Project Portugal 2030

Summary

The proposed REFINED project adopts a systematic research and development approach to achieve its overarching objectives: a) Provide essential tools for developing and implementing a robust framework for sustainable refractory lining design, addressing the pressing need for longer-lasting and environmentally friendly solutions in steel production. b) Support European refractory and steelmaking industries in identifying technological advancements by offering high-performance design tools to enhance their competitiveness in the global market. REFINED project brings significant added value through: a) Implementation of advanced constitutive models within commercial software, enabling precise simulation of refractory behaviour and facilitating informed design decisions. Even though considerable advances were made within ATHOR, it was highlighted that additional efforts were needed, considering the different phenomenon at play. b) Integration of artificial intelligence and optimization algorithms to predict thermomechanical responses of refractory masonry, optimizing performance and durability. Although some minor efforts have been made recently, current practice relies on small databases and data from incidental process control monitoring and numerical studies instead of continuous in-situ monitoring. c) Benchmarking different behaviour prediction tools through various modelling approaches and advanced analytics, ensuring accuracy and reliability in predicting refractory performance. The validation and comparison of different predictive approaches using case-studies will be crucial to access the capabilities and limitations of the different approaches under the scope of REFINED. d) Provision of validated and benchmarked design framework based on offline and contactless tools for refractory behaviour, crucial for informing downtime planning, process optimization, minimizing process interruptions and enhancing operational efficiency within steel production facilities. Connecting these predictive models to a prosses model within a production facility would be the ultimate goal within REFINED. To accomplish these objectives, the project outlines a series of individual tasks meticulously designed to address specific challenges and advance the state-of-the-art in refractory engineering and design.