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ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih Breaks Converter Lining Record
08/19/2011 - The converter shop of PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih achieved a record vessel-lining life for converter #5 of 4,070 steel casts implemented during its campaign life from December 4, 2010, to August 15, 2011.
The converter shop of PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih achieved a record vessel lining life for converter #5 of 4,070 steel casts implemented during its campaign life of December 4, 2010, to August 15, 2011. This result exceeded the previous record at the plant when the vessel-lining life of converter #1 amounted to 4,037 steel casts in 2005.
Increasing vessel lining life, which leads to cost reduction for refractory and prime cost of converter steel and long life of converters, is one of the challenges for the Steel Department of PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih. Average vessel lining life for all converters at ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih amounted to 3,041 steel casts (2,930 steel casts scheduled in 2011).
Converter #5 produced 583,231,000 tonnes of steel during the last converter campaign life, and the cost reduction amounted to 4.2 UAH per one tonne of steel. On August 15, 2011, converter #5 was stopped for repair as scheduled. Regular restart of the converter after repair is scheduled at the end August.
Sergey Bashkov, Deputy Head of the Technical Department of PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih, said, “PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih achieved long vessel lining life of converter #5 due to refractory of high quality. Low porosity of refractory makes its performance longer at thermal generating units. Refractory was implemented at converter #5 in 2008 when vessel lining life amounted to 3,462 steel casts. It was a good result. Our new record is a result of team work of high-skilled professionals at the Converter Shop and the Technical Department.”
Alexandr Zozulya, Steel Department Director of PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih, said, “This year we plan a number of measures aimed at total extend of vessel-lining life at the Converter Shop. We plan to change double-layer lining (1050 mm thick) for single-layer lining (850 mm) up to the end 2011, which enables significant cost reduction for converter operations at the plant. In addition for state estimation of vessel linings we have already purchased two scanners, which will help to estimate lining wear during converter operations and lining repair in time.”
The Converter Shop produces unkilled, semikilled, killed, alloyed and low-alloyed steel grades. Annual capability of the shop is 5.4 million tonnes of steel. The shop includes two converter sections with six converters of 160 tonnes each, two casting bays, two mixer departments with four mixers with 1300 tonnes of capacity, two charge-preparation plants, two fire-resistance sections, and two slag yards.
