Refractories

• Classification, Performance and Production

• Materials
✓ Magnesite – Carbon
✓ Alumina Magnesite – Carbon
✓ Dolomite
• Principal and Specific Wear Mechanisms
• Process effects – BOS / EAF / Ladle
• Wear Areas – BOS / Ladle
• Ladle Design
• Refractory Maintenance

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Refractories Classification

The main raw material defines the main application:

•Refractoriness <-> temperature level for use

•Thermo-chemical compatibility with the content

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Refractory Performance

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Refractory Performance
In steelmaking, the life of a refractory lining or component is determined by;

• Refractory materials,
• The design and installation,
• The process conditions and maintenance, and
• The people who operate them.

The ultimate goal is to find a solution to ensure;

• Production with safety, and
• Low production cost.

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Refractory Materials
C SiO2 Portland cement CaO
Chamotte

Forsteriet Andalusite Calcium

aluminate
Magnesia carbon Bauxite cement
Corundum

MgO Spinel Al2O3

Magnesia chromite Alumina chromite

Cr2O3
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Refractory Materials
• Refractory materials are based on six base oxides: SiO2, Al2O3, MgO,
CaO, Cr2O3, and ZrO2, or rather on compounds between them.

• Many of them are in combination with carbon.

• Pure oxide materials are rarely used because of the high cost and
unsuitable properties.

• The melting temperature can be significantly lowered by

impurities.

• Natural raw materials do contain a fair amount of impurities.

• Refractory oxides used for steel industries nowadays are often

processed through many stages to remove impurities and to
control crystal size etc.
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Refractory Production

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Magnesia carbon bricks
• Currently the most widely used refractory materials are based on magnesia-
carbon - a mixture of grains (crystals) of MgO and flakes of graphite held
together by a carbonaceous binder

• The main properties of magnesia-carbon bricks:

✓ High erosion resistance
✓ High corrosion resistance to basic slag
✓ High mechanical strength at high temperature
✓ Sufficient oxidation resistance
✓ Good thermal shock resistance

✓ Reacts with SiO2 to form forsterite, causing slag-line refractory erosion.

*more details re – Mag-C reactions with slag FeO and MnO in Linked In
post / article Jan 2020 by Sophie Zhang*

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 Magnesia carbon bricks

• Pitch and graphite increase the flexibility of the brick, but lowering the mechanical strength
• Magnesia crystal size has a direct influence on resistance to corrosion

• Brick selection is generally compromised between conflicting factors

• The aim is to get the best performance in service consistently and with low costs.

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Alumina magnesite – carbon products

• Materials based on AMC with high quality alumina, plus antioxidants

• The primary raw materials affect the speed and extent of spinel formation by:
✓ % of raw materials
✓ grain porosity
✓ granulometry
✓ purity

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Dolomite / Doloma / Magnesia-Dolomite
• Dolomite is a mixture of Calcium and Magnesium Carbonates

• Doloma is the burnt version, a mixture of CaO.MgO, ~ 60%:40% used in the

manufacture of refractory products with favourable properties,
✓ High Refractoriness, Hot strength.
✓ An active material when refining a steel melt,
✓ Hydration resistance is low, with formation of hydroxides and the refractory
lining is described as ‘falling’.
✓ Frequently used as a slag conditioning agent in steelmaking processes

• Improving the hydration resistance

✓ Addition of Magnesia = 25-35% CaO: 65-75% MgO
✓ Addition of nano-particle oxides, which are most effective in the sequence;
ZrO2 > TiO2 > Cr2O3 > Fe2O3 > Al2O3 > SiO2 *Ceramics International Apr 2019*
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Principal wear mechanisms – BOS / EAF / Ladle
• Thermal stresses:
✓ High temperature operation and temperature variation
✓ Thermal shock leading to spalling

• Chemical attack:
✓ Slag corrosion,
✓ Reactions with steel / slag / fluxes / alloying materials
✓ Furnace atmosphere / vacuum
✓ Oxidation products caused by oxygen lancing / blowing

• Mechanical damage:
✓ Scrap impact during charging,
✓ Stresses arising from the brickwork expansion
✓ Erosion caused of purging / flow / tapping
✓ Steel and slag splashing
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Specific wear mechanisms – BOS / EAF / Ladle
• BOS
✓ Motion of converter contents

• EAF
✓ Thermal shock from electric arc radiation / hot spots
✓ Hydration from water cooled panel leaks

• Ladle
✓ Bottom striker panel
✓ Electric arc radiation
✓ Erosion caused of purging / flow / tapping
✓ Contact time full / empty / and ladle turn round time

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Process Effects – BOS

• In reality, process parameters are interlinked

• Their effect on vessel lining life is more complicated.

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Process Effects – EAF

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Process Effects – Ladle Metallurgy

• Different steel shops will have different routes of secondary steelmaking.

• The requirements on steel ladle refractories will also be different.
• Any changes in process conditions will subsequently influence the steel ladle refractories.

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Wear Areas - BOS
• Purging/tuyere bricks:
✓ Excessive thermal shock due to cold gas
• Bottom joint:
✓ Weak ramming mix prone to steel infiltration, high compressive
stresses resulting in cracks and spalling
• Impact area:
✓ High mechanical stresses resulting from heavy scrap
• Trunnion:
✓ Bending and torsional stresses arising from converter rotation,
and oxidation due to lack of protective slag layer
• Slag line:
✓ Corrosion action of the slag
• Tap-hole:
✓ Hot abrasion due to the teeming of steel
• Mouth and upper cone:
✓ Mechanical damage during de-skull and expansion of the brick
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Wear Areas – Ladle

• An enhanced striker to combat the impact of liquid

steel tapping – mainly Alumina Mag - C products
✓ High hot strength to erosion resistance
✓ Resistant to slag/steel impregnation
✓ Good thermal shock resistance

• An increased thickness or quality at slag line aims

to limit slag corrosion
✓ Mainly Mag – C or Mag – Chrome products

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Steel Ladle Design

• Ladles are one of the highest refractory cost areas in steelmaking

• Ladles use a diverse range of materials;

✓ insulation,
✓ ramming,
✓ precast,
✓ bricks.
✓ nozzle and porous plug blocks

• Proper selection and installation are essential to realise best cost solutions

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Schematic Ladle Lining Design

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Ladle Refractories – Summary

• Selection and installation are only part of the equation, correct ladle system usage is
essential;

• Prevention of slag carryover from the vessel improves ladle lining life as a result of
reduced chemical attack (corrosion).

• Keeping ladles hot extends refractory life because it reduces thermal shock stresses.
✓ Rapid turn rounds
✓ Use of lids
✓ Use of preheaters

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Refractory maintenance
• For an efficient and optimised maintenance and repair, we need to know where the
repairs are needed – laser scanning

• Slag washing/slag splashing – to protect converter lining

✓ A cheap and effective method using a high-pressure nitrogen blast through the top
lance to splash slag onto the vessel refractories
✓ Good slag with suitable viscosity and temperature through slag conditioning

• Gunning – for maintenance and repair of worn areas

✓ Involving the application of a mixture of water and magnesia or magnesia / doloma
grains with a gunning lance
✓ Repair areas not reachable by coating
✓ Designed to readily stick to converter walls

• Repair – mainly for charge pad and bottom

✓ Using resin bonded products
✓ Heating/curing is important after repair
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