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Upcoming Events in 2013 | |
Muldersdrift, RSA
April 23-24
SAIMM Refractory Conference
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
May 6-9
AISTech 2013
Almaty, Kazakhstan
June 9-13
Infacon XIII
Istanbul, Turkey
June 23-26
EMC 2013
Ranchi, India
June 26-28
ARCS13 |
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Read Newsletter #24 in Russian
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#24 in Spanish
Read Newsletter #24 in German
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Read Newsletter #24 in
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Dear Newsletter Reader,
Since our December Newsletter, the world economic outlook has not changed significantly. We see a challenging but improving steel market ahead in 2013. The economic uncertainty remains, particularly in Europe but in spite of this we expect an improvement in steel production levels globally, probably with increased differences between growth and recession areas. In this, the first issue of our Newsletter this year, you will read about a record furnace FeCr furnace campaign, one conference coming up soon in Pittsburgh, another conducted in India and a Chilean steel maker relying on UCAR® hearth linings. |
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See you at AISTech in Pittsburgh, PA in May
AISTech 2013 - The Iron & Steel Technology Conference and Exhibition will feature over 400 technical presentations covering all phases of steel manufacturing. This major international event includes plant tours, keynote presentations by today's business leaders and the world's largest annual steel technology exposition, where you can meet with thousands of key decision makers. And you can meet us; please stop by at our Booth # 1026 - we look forward to seeing you!
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ICRJ Jamshedpur - A Conference in the Home Town of TATA Steel
In February, TATA Steel arranged the 3rd International Conference on Refractories in Jamshedpur. This Indian city with a population exceeding 600,000, is the site of the first integrated iron and steelmaking plant in India, built by TATA Steel more than 100 years ago. The city is also named after Jamsetji Tata, who founded the TATA company in 1868, 18 years prior to the start of GrafTech.
One of the papers that was presented at the conference is titled, "Selecting Refractory Lining Materials to Achieve Long Blast Furnace Hearth Campaigns" from authors Peter Sylvén and Peter L. Duncanson of GrafTech.
The paper was presented by Mr. Michael Quah, Sales Manager Asia. This paper discusses the root causes of hearth failure and suggests how these should be taken into consideration when selecting refractory materials and designing hearth walls for best performance in modern high productivity blast furnaces, in line with steel companies' continuous drive for better results.
One of the questions from the audience was, "The conventional big carbon block lining is installed with few and precision machined joints, the UCAR® Hearth lining has many joints - will this fact not make the latter more likely to premature failure and short campaigns?"
A very good question, Michael responded, and this major difference in concept is actually one major reason why the UCAR hearth lining has proven to offer superior reliability to iron and ferroalloy makers all around the world. The working lining of the furnace is the deposited scull, and not the carbon. The HotPressed™ brick lining is part of the furnace machinery and as such, it is non-sacrificial. This is what differentiates UCAR® Refractory Systems from conventional carbon block designs. The many joints filled with C34™ Cement is a vital part of this equation. It allows for expansion and movements in the lining, something not accommodated for in a block hearth. That fact adds to the wear process, making block linings susceptible to cracking and the loss of carbon over time. |
CAP Chile Updated Blast Furnace Reline Plans
Back in December of 2011, we reported this to you: "Our decision to move from the old big block hearth wall concept to the HotPressed™ Brick Technology in the late 90's has led to a dramatic improvement in furnace availability, operation flexibility and lining longevity," says Mr. Pedro Contreras, iron making manager at CAP Acero in Chile. A major portion of their 1.5 million t/year capacity is sold in the domestic market, which has been experiencing significant growth over the past several years. The company has a rolling capacity of 550,000 mt/y of bars, 450,000 mt/y of rebars and 720,000 mt/y of hot rolled coils.
CAP's iron making structure comprises two blast furnaces, with rated capacities of 1850t/day and 2050t/day. Both BF1 and BF2 have a complete UCAR® hearth & tuyere band. As a result of the superior performance of UCAR® Refractory Systems HotPressed™ Brick technology, CAP placed the refractory order for BF2: hearth bottom, hearth wall, iron notch, and tuyere band in 2011.
BF#1 was taken down in February for a partial repair. The stoppage and full reline of BF#2 is scheduled for the end of 2013 or beginning of 2014. Unfortunately, the tragic earthquake in early 2009 resulted in a long shut down, with severe consequences to the furnaces. At that time, GrafTech supplied and shipped on short notice the necessary products to repair the damaged lining, and both furnaces went back in operation. |
Welcome to the Team Nicole!
In January Nicole Graham joined the Refractory Sales team as a Marketing Analyst. Nicole holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from Middle Tennessee State University. She will report to Peter Sylven, Marketing Director for Refractories. Nicole will be based out of the Columbia facility and can be reached at nicole.graham@graftech.com
We wish her welcome to our team and are confident that she will contribute to our effort in offering superior customer service and products.
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Thank you Bill Cook!
Bill Cook, Refractory Systems Commercial Manager, has elected to retire following more than 45 years of company service. Bill began his career in 1965 as a vacation relief employee in GrafTech's Columbia, TN facility. Following graduation from Middle Tennessee State University in 1969, Bill joined GrafTech as a Quality Control Engineer in the Columbia facility and in 1970 was assigned to the Graphite Electrodes Sales Team in Parma, OH as a Customer Technical Service Engineer. His primary assignment involved the development of 28" UHP electrodes at a major North American steel producer. Bill followed this assignment with a move to Birmingham, AL, taking on responsibility for Graphite Electrodes sales for the Southeastern US. Bill returned to Columbia in the mid-70's as a QC Engineer, later moving into various assignments within the production, purchasing & production control groups prior to joining the Refractory Sales Team in 1992 as a Customer Service Representative and eventually assuming the Commercial Manager's position.
Over the 45 years committed to GrafTech in the various positions, Bill has always made sure our customers received top priority service. His commitment to customers and dedication to the business has made a positive, permanent impact on many of us. We would like to thank Bill for his many years and valuable service to our customers and our business.
Please join our Refractory Sales organization in wishing Bill and his wife, Andrea, a full and happy retirement. |
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GrafTech, HotPressed, ChillKote, C34, GR37, Grade D, NMA, NMD, RP4, SmartRam,RefractoryFlex, FlexLine, and FlexRepair are all trademarks of GrafTech International Holdings Inc. UCAR® is a registered trademark used under license by 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. ©2013 GrafTech International Holdings Inc.
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