Assessment of Refractory Lining Performance in Electric Arc Furnaces at Nigerian Steel Plants

This study assesses the performance of refractory lining systems installed in electric arc furnaces at steel plants in Nigeria, focusing on lining life, wear mechanisms, and the technical and operational factors governing furnace relining intervals. Refractory performance directly affects steel plant productivity and operating costs, and the management of refractory campaigns is a critical technical function that has received limited Nigerian-specific documentation. Operational data including heat campaign lengths, refractory consumption per tonne of steel, lining thickness profiles, and maintenance records are collected from EAF operations at three steel plants in Delta, Lagos, and Osun States through structured facility surveys and interviews with furnace management teams. Selected post-campaign worn refractory samples are characterised by XRD and SEM-EDX to identify wear mechanisms including erosion, chemical attack, and thermal spalling. Results reveal significant variability in lining life across the three plants (ranging from 180 to 420 heats per campaign), with the longest campaigns associated with more consistent slag chemistry management, higher quality basic magnesia-carbon brick installation, and systematic gunning repair practices. Inadequate slag basicity control and variable scrap quality are identified as primary drivers of premature lining failure in underperforming operations. The study recommends the adoption of dynamic slag chemistry monitoring and targeted gunning maintenance protocols. Keywords: refractory lining, electric arc furnace, steel plant, lining life, Nigeria.