Water is used to cool the tuyeres that inject air into the blast furnace. The flow of cooling water at the inlet and outlet of the cooling circuits is monitored to determine if there is a leak in the cooling circuit, which would show up as a difference between the two flows. The flow measurement must be as accurate as possible to quickly identify a leak, and reliable to prevent unnecessary alarms and shutdowns.
A leak in the cooling water circuit changes the dynamics of the cooling system, impacting the reaction in the furnace, and decreasing the performance and efficiency of the furnace. If the leak is not detected in a timely manner and water is injected into the furnace, hydrogen is produced resulting in dangerous safety conditions and causing erosion in the furnace walls and roof that can be expensive and time consuming to repair.