Theme I: Latest research aiming at Lumpy zone control for next generation hydrogen enriched blast furnace
Chairperson: K. Ohno (Kyushu Univ.)
In blast furnaces aimed at low-carbon operation, the cohesive zone at the bottom of the furnace is the bottleneck for gas permeability, but since it is impossible to directly control the cohesive zone located at the deepest part of the blast furnace. It is necessary to control the cohesive zone structure indirectly by guiding the lumpy zone to the desired shape by controlling the raw material charging. In this discussion panel, as the final report of the Study Group on “Lumpy zone control for next generation hydrogen enriched blast furnace” we will cover a wide range of topics covering the various phenomena of pulverization, softening, and fusion of blast furnace raw materials in the hydrogen-enriched blast furnace lumpy zone. In addition to deepening our understanding of phenomena from viewpoints and methods, we will share the latest research from basics to applications that will lead to lumpy zone control in next-generation blast furnaces, and broadly discuss its principles and technologies.

Theme II: Recent topics related to the manufacture of high tensile steel
Chairpersons: Y. Matsubara (JFE), A. Yanagida (Tokyo Denki Univ.)
Recently, high tensile steels have become even stronger and thinner, and product characteristics and flatness also need to meet specifications. Therefore, high process technology is required for stable production. In this session, manufacturing issues, metallurgy and equipment trends on rolling and flattening (leveling) processes will be discussed.

Theme III: State-of-the-arts in chemical analyses of steel and iron
Chairpersons: N. Uehara (Utsunomiya Univ.), Y. Suzuki (Kanazawa Inst. of Tech.)
Latest researches and developments concerning chemical anlyses to be applied to steel industries will be discussed.