Main properties for the selection of converter tap-hole materials

In the basic oxygen steelmaking (BOF) steel is tapped through the tap-hole. This piece is made of MgO-C refractories and may contain metallic agents, such as aluminium, silicon, magnesium or a combination of them. There are different alternatives to improve tap hole performance during service, one of them is to improve refractory material properties according to the main stresses and another one is to optimize the design of the inner channel in order to control steel flow patron and pressure distribution to minimize turbulences. The aim of this paper is to evaluate un-used tap-holes from different sources in order to select the adequate quality in terms of operational requirements and to establish a characterization procedure.