Perfection of cooling systems of overhead tuyeres heads of 250-t BOFs

Deterioration of tips cooling as a result of number of nuzzles increase in tuyere heads does not allow to use multinozzle (six and more) overhead tuyeres for increasing of steel melting technical and economical indices and operating characteristics of technological equipment. The main reason of it is as follows: deterioration ofcooling results in over-heating and burnt-outof tips material in the farthest nozzle zone following the overhead tuyeres breakage. To avoid the water stagnant areas in the farthestnozzle zones of the heads cooling route and therefore to increase the overheads oxygen tuyeres of 250-t BOF operation life, a new design of the six-nozzle tuyere head with asymmetric cooling of tips farthest zones elaborated, manufactures and tested. The perfection of the six-nozzle heads cooling system included asymmetric (relating the side surface of the nozzle block) installation behind every nozzle (in the water direction) a guidingblade of special design. It enabled to increase to a maximum degree the heat removal efficiency from the internal surface in the tip farthest zones and had a positive effect on the overhead tuyeres heads resistance. The workability of the proposed design of the six-nozzle tuyere head with asymmetric cooling of farthest zones was confirmed during test-industrial heats at 250-t BOFs of OJSC “Dneprovskysteel-works”. The heats were carried out with oxygen consumption of 800–1200 m 3/min and regime of partial afterburning ofexit gases. The water consumption for tuyeres cooling decrease from 320–340 m 3 /h, at that the  water temperature difference at the tuyere entry and exit varied in the range of 11–16 °C depending on blow-down duration. Application of the new design of the six-nozzle tuyere head with asymmetric farthest zones cooling enabled to increase the sixnozzle heads resistance by a factor 1.287 comparing with six-nozzle heads without farthest zones cooling and by a factor of 3.327 comparing with regular five-nozzle tuyere heads. The effect reached thanks to more rational cooler distribution and increase ofits velocity. The metal pick up of shafts of the six-nozzle tuyere head with asymmetric farthest zones cooling: while the five-nozzle tuyeres were taken off for salamander cutting off after 1–5 heats, the six-nozzle tuyeres were taken off for the salamander cutting off after 79–81 heats. It indicated a higher efficiency of heat running blow-down and slag regimes with application of proposed design of the six-nozzle tuyere head with asymmetric farthest zones cooling.