DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF SCRAP BOX AND OPERATING PRACTICES OF SCRAP CHARGING FOR BETTER CONVERTER LINING LIFE

Abstract

Adding scrap as a coolant in the basic oxygen furnace, also known as the LD (Linz Donawitz) converter, during the exothermic process of steelmaking, affects the life of the refractory lining inside the furnace. The refractory lining wears by nearly 2 to 3 mm for each scrap charge in the furnace. Scrap is charged into the LD converter by tilting the converter towards the charging side and inserting the scrap box into the mouth of the converter. The scrap slides on the wall of the scrap box and falls on the hot refractory lining of the furnace. The size, weight, and nature of scrap, and the height of fall of the scrap on the refractory lining have a great impact on the life of the lining. The paper explains the design and analysis of the scrap box to reduce the impact of the scrap charge on the lining, a means to clear mouth jam before charging the scrap and the operating practices to enhance the life of the refractory lining of the LD converter.