Per: Wallace fernandes dos reis (rhi magnesita), Gabriel Rios de Souza (rhi magnesita), Romulo Batista Baitz (rhi magnesita)
Abstract:
In the Continuous Casting process, the tundish availability is a crucial factor to keep the synchronicity of the steelmaking process. In addition to the product technology adopted for the refractory lining of the tundish, the reliability and precision of the application equipment are important to guarantee flexibility for the process, especially in adverse scenarios. It is not uncommon to occur operational problems and programming changes in Continuous Casting to lead to the need for unplanned tundish changes. In these cases, the immediate availability of tundishes for casting is essential. In conjunction with the development of refractory materials that reduce the preparation time of tundish, such as the elimination of drying/curing processes, an application equipment was developed to ensure low application time, easy operation, and less need for maintenance interventions. In addition, the cost of consumable parts, as well as ergonomics and safety were also considered. The developed equipment showed precision in application, not generating losses of materials. Compared to the equipment most used currently in the Brazilian market (slurry gunning), the developed equipment showed a reduction of 72% in the need for preventive maintenance, 70% reduction in the effective maintenance cost, easy operation with reduction of human interference, not having presented failures during the 3-year period analyzed, and there was no need for emergency service, guaranteeing 100% availability for product application.