By achieving a ladle life of 1538 cycles in its 140 tonne hot metal ladle number 5 used in blast furnaces, Rourkela Steel Plant has set another benchmark.

RSP sources said that the ladle life was the highest since inception of the plant and a Steel Authority of India Ltd record for 140 tonne hot metal ladles.

The earlier record of 1505 cycles was achieved in 140 tonne ladle number six in March last year.

The improved life of ladles not only reduces the cost of refractory per tonne of metal, but also increases ladle availability facilitating timely casting thereby leading to higher productivity.

Sources said that the achievement could also be attributed to the superior hot metal quality with respect to silica content and hot metal temperature.

(Sourced from Business Line)