Case Study · Iron & Steel
Water-Cooled EAF Roof High Emissivity Coating: 940 Heats and No Leaks at a US Steel Mill
| Industry | Iron & Steel |
|---|---|
| Asset | Water-cooled electric-arc furnace roof |
| Customer or location | Confidential steel mill, USA |
| Products used | Emisshield M-2 |
| Headline metric | 500 to 940 heats (+88%) |
| Secondary metric | $100,000 repairs avoided |
| Also measured | 3 minutes less arc time per melt ($94,000) |
| Also measured | ROI <6 months |
A water-cooled EAF roof with exposed water tubes lasted about 500 heats and needed two $25,000 leak repairs per campaign. After grit-blasting and pressure-testing, the roof and tubes were coated with Emisshield M-2. The roof ran 940 heats before rebuild with no water leaks, arc time per melt fell by 3 minutes, and the project paid back inside six months.
01
What was the challenge?
Increase roof life, cut leak repairs, and improve melt efficiency without altering the furnace design, on a roof operating between 1,570 and 1,650°C.
02
What was applied?
Grit-blast, pressure test, clean, then Emisshield M-2 on the roof and tubes. The thin high emissivity layer re-radiates heat into the melt while protecting the water-cooled tubes from corrosion.
03
What were the results?
| Metric | Uncoated | Coated |
|---|---|---|
| Heats before rebuild | ~500 | 940 (+88%) |
| Water leaks | Two $25,000 repairs per campaign | None; ~$100,000 avoided |
| Arc time per melt | Baseline | −3 minutes; $94,000 electricity saved |
| Coating adhesion | Bonded through the full campaign | |
| Return on investment | <6 months |
04
Why did it work?
The coated roof returns radiant energy to the bath rather than absorbing it into the cooling water, which shortens arc time, and the sealed surface protects the tubes from corrosive attack. See Production Increase.
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