Productivity Increment of Coal based Sponge Iron Plant using Simulation

Objective: A typical coal based sponge iron plant is investigated to utilized waste heat to preheat the feed coal and air as well as increase the productivity of sponge iron by applying heat integration using simulation process. Methods: In the present work, utilized waste heat to preheat the feed coal and air, heat integration process using modified pinch approach is applied and to increase the productivity simulation process is applied by taking quantity of feed materials is same as 500 t/d conventional coal based sponge iron plant. Findings: Some of the cases from literature based on pinch technology are taken and simulation process is applied. Three cases are generated in which productivity of sponge iron is increased but quantity of feed materials is same as conventional plant. In Case-1, feed to kiln and injected coal is preheated by waste gas from ESP and ABC thus coal consumption reduced to 17.9 t/h but the productivity is same as conventional coal based sponge iron plant i.e., 20.83 t/h. By applying present simulation process, productivity can increased to 21.84 t/h. In Case-2, waste gas from ESP at 220oC used to preheat air. In this modification, coal consumption is reduced to 19.325 t/h similarly by applying present simulation process; productivity can increase to 21.31 t/h. In Case-3, design modification using heat integration in which coal consumption is reduced to 14.892 t/h by preheat air using waste heat from ABC at 850oC. Likewise by applying present simulation process, productivity can increased to 22.7 t/h. Improvements: In Case 1, 2 and 3 by applying heat integration process, the consumption of coal decreased. As coal consumption is decreased, using simulation process productivity increased to 21.84 t/h, 21.31 t/h, 22.7 t/h respectively. As the productivity of coal based sponge iron plant is increases, profit is also increases and payback period is decreases.