Contributions to the mathematical modelling and numerical simulation of some problems related to blast furnace ironmaking

Abstract

This thesis is divided into two parts wherein different mathematical methodologies are introduced to study relevant problems in the Blast Furnace (BF) ironmaking process. The scope of the first part is to analyse the thermo-hydrodynamical behaviour of the BF trough, with the primary motivation of providing valuable insights that allow to minimise the frequency of its repairs. A hierarchy of different mathematical models is proposed and numerically solved, with the aim of investigating several effects such as the influence of the tapping rates on the flow structures or the wall shear stress, as well as the impact that the tapping process stops have on the thermal response of the trough during a complete campaign cycle. In the second part, various techniques that allow to numerically assess the mechanical behaviour of the ceramic cup of the BF are introduced. One of them is shown to be mathematically equivalent to the classical periodic homogenisation, with the advantage of being conceptually simpler and easier to implement numerically. The performance of the proposed methodologies is illustrated with multiple numerical experiments.