Modelling of a melter-gasifier in gPROMS

Abstract

The Corex® and Finex® processes are the main alternative options for hot metal production against the traditional blast-furnace iron-making. Due to their more economical and ecological characteristics, their use has been gaining ground over the last 20 years. The heart of these processes is the melter-gasifier device, where the iron-ore is reduced, the coal is gasified and the iron is further melted in order to exit the system in the form of hot liquid. The target of the current master thesis is the implementation of a melter-gasifier model in gPROMS® environment, in order to provide a flexible tool with user friendly interface for iron-making plant and device design. For the purposes of this work, MS-Excel models developed by Siemens VAI were used as basis. During the thesis pre-existing sub-models were edited and new ones were created according to the given directions. The results were validated with the EXCEL simulation results provided by Siemens VAI for the Finex and Corex processes. For a better overview of the system behaviour and the model stability, a sensitivity analysis was carried out on the basic system inputs and specifications.