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Integrating hot metal production and power generation in blast furnace operation provides substantial economic benefits if the blast furnace top gas is tailored to meet the needs for combined cycle power generation. These economic benefits are due to higher efficiency power generation using a gas turbine and heat recovery steam generator, along with the economy from greater coke replacement in the blast furnace. Integration also enables total carbon dioxide reductions via any one of three, increasingly aggressive strategies: - proper apportionment across the two value products of iron and power; - by the synergistic inclusion of CO2 capture before the power production step; or, - by inclusion of a 'water gas shift reactor' prior to CO2 removal. BF Plus thus meets both the economic and environmental drivers of the future. Controlling blast furnace top gas quality to the requirements of the gasturbine is key, and this can be achieved by balanced injection of fossil fuels along with oxygen enrichment of the hot blast. By M Lanyi(1), J Terrible(2), D Varney(3), R van Laar(4), R Vaynshteyn(5) & M Geerdes(6).
1BP Plus' is the name given by alliance collaborators Danieli Corns and Air Products to the integration of blast furnace (BF) ironmaking technology with high efficiency power production. It is seen as the next logical step in the evolution of blast furnace operation and application.
BF Plus recognises, and capitalises on the dual capabilities of the blast furnace: first as a producer of hot metal, and second, as a producer of a top-gas fuel which can be tailored for application in high-efficiency power production.
For highest efficiency power production, the blast furnace gas (BFG) may be used as a fuel in a gas-fired, combustion turbine, followed by recovery of exhaust thermal energy via a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) to drive steam turbines.
In BF Plus, changes are introduced to the ironmaking operation which result in lower-cost hot metal production while simultaneously tailoring the BFG for use as a fuel to achieve the highest efficiency power production via combined cycle.
The integrated BF Plus flowsheet also enables effective CO2 mitigation through any one of three increasingly aggressive strategies: the first being the simple and appropriate apportionment of CO2 emissions to the multiple products - specifically iron...