Abstract:
INTOCAST was founded in 1979, operating primarily in the non-moulded, casting materials and synthetic slag market. Through mergers and acquisitions, it began to operate in the molded refractories market since 2017. In July 2020, it sold its first converter lining in South America with Ternium Brasil. It surpassed the previous record by 16%, without restrictions operating and low-mass hot repair under 0,20 kg/t. In addition to the life record of the lining, it is emphasized that this result was obtained without applying restrictions of the steel mix and temperature, which were common in previous campaigns. Another significant result was the efficient operation of the combined blow until the end of the campaign. A key factor for the result achieved is the supplier and customer partnership, because the appropriate choice of refractories used, combined with the best practices of the client and management of key variables of the process, such as slag analysis, particularly the CaO/SiO2 ratio, MgO and FeO contents, level of oxidation of the bath, temperature, and maintenance techniques, provided this expressive result.