Case Study: Terres Réfractaires du Boulonnais achieves accurate internal temperature mapping and optimized blast-furnace runner liner design with COMSOL Multiphysics

When it’s Impossible to Take Actual Measurements, Multiphysics Provides the Answers

Terres Réfractaires du Boulonnais (TRB) faced a critical measurement problem: extreme temperatures and splashing molten metal inside blast-furnace roof runners made it impossible to place sensors and left liner design to trial-and-error. TRB needed to know internal temperatures to avoid overengineering concrete liners while maintaining safety and service life, so they turned to Comsol Multiphysics (Heat Transfer Module) for simulation-based insight.

Using Comsol, TRB ran staged heat-transfer models — pre‑heating, single taps, and a 7‑day tapping cycle — to predict conditions they couldn’t measure directly. The simulations showed inner-air temperatures stabilizing around 750 °C, top inner-liner temperatures near 430 °C, and an outer cast‑iron shell ~80 °C after a week; thermography measurements (outer 76 °C, inner peak ~300 °C after opening) validated the model to within about 10 °C. Comsol’s results gave TRB confidence to reduce liner thickness, cut material and handling costs, and improve production efficiency.

Terres Réfractaires du Boulonnais

Simon Chiartano

Terres Réfractaires du Boulonnais