OREANDA-NEWS. September 18, 2012. TRL Krosaki Refractories (TRL Krosaki) has commissioned a state-of-the-art taphole clay plant of 18,000 tonnes per annum capacity at its Belpahar works location on September 15, 2012. Set up with an investment of Rs21.47 crore, this plant will enable TRL Krosaki to produce both tar-based and resin-based clay for blast furnaces.

The facility was inaugurated by Yasuo Hamamoto, president, Krosaki Harima Corporation (KHC), the global partner of the company, in the presence of Dr AK Chattopadhyay, MD, TRL Krosaki, and other directors and senior executives of TRL Krosaki and KHC. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hamamoto expressed his satisfaction with the project which was commissioned in a record time. He added that the taphole clay plant and the FCP expansion, which is in the project stage, would contribute significantly to the top line and bottom line of the company.

The taphole clay plant has been set up with KHC technology, which is known worldwide for its superior performance and product quality. There is a huge demand for taphole clay in steel industry. Although there are few taphole clay manufacturers in India, the steel industry is widely depending on KHC because the quality of taphole clay supplied by them from Japan is known to be the best. The addition of these products will widen the product basket of TRL Krosaki, which is the biggest in the industry, and enable TRL Krosaki to meet market requirements. It will also give an edge to the company over its global competitors. Taphole clay can be used for optimal performance, leading to high productivity, and stable blast furnace operations because of the following features:

Ease in pushing inside the taphole (appropriate plasticity).

Ease in drilling (appropriate sintering).

Assists in stable and durable tapping (sufficient durability).

Lower specific consumption (less consumption per ton of hot metal).