SYNOPSIS Although carbon is typically considered a reductant in pyrometallurgical smelting processes, it can also be applied as refractory material in the furnace containment system. The paper introduces researchers, new to the field, to refractory materials and the role they play in the design of the furnace containment system. It also provides an overview of carbon-containing and carbon-based refractory materials and their respective applications, including the refractory lining of the furnace containment system. The industries discussed include iron and steel making, ferro-alloys (silicomanganese), and platinum group metals. Keywords: refractories, carbon-containing, carbon-based, graphite, carbon.

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In April 2013 a 48 MVA submerged arc furnace producing silicomanganese was excavated in South Africa. Since the high shell temperatures recorded in the tap-hole area resulted in the furnace being switched out for relining, the tap-hole area was excavated systematically. A refractory wear profile of the tap-hole area with affected hearth and sidewall refractory was obtained in elevation. The carbon ramming paste in front of, above, and below the tap-hole was worn, as was the SiC with which the tap-hole was built. A clay mushroom formed but was detached from the refractories. Thermodynamic and mass-transfer calculations were conducted to quantify the potential for wear by chemical reaction between refractory and slag and refractory and metal in the tap-hole area. It was found that chemical reaction between refractory and slag or metal could offer only a partial explanation for the wear observed; erosion is expected to contribute significantly to wear.

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