World Steel Association (Brussels, Belgium):

Janjua R., Dr., e-mail: janjua@worldsteel.org

ArcelorMittal (Ghent, Belgium):
de Langhe Y.

Erdemir (Ereğli, Turkey):
Esmer M.

Ternium Siderar (San Nicolás, Buenod Aires, Argentine):
Musante R.

Ternium Siderar (Rosario, Argentina):
Catalá G.

SSAB EMEA (Luleå, Sweden):
Jonsson B.

Blast furnace lining is a very expensive component, thereby maximally long blast furnace campaign is very important. Its optimalservice life should make at least 10–15 years. The cooling staves are usually manufactured of iron or copper and have multiple channels for water leaking. The problem of breakage of copper staves is actual for many countries; the main causes are abrasive wear, erosion and cracking, as well as failure of cooling channels. The special project of World Steel Association has been devoted to duration of service life of copper cooling staves based on features of blast furnace constructions and practical experience of operation of blast furnaces in different coyntries. The blast furnace is a complex system with strong linkages between operation, practices and equipment. The analysis of problems in one of the sub-systems is therefore not a straightforward task. The root cause of wear in copper staves is largely a combination of the furnace profile and operational philosophy. The bosh-belly area has to be designed in such a way that it serves to support a stagnant zone of the burden in order to form a protective layer in this area. In addition to this, sufficient preparation of the burden at the wall helps to have a more sustainable protection layer on the staves.

1. Janjua, R.; De Langhe, Y.; Esmer, M.; Musante, R.; Jansson, B.; Catalá, G.: Premature wear of copper staves in blast furnaces, World Steel Association, 2014, ISBN 978-2-930069-78-4.
2. Lümgen, H. B.; Rüther, H. P.; Clixby, G.; Casella, G.: Investigations on blast furnace wear phenomena especially in the heart, European Commission, Technical Steel Research, EUR 19347 EN, 193 (2000).