Imaging of the Inner Zone of Blast Furnaces Using Muon Radiography: The BLEMAB Project

  • Sandro Gonzi Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence - Florence, Italy; INFN, Florence Division - Florence, Italy http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4754-645X
  • Fabio Ambrosino Physics Department “Ettore Pancini”, University of Naples “Federico II” - Naples, Italy; INFN, Naples Division - Naples, Italy
  • Paolo Andreetto INFN, Padua Division - Padua, Italy
  • Lorenzo Bonechi INFN, Florence Division - Florence, Italy
  • Germano Bonomi Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia - Brescia, Italy; INFN, Pavia Division - Pavia, Italy
  • Diletta Borselli INFN, Florence Division - Florence, Italy; Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia - Perugia, Italy
  • Sergio Bottai INFN, Florence Division - Florence, Italy
  • Thorsten Buhles Ironmaking Department, ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH - Bremen, Germany
  • Irene Calliari Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua - Padua, Italy
  • Paolo Checchia INFN, Padua Division - Padua, Italy
  • Ugo Chiarotti RINA Consulting, Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA - Rome, Italy
  • Carlo Cialdai INFN - Florence Division, Florence, Italy
  • Roberto Ciaranfi INFN - Florence Division, Florence, Italy
  • Luigi Cimmino Physics Department “Ettore Pancini”, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy; INFN, Naples Division, Naples, Italy
  • Vitaliano Ciulli Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; INFN, Florence Division, Florence, Italy
  • Raffaello D'Alessandro Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; INFN, Florence Division, Florence, Italy
  • Mariaelena D’Errico Physics Department “Ettore Pancini”, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy; INFN, Naples Division, Naples, Italy
  • Fabian Finke Ironmaking Department, ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH, Bremen, Germany
  • Andreas Franzen Ironmaking Department, ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH, Bremen, Germany
  • Björn Glaser Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Altea Lorenzon INFN, Padua Division, Padua, Italy; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
  • Vincenzo Masone INFN, Naples Division, Naples, Italy
  • Valerio Moroli RINA Consulting, Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA, Rome, Italy
  • Oleksandr Nechyporuk Ironmaking Department, ArcelorMittal Maizi`eres Research SA, Maizi`eres-l`es-Metz, France
  • Luca Pezzato Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
  • Bharath Vasudev Rangavittal Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Davide Ressegotti RINA Consulting, Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA, Dalmine (Bergamo), Italy
  • Giulio Saracino Physics Department “Ettore Pancini”, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy; INFN, Naples Division, Naples, Italy
  • Jan Sauerwald Ironmaking Department, ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH, Bremen, Germany
  • Oleksandr Starodubtsev INFN, Florence Division, Florence, Italy
  • Lorenzo Viliani INFN, Florence Division, Florence, Italy
  • Francesco Volzone RINA Consulting, Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA, Rome, Italy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31526/jais.2022.272
Keywords: atmospheric muons, imaging, blast furnaces

Abstract

The aim of the BLEMAB project (BLast furnace stack density Estimation through online Muons ABsorption measurements) is the application of muon radiography techniques, to image a blast furnace’s inner zone. In particular, the goal of the study is to characterize the geometry and size of the so-called “cohesive zone”, i.e., the spatial region where the slowly downward-moving material begins to soften and melt, which plays such an important role in the performance of the blast furnace itself. Thanks to the high penetration power of natural cosmic-ray muon radiation, muon transmission radiography could be an appropriate non invasive methodology for the imaging of large high-density structures such as a blast furnace, whose linear dimensions can be up to a few tens of meters. A state-of-the-art muon tracking system is currently in development and will be installed at a blast furnace on the ArcelorMittal site in Bremen (Germany), where it will collect data for a period of various months. In this paper, the status of the project and the
expectations based on preliminary simulations are presented and briefly discussed.

Author Biographies

Sandro Gonzi, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence - Florence, Italy; INFN, Florence Division - Florence, Italy

Department of Physics and Astronomy (University of Florence)

Fabio Ambrosino, Physics Department “Ettore Pancini”, University of Naples “Federico II” - Naples, Italy; INFN, Naples Division - Naples, Italy

Physics Department “Ettore Pancini” (University of Naples “Federico II”)

Germano Bonomi, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia - Brescia, Italy; INFN, Pavia Division - Pavia, Italy

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (University of Brescia)

Diletta Borselli, INFN, Florence Division - Florence, Italy; Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia - Perugia, Italy

Department of Physics and Geology (University of Perugia)

Thorsten Buhles, Ironmaking Department, ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH - Bremen, Germany

Ironmaking Department

Irene Calliari, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua - Padua, Italy

Department of Industrial Engineering

Ugo Chiarotti, RINA Consulting, Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA - Rome, Italy

Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA - Rome, Italy

Luigi Cimmino, Physics Department “Ettore Pancini”, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy; INFN, Naples Division, Naples, Italy

Physics Department “Ettore Pancini” (University of Naples “Federico II”)

Vitaliano Ciulli, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; INFN, Florence Division, Florence, Italy

Department of Physics and Astronomy (University of Florence)

Raffaello D'Alessandro, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; INFN, Florence Division, Florence, Italy

Department of Physics and Astronomy (University of Florence)

Mariaelena D’Errico, Physics Department “Ettore Pancini”, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy; INFN, Naples Division, Naples, Italy

Physics Department “Ettore Pancini” (University of Naples “Federico II”)

Fabian Finke, Ironmaking Department, ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH, Bremen, Germany

Ironmaking Department

Andreas Franzen, Ironmaking Department, ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH, Bremen, Germany

Ironmaking Department

Björn Glaser, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Altea Lorenzon, INFN, Padua Division, Padua, Italy; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

Department of Physics and Astronomy (University of Padua)

Valerio Moroli, RINA Consulting, Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA, Rome, Italy

Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA - Rome, Italy

Oleksandr Nechyporuk, Ironmaking Department, ArcelorMittal Maizi`eres Research SA, Maizi`eres-l`es-Metz, France

Ironmaking Department

Luca Pezzato, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

Department of Industrial Engineering (University of Padua)

Bharath Vasudev Rangavittal, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Davide Ressegotti, RINA Consulting, Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA, Dalmine (Bergamo), Italy

Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA - Dalmine (Bergamo), Italy

Giulio Saracino, Physics Department “Ettore Pancini”, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy; INFN, Naples Division, Naples, Italy

Physics Department “Ettore Pancini” (University of Naples “Federico II”)

Jan Sauerwald, Ironmaking Department, ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH, Bremen, Germany

Ironmaking Department

Francesco Volzone, RINA Consulting, Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA, Rome, Italy

Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA - Rome, Italy

Published
2022-05-27
How to Cite
[1]
S. Gonzi, “Imaging of the Inner Zone of Blast Furnaces Using Muon Radiography: The BLEMAB Project”, Journal of Advanced Instrumentation in Science, vol. 2022, May 2022.
Issue
Volume 2022
Section
International Workshop on Cosmic-Ray Muography (Muography2021), 24-26 Nov. 2021,
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