APPLICATION GALLERY: YOUR CHALLENGES, OUR SOLUTIONS.

Introduction

Our recent Unifrax Customer, located in Brazil, is one of  the world’s largest producer of steel slabs. The customer acquired their manufacturing site in 2002 and invested 18 Billion USD in the site, updating manufacturing technology, adding new processes, broadening their mix of products and improving environmental controls.

The Challenge

The customer wanted to increase their steel transfer capacity while keeping the same amount of steel ladles in service, however were challenged with ladle loads limited to 315 tons of steel due to transfer system’s max weight limit; they also had no CAPEX available to purchase additional steel ladles.

The Solution

Unifrax completed a redesign for this customer of their refractory linings with Silplate 1308 Structural Insulating Board, a unique structural insulating board for use in high-temperature applications. Common applications are for backup in ladles or tundishes that are used in molten metal transfer. Using Silplate boards for backup applications can significantly reduce steel shell cold face temperatures. The Results

Silplate’s superior insulation properties allowed for reduced refractory lining thickness and increased steel transfer capacity by 6.4 metric tons.  Silplate’s significantly lower thermal mass compared to traditional refractories reduced ladle weight by 8.0 tons. The redesigned Silplate lining lowered shell temperatures allowing for massive energy savings over the extended life of the refractory lining.