Evaluation of efficacy of ceramic paper in controlling heat loss from steel ladles by mathematical modelling

A ladle with high heat content is desirable for steel making in order to minimise heat loss from steel in the period between tapping and casting. Casting into cooler ladles also leads to high localised wear due to thermal spalling. A possibility of specific casting advantages, lowering in tap temperatures and associated cost savings accrued by minimising heat loss from the melt led to the concept of preheating and insulation in the steel ladles. It has been a practice in Tata Steel to use 5 mm thick ceramic paper as an insulation. This work studies the efficacy of the ceramic paper in controlling heat losses from steel ladles. Transient heat transfer analysis has been employed using finite element modelling.