Magnesite Industrial Complex JSC set refractory life record of 5,390-foundings for the casing of an oxygen-blown vessel.

As the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative, this technological breakthrough will provide for a dramatic decrease in production costs in iron industry, where the maintenance of the casing leaves a lot to be desired. The company’s researches had been working on refractory goods made of carbonaceous components and the new Carbores-P bonding agent since 2003. At the beginning of 2006, the company’s technicians fit the oxygen-blown vessel with new casing with pilot carbonaceous refractory items. The saving of repair materials proved very impressive: the refractory life now comes to 5,390-foundings, with the average figures for iron industry enterprises being 2,965 for Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Nizhniy Tagil, 2,218 for Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Novolipetsk, 2,843 for Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Chelyabinsk, and 4,634 for Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Magnitogorsk.

The Complex is currently using another oxygen-blown vessel where the new refractory items are employed in the wearing faces. The company is hoping to have given overhaul to two more devices using the new refractory items for the casing before the end of the year.

The new product is meant for designing a very durable refractory shell that improves its resistance to erosion and enhances the antioxidant properties. Such refractory products are best for slag-line areas of steel teeming ladles, for oxygen-blown vessels, and electric furnaces.

The new casing for oxygen-blown vessels now used at the Complex is 15% to 20% more durable than the carbonaceous refractory items produced by Magnesite so far and used by the largest iron industries of Russia and the NIS.

According to General Director of Magnesite Group Sergey Odegov, ‘the results of experimental use of this refractory product prove its cost-effectiveness and show a lot of new ways to use it.’