Using FEM to determine temperature distribution in a blast furnace crucible

Temperature distribution in the crucible of a blast furnace is an important operation variable that is a function of the materials used in its construction, temperatures reached in the pig iron-refractory interface, and cooling-system performance. Defining the crucible zones where high shear and tensile stresses are reached is an important step in developing a tribological model to understand and predict high wear zones and crucible life. In this work, temperature distribution was simulated using the finite-element method for a blast furnace built following the ceramic solution (oxide and nitride ceramics in contact with the pig iron and carbon and microporous graphite blocks in contact with the refrigeration system).