Steel ladles are special vessels used for liquid steel transportation from the primary refining step up to its solidification at the casting shop. However, due to the increasing market demand for clean steel, new procedures have been implemented in the refining process resulting in more aggressive environments to the ladle refractory materials. In general, the upper region of the vessel, where the contact between slag and refractory takes place (known as slag line), is subjected to intense wearing and corrosion. This fact has significant implications, leading to a reduction steel ladle's availability at the steelshop, early refractory lining replacement repairs, production costs increase and reduction in safety. In this context, this work presents a review of the main factors involved in the degradation process of MgO-C refractory, which is the most widely used material for slag lines in steelmaking. Additionally, some alternatives to reduce or inhibit such wearing are also discussed.
MgO-C refractory; corrosion; oxidation; slag
