ISSN 2594-357X
37º Redução e 8º Minério de Ferro — vol. 2, num.2 (2007)
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Abstract
As steelmaking companies and countries develop plans for expansion and improvement, investment in proven technologies to reduce operating cost or increase efficiency will be a major part of those plans. There are many such investments available today in the blast furnace area, including raw material charging, hot blast stoves, cast house design, coal injection, etc. If designed, installed, operated, and maintained correctly, these technologies have the opportunity to provide excellent returns on the investment. The blast furnace hearth has long been considered one of the most critical areas of the furnace. In recent years, new techniques for repairing and extending the useful life of the bosh, stack, furnace top, cast house, and other peripheral equipment have been developed that require at most only short stops. The hearth, however, remains as the one area that requires a costly extended stop for significant repair. Many blast furnace operators regard the hearth as the single factor that determines when the furnace must be stopped for full-scale reline or rebuild. Techniques have also been invented to extend the life of the hearth, but they typically have an impact on the operation. Titanium addition, grouting, and reduced productivity can have very large cost and profit effects. These costs are preventable, with the right investment in hearth technology. Unfortunately many operators still do not regard the hearth as an investment, but without a hearth that supports the operating goals of the company (higher productivity, lower operating cost, longer life), all other investments may be wasted and not achieve their desired return. UCAR Carbon Company Inc. has been a leader in the production of carbon and graphite products for more than 100 years. Since developing the freeze lining technology based on their unique Hot PressedTM Brick process more than 40 years ago, UCAR has the only hearth system that is proven to support higher productivity and lower operating cost. The paper discusses how the hearth must be viewed as an investment, provides a model to calculate the returns, and demonstrates the extraordinary value of the UCAR freeze lining and its importance to the overall investment strategy.
As steelmaking companies and countries develop plans for expansion and improvement, investment in proven technologies to reduce operating cost or increase efficiency will be a major part of those plans. There are many such investments available today in the blast furnace area, including raw material charging, hot blast stoves, cast house design, coal injection, etc. If designed, installed, operated, and maintained correctly, these technologies have the opportunity to provide excellent returns on the investment. The blast furnace hearth has long been considered one of the most critical areas of the furnace. In recent years, new techniques for repairing and extending the useful life of the bosh, stack, furnace top, cast house, and other peripheral equipment have been developed that require at most only short stops. The hearth, however, remains as the one area that requires a costly extended stop for significant repair. Many blast furnace operators regard the hearth as the single factor that determines when the furnace must be stopped for full-scale reline or rebuild. Techniques have also been invented to extend the life of the hearth, but they typically have an impact on the operation. Titanium addition, grouting, and reduced productivity can have very large cost and profit effects. These costs are preventable, with the right investment in hearth technology. Unfortunately many operators still do not regard the hearth as an investment, but without a hearth that supports the operating goals of the company (higher productivity, lower operating cost, longer life), all other investments may be wasted and not achieve their desired return. UCAR Carbon Company Inc. has been a leader in the production of carbon and graphite products for more than 100 years. Since developing the freeze lining technology based on their unique Hot PressedTM Brick process more than 40 years ago, UCAR has the only hearth system that is proven to support higher productivity and lower operating cost. The paper discusses how the hearth must be viewed as an investment, provides a model to calculate the returns, and demonstrates the extraordinary value of the UCAR freeze lining and its importance to the overall investment strategy.
Keywords
Financial; Technology
Financial; Technology
How to refer
Duncanson, Peter;
Sylvén, Peter.
A FINANCIAL MODEL FOR INVESTMENT IN HEARTH TECHNOLOGY
,
p. 694-707.
In: 37º Redução e 8º Minério de Ferro,
São Luís - MA,
2007.
ISSN: 2594-357X
, DOI 10.5151/2594-357x-13061
