08-30-2013, 06:37 PM
Hello,
Blast furnaces use a system of on and off blast stoves, where the blast furnace gas evolved from the coke breaking down in incomplete oxygen is burned in a stove, when it gets too hot to keep burning they move to the next stove, then the blast air is forced throught the hot stove to preheat it prior to it going to the tuyeres, it can be very easyy done using large terracotta flower pots filled with bricks and buried in sand in 20 gallon drums, build two of these recovery stoves and channel the exhaust heat through the first one then swap so the blower pushes air through the first one and into the tuyeres while the exhaust heat goes to the second recovery stove a basic X valve can be made to switch blast direction and you are going to get pretty good heat recovery for the price of four big flower pots and some old bricks. sounds good to me and the idea has been used for over a hundred years so will definitely work to some level of efficiency, incidentally even if the recovery units are small it just means more frequent swapping between them, ideally you want a thermo couple in each to maximise the blast temperatures.
Regards
Rick
Blast furnaces use a system of on and off blast stoves, where the blast furnace gas evolved from the coke breaking down in incomplete oxygen is burned in a stove, when it gets too hot to keep burning they move to the next stove, then the blast air is forced throught the hot stove to preheat it prior to it going to the tuyeres, it can be very easyy done using large terracotta flower pots filled with bricks and buried in sand in 20 gallon drums, build two of these recovery stoves and channel the exhaust heat through the first one then swap so the blower pushes air through the first one and into the tuyeres while the exhaust heat goes to the second recovery stove a basic X valve can be made to switch blast direction and you are going to get pretty good heat recovery for the price of four big flower pots and some old bricks. sounds good to me and the idea has been used for over a hundred years so will definitely work to some level of efficiency, incidentally even if the recovery units are small it just means more frequent swapping between them, ideally you want a thermo couple in each to maximise the blast temperatures.
Regards
Rick
Whatever it is, do it today, Tomorrow may not be an option and regret outlasts fatigue.