Oxy Coal injection in blast furnace

2 questions:

(1) Why would you charge a blast furnace with coal rather than coke?

(2) What is 20kg pressure?

The coal has no mechanical strength to with stand the column load of the BF charges.It has high volatile contents as well as other inclusions.Coke is more porous than coal and fixed carbon is about 85% ,phosphorus 0.18-0.4%,Sulphur from 0.6-1.5% .Because of these qualities of coke, it is charged from top.The modern B.F inject coal and oxygen from the bottom through the tuyers around 200Kg /Tone hot metal.

I was suggesting to examine the possibility of introducing oxygen from the bottom and the pressure in side the Bf at 20Kg or even 20 atmosphere?

Can we do? How to design the reactor?If do?If so, how to do? How can we charge in to the BF?How to tap the liquid metal?Please though some light.

Regards,

P.G.Panikkar

Charging of coal into a BF to provide additional reductants has been done a number of years ago, but only on a research/development basis as far as I am aware. Back in the '60's US Steel did some work on a similar system called OMR (Ore Melter Reducer) that incorporated in-flight melting of iron ore fines using coal and oxygen. From what I understand, the problem they had with making the system work was not really associated with use of coal and oxygen for reaction, but trying to contain molten FeO which was extremely aggressive to refractories.

I am thank full to you for the kind reply.Could you please give me the references/ published papers of those experiements for my information and study?

Did they face problems in feeding the rawmaterial in to the reactor (if high pressure)and also for the evacuation of the product from it.?

What is the pressure they have used inside the reactor and how much Oxygen they have used?

Regards,

PGPanikkar