Abstract

ESSACK, S.. SlagFlo^TM: Modulating the flow in the tap-hole. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. [online]. 2016, vol.116, n.1, pp.23-26. ISSN 2411-9717.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/2016/v116n1a4.

Tenova Pyromet's SlagFlo^TM control valve is designed to throttle the flow of molten slag in order to control the tapping rate. In addition, the SlagFlo^TM valve has proved to be a reliable tool for remotely closing the slag tap-hole during normal operation, as well as emergency conditions. This piece of equipment makes use of a water-cooled copper element that is hydraulically operated and attached directly to the slag tap-hole. The equipment is compact, simple to maintain, and cost-effective to purchase and install. It can be retrofitted to most existing slag tap-holes with minimal modifications. During the development phase, finite element method (FEM) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software was extensively used to model predicted operating conditions and to optimize the design. By using CFD, it was possible to understand the flow patterns inside the copper element and to optimize these to improve overall performance. The SlagFlo^TM valve was installed and commissioned in 2011/2012 on a 12 MW furnace as part of a new mineral wool plant built in the USA. It has performed well since its installation, despite operating under conditions in excess of the original design criteria. During the first 6 months of operation it quickly became the preferred method of closing the furnace, although the design intent was for occasional use during emergency shut down conditions only. Since replacing the mudgun as the main method of closing the tap-hole, a few minor changes were made to the installation in order to cope with the increased heat load and much higher frequency of use. The SlagFlo^TM valve has also been installed in South Korea, on two mineral wool furnaces designed and supplied by Tenova Pyromet in 2015. Both furnaces are scheduled to be in full production by the second quarter of 2016. Tenova Pyromet is investigating modifications needed to suit other commodity furnaces with more aggressive slag chemistries.

Keywords : slag valve; flow control; mineral wool; water-cooled copper; slag tapping.

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