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| UPCOMING EVENTS |
Dec 2-4, 2009
May 3-6, 2010
May 23-26, 2010
Sao Paulo, Brazil
June 6-9, 2010
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| HEARTH CALCULATOR |
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NB! The pricing formula for 2010 deliveries has been changed to reflect the 5% price increase announced on October 1st.
Need a fast price indication for a Blast Furnace hearth lining? When planning a reline or new furnace project, the Hearth Calculator will enable you to obtain a cost indication immediately!
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Dear Valued Customer:
When we sent you our last Newsletter this summer, the global economy was beginning to pull out of a recession. Some months later, we can conclude that the statement made by economists then were correct. Large parts of the world economy are recovering, slowly but surely. Many iron makers and ferroalloy producers around the world are investing in the future of their companies, upgrading their plants and improving the economy in their production, long and short term. Many of the long term investments include the rebuilding and relining of furnaces.
In this issue, you will see examples of iron makers in both the Ukraine and Brazil that are investing in new hearths, as well as one in China that is very satisfied with the performance of its US-made hearth, which is a large, 14.5 meter diameter blast furnace hearth in a furnace with very high productivity.
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The R&D 100 Award to GrafTech. Again!
Research and development to support new product development remains one of the key factors to success in GrafTech International.
 In July, GrafTech was awarded the prestigious R&D 100 Award for our new product line-GRAFIHX™ Flexible Heat Exchangers ( www.grafihx.com). The award honors the most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year. This award marks GrafTech's sixth R&D 100 Award in the past seven years (Can you tell that we are proud?). |
First GrafTech Lining in Ukraine to be Installed in 2010
Blast furnace #3 at the Yenakievo Iron and Steel Works (EMZ) in Ukraine will be the first hearth in Ukraine with a GrafTech refractory hearth. The EMZ plant has 3 blast furnaces. #3 is a 9.1m diameter furnace with 2 tapholes and stave cooled hearth and bosh. The GrafTech lining includes a GradeD™ carbon block bottom with NMA™ and NMD™ HotPressed™ brick hearth walls and tuyere band.
This plant is owned and operated by Metinvest, a company with the following mission statement: "The strategic aim of Metinvest is to create a world-class mining and steel industrial company achieving the topmost positions in Europe and worldwide".
Investing in a high performing GrafTech hearth lining will most certainly be in line with the company's strategy. |
ArcelorMittal Tubarão to Install a GrafTech Hearthwall
The ArcelorMittal Tubarão Plant, located in the State of Espirito Santo, Brazil, is a 7.5 million ton steel facility, which operates 3 blast furnaces.
Their historical tradition of hearth wall linings made of big carbon blocks has now changed. ArcelorMittal made a decision to upgrade Blast Furnace 2 and replace the old big block concept by GrafTech's proven Hot Pressed™ Brick system.
This is major evidence that, in spite of the long campaign of their Blast Furnace 1, Arcelor Mittal has embraced GrafTech's lining technology, aiming at the best results for productivity, long campaign and lower production costs, which will be decisive for the Company's success in the highly competitive steel business.
The material has recently been shipped from our Lawrenceburg, Tennessee plant and the installation is planned for early 2010. |
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Baosteel #3 - a big furnace with high productivity and a long campaign
In our June 2007 Newsletter we told you the story about the three large blast furnaces operated by China's largest steel company Baosteel. Well, now Baosteel is telling us the story about their furnace #3 themselves. This 4360 m³ (WV) furnace was first blown-in 1994, and in this summer issue of the local Ironmaking Magazine (Vol. 28, page 3-8) they presented a paper named, "Practice on stable and high productivity operation of Baosteel #3 in its post period campaign". For your convenience we have translated some of the key statements:
- "...the furnace has been in stable operation for over 14 years, accumulated iron production 50.75 million tons and a productivity of 11,66 MT/M³, highest among the Baosteel blast furnaces..."
- "...the furnace hearth is in good condition and the sidewall temperatures are safe and under control..."
- "...since 2004 BF#3 has achieved a PCI rate exceeding 200 kg/t continuously for 4 years with a productivity above 2.4. During November 2004 to April 2005, this number was above 2.6 and the record was broken in May 2005 with a productivity of 2,636..."
- "...with the current hearth condition, the campaign of BF #3 is expected to be ended after 18 years. That will result in an accumulated iron production exceeding 14 500MT/M³. This will be a record in China for now..."
We would like to congratulate Baosteel on this record breaking achievement. The GrafTech hearth refractories installed in BF #3 back in 1994 were HotPressed™ NMA™ and NMD™ Bricks and C34™ Cement in the hearth wall, combined with GradeD™ Carbon Blocks, RP4™ Ram and GrafTech™ Graphite in the bottom. Not a bad refractory solution for those that plan to push their large furnaces hard!
Photo above depicts Baosteel BF #3 blow-in on September 24, 1994 | |
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We would love to hear from you and receive feedback on how we are doing!
If you have suggestions for articles or information that you would like to see, please feel free to contact us! Also, if you know of someone who would value this information,
R & D 100 is a trademark of R & D Magazine. GrafTech, HotPressed, ChillKote, C34, GR37, Grade D, NMA, NMD, RP4, SmartRam, UniGraf, RefractoryFlex, FlexLine, and FlexRepair are all trademarks of GrafTech International Holdings Inc. The information contained in or referred to in this newsletter is based on data believed to be reliable but GrafTech makes no warranties, express or implied, as to its accuracy and assumes no liability arising out of its use. GrafTech's liability to purchasers is expressly limited to the terms and conditions of sale. ©GrafTech International Holdings Inc. 2009 | |
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