference is small, the SIG can easily penetrate to the furnace center.