Characterization of a refractory cement and sensor development for temperature measurements in molten steel

Abstract: In steel manufacturing, temperature control is a critical parameter,as it is extremely important for the steel quality. In general,disposable sensors are regularly immersed in the melt for temperaturemeasurements. There are commercially available sensors for continuoustemperature measurements. In this study, a refractory cement is used for encapsulation andcarrier of a resistive temperature detector, for continuoustemperature measurements in molten steel. This cement is normallyused for manufacturing of steel melt crucibles. The work in thisstudy is mostly experimental and consist of characterization of thecement and development of the sensor. The characterization includesthe mechanical properties, the thermal shock resistance, the steelmelt resistance and obtainable surface roughness, for differentpowder fractions, water-to-cement ratio, firings and mixing method.Process developments were also done for the manufacturing of thesensor element and its carrier system. The end goal for continuous temperature measurement in molten steelfor more than 60 minutes was not reached. However, functional sensorswere developed where temperatures up to 1000 °C were measured duringcalibrations, and the cement was well characterized. This work has been carried out within the Strategic innovationprogram "Smartare Elektroniksystem", a joint investment of Vinnova,Formas and Energimyndigheten.