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

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

The BLEMAB European project: Muon radiography as an imaging tool in the industrial field

The European project called BLEMAB (BLast furnace stack density Estimation through on-line Muons ABsorption measurements), provides for the application of the muon radiography technique in the industrial environment. The project represents a non-invasive way of monitoring a blast furnace and in particular aims to study the geometric and density development of the so-called “cohesive zone”, which is important for the performance of the blast furnace itself. The installation of the detectors is expected in 2022 at the ArcelorMittal site in Bremen (Germany). This paper describes the status of the project, the experimental setup and the first results obtained with preliminary simulations. © 2022 Societa Italiana di Fisica. All rights reserved

Application of Muon Radiography to Blast Furnaces: the BLEMAB project

Muon radiography is a non-invasive imaging technique that exploits cosmic ray muons to explore the content of large, dense and otherwise inaccessible volumes. The European project BLEMAB (BLast furnace stack density Estimation through on-line Muon ABsorption measurements) represents an exemplary application of this technique in the industrial field: the aim of the project is indeed to investigate the capability of muon radiography to scan the inner part of active iron-making blast furnaces. In particular, the focus of the study is the characterization of the so-called “cohesive zone”, which could be of great interest for steel-making companies. The project foresees the construction of a dedicated muon imaging detector, that will be installed at the blast furnaces in the ArcelorMittal site in Bremen (Germany). This paper describes the status of the project, including the development of software simulations and the manufacturing of the detector