The Theory of Cast Iron Processing

Major – Metallurgy

Specialisation – Ferrous metallurgy

Degree – Master

Course units:

• Requirements to raw materials (sinter, pellets, admixtures) and coke. Solving of optimisation problems when managing cast iron production operation. Up-to-date information technologies aiming to improve cast iron production by optimal distribution of a charge bed on the blast-furnace top.
• Application of numerical simulation of processes considering reactions in the blast furnace tuyere combustion zone and combustion zone conditions.
• Development and analysis of mathematical models of cast iron production processes based on the blast-furnace process patterns, including the models based on the heat capacity ratio of charge and gas flows, overall and regional heat balances.
• Multi-criteria optimisation problems in cast iron production aiming to ensure a smooth descent of charge with the maximum output and minimum coke rate.   
• Methodology of analysis and processing of information flows and information models: a study of the axial formation of cast iron and primary, intermediate and final slag in a blast furnace.  
• World resources of information about cast iron production processes. Analysis of a full cast iron production cycle.
• Cast iron types; slag quality features.
• Process analysis to choose lines, measures, and means of cast iron quality management.
• Guidelines for cast iron production development.  

Course contents:

• Forecasting of blast furnace performance under various conditions. Flushing and skull formation.
• Optimal mode of charging materials into a furnace by a conventional bell-top equipment, modern tray equipment, and new rotor equipment. 
• Calculations of unbalanced conditions of a blast-furnace melting process under conditions of a continuous material flow in a furnace; calculations of a leading role of charge and gas force interaction.
• Process management when the furnace performance to be limited.
• Techniques of thermodynamic calculations of carbon monoxide and hydrogen utilisation limits in iron oxides reduction, calculations of a degree of direct and indirect reduction of cast iron components.   
• Development of proposals on cast iron production improvement under industrial conditions (a study of Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works Group). Application of innovative techniques of solving problems on cast iron production.
• Representative cast iron production process ACS. Decision support systems. Development of proposals for technical regulations and standards on the blast-furnace process safety.
• Development of engineering facilities for cast iron production and slag treatment. Control of a cast iron production process in blast furnaces.

Activities:

• Teacher-led group activities in a classroom;
• Extracurricular self-study of the teacher’s assignments and tasks, including the use of educational facilities (obligatory);
• Office-hours.

Total – 216 hours

Total points – 6

Laboratory classes - none

Midterm assessment - examination