Ladle service under the conditions of vacuum-oxygen decarburization

The Izhstal plant has created a technology for treating corrosion-resistant steel by the method of VOD in a 30-ton ladle. The lining of the ladle is made of periclase-chromite refractories produced by the Magnezit Works JSC. The effect of the process parameters and lining patterns on the endurance of the ladle was studied in development of the process. The main factors determining the wear of the functional layer of the lining are the density of its joints, the composition of the slag of the refining period, the intensity of the mixing, and the thermal regime of the ladle between the heats. The pattern of the lining has been improved by reinforcing the slag line. The mixing regimes and the composition of the killing mixture have been improved where the consumption of lime and the proportion of aluminum to silicon are concerned. These measures have increased the endurance of the ladles by a factor of 2.2 and that of the refractory roofs by a factor of 2.5. Translated from Ogneupory i Tekhnicheskaya Keramika, No. 5, pp. 41–43, May, 2000.