Jiangsu Huahai Measurement & Control's 350 Electromagnetic Flowmeters Boost Guangxi Chiji Iron and Steel's High-Quality Project, Comprehensively Empowering Precise and Green Production of Blast Furnace Systems
Case Details
1.Customer
Guangxi Chiji Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. has a registered capital of 30 billion. Its three blast furnaces were put into production in March 2023, and the plan for these three furnaces originated from the company’s High-Quality and Efficient Steel Production Project (Project Code: 2020-450422-31-03-002799).
Guangxi Chiji Iron and Steel
This initiative is situated in the Wuzhou Metallurgical New Materials Industrial Base, which is part of the Wuzhou Port Economic Zone. It also serves as a key component of Guangxi’s efforts to build a modern iron and steel industrial system.
The project boasts a comprehensive annual production capacity, including 10.7775 million tons of sinter ore, 5.253 million tons of pig iron, and 4.8 million tons of steel. At its core are three 2060 m³blast furnaces (the main ironmaking units)—these facilities are key to defining the project’s overall competitiveness, particularly when it comes to operational precision and energy efficiency.
2. Challenge
Water is utilized to cool the tuyeres that inject air into the blast furnace. To identify the presence of a leak in the cooling circuit, the cooling water flow at the inlet and outlet of the cooling circuits is monitored—any leak will be indicated by a difference between the two flows. Therefore, the flow measurement must be highly accurate to quickly detect a leak, and reliable to prevent unnecessary alarms and shutdowns.
A leak in the cooling water circuit modifies the dynamics of the cooling system, affecting the reactions inside the furnace and reducing the furnace’s performance and efficiency. If the leak is not detected in a timely fashion and water enters the furnace, hydrogen will be produced. This leads to dangerous safety conditions and causes erosion on the furnace walls and roof, resulting in repairs that are expensive and time-consuming.
Blast Furnace System
3.Solutions: Accurate and Reliable Measurement of Blast Furnace Cooling Water Flow
To achieve accurate and reliable blast furnace cooling water flow measurement, we adopted the following solution: Huahai’s Model 350 Magnetic Flowmeters have been installed on the tuyere cooling circuits, specifically to monitor the inlet and outlet water flow.
Huahai’s Model 350 Magnetic Flowmeters boast an accuracy of 0.2%—a level of precision that enables clear detection of flow differences between the inlet and outlet. This allows for timely identification of cooling circuit leaks, which in turn helps boost the furnace’s operational efficiency. More importantly, it prevents water from leaking into the furnace (a scenario that would generate hydrogen and cause erosion to the furnace walls and roof).
To date, the blast furnace has operated smoothly for two years. This consistent performance serves as direct proof of the reliable quality of Huahai’s Magnetic Flowmeters.
