CFD simulation and experimental investigation on co-combustion characteristics of pulverized coal and natural gas in blast furnace injection

作者：Jian Bao, Alberto N. Conejo, Cuiliu Zhang, Runsheng Xu, Jianliang Zhang, Laixin Wang, Nan Zhang, Tao Li, Wanneng Yuan · 发表于：International Journal of Hydrogen Energy · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.176 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Iron and Steelmaking Processes、Metallurgical Processes and Thermodynamics、Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes

Natural Gas Injection (NGI) technology in blast furnaces (BFs) is a promising strategy to reduce coal dependency and mitigate carbon emissions. This study systematically investigates the combustion behavior of pulverized coal (PC) and the thermal state of the tuyere-raceway zone under composite injection of NG and PC, using integrated experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The results revealed that NGI increases the gas-phase temperature within the tuyere by 15–20 % compared to PC-only injection, but excessive NGI reduces the raceway high-temperature zone by 8–12 % and lowers PC burnout rate by 5–7 %. NGI enhances hydrogen mole fraction in coal gas by 20–30 % while reducing CO mole fraction by 15–20 %, improving ore reducibility and energy efficiency. Experimental validation confirms that NGI volume inversely correlates with PC combustion efficiency, with a 6.8 % reduction in PC burnout rate observed when NGI increases from 0 to 80 m 3 /t. Unlike prior studies focused on single-fuel injection or qualitative trends, this work quantifies the trade-offs between NGI-induced thermal benefits and PC combustion deterioration. The results provide critical insights for optimizing BF tuyere injection strategies to balance decarbonization goals with combustion efficiency, addressing a key gap in existing literature.