3. Evolution due to back pressure and energy optimization

3.1 Evolution

The blast furnace underwent unprecedented development, with simultaneous growth in size and productivity. As a result, the energy required for blowing has risen sharply, as has the production of high-pressure gas, since approximately 1.4 Nm ³ of gas is produced per Nm ³ of wind.

It appeared desirable to attempt to recover the gas's potential energy to improve the unit's energy balance. The forerunners were the Neu-Sofrair company in France, Cockerill in Belgium with the Swiss turbine manufacturer BBC (the latter abandoned the idea fairly quickly), and the Russians with the Goubt machine. The problem is a difficult one, since the gas temperature varies constantly...