At the dawn of 2020, the whole country—and indeed the world—was suddenly confronted with the enormous challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. For China’s steel enterprises, this was a critically challenging period. During the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic steel companies faced a severe situation characterized by strained supply-and-demand relationships, disrupted production rhythms, and numerous blast furnaces urgently needing repair and restoration to normal operations.

Faced with the pandemic, China did not flinch—and neither did China’s steel companies. Nor did Meigu Meite have any reason to back down. During the most critical period from January to April, when epidemic prevention measures were at their strictest, Meigu Meite carried out as many as 22 major and medium-scale overhaul projects on blast furnaces. Under tremendous operational pressure, Meigu Meite overcame the challenges of tight supplies of raw materials and personnel during the pandemic lockdowns. As soon as production resumed, it promptly dispatched equipment and materials to project sites across the country and sent staff to the frontline of epidemic control, working hand in hand with numerous steel enterprises to successfully complete one blast furnace overhaul project after another. From Jianlong Xilin in the frigid north of the country, where temperatures plunged to -38°C, to Zhuhai Yueyufeng in the warm south, where temperatures reached 27°C; from Lianyungang Xingxin along the East China Sea to Bayi in Xinjiang at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains; from Baowu Meishan Base, Nanjing Iron & Steel, and Jiangsu Huaigang in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River to Chongqing Iron & Steel upstream on the Yangtze; from Fujian Yixin Steel along the coast to Ningxia Iron & Steel, Ningxia Jianlong, and Ningxia Xinghua in the west; from Shanxi’s Dongfang Henglue and Hebei’s Wenfeng Steel and Xinxing Cast Pipe to Liaoning’s Lingyuan Iron & Steel—everywhere, good news kept pouring in. One blast furnace after another has been revitalized thanks to Meigu Meite’s advanced, unique, and high-quality refractory technology, making a vital contribution to helping China’s steel companies resume production and achieve profit growth amid the pandemic.

One typical case is the No. 1 2,500 m³ blast furnace at Chongqing Iron and Steel, a subsidiary of China Baowu, which was shut down on March 30, 2020, for an accelerated major overhaul and upgrade. Before the shutdown, the furnace’s daily output had been between 5,800 and 6,000 tons. Meigu Metallurgical Technology leveraged its proprietary high-quality silicon gel-based unshaped refractory technology, a unique, high-performance, integrated hearth casting technique, and third-generation spray-injection technology as a general contractor to carry out the project, which included tapping residual iron, cooling the furnace, cleaning the hearth, performing hearth casting, spraying the furnace body, and coating the ascending and descending pipe gravity dust collectors. During the pandemic, Meigu Metallurgical Technology overcame numerous challenges and completed the construction by April 30. The total amount of refractory materials used reached over 1,300 tons, and the entire project took 30 days. With the meticulous operation of the Chongqing Iron and Steel team and the joint efforts of the Shaogang support team, the No. 1 blast furnace was successfully restarted on May 18. Three days later, the daily output had already reached 6,500 tons; on the fourth day, it rose to 6,517 tons, and by the tenth day, it had climbed to 7,005 tons. The furnace utilization rate reached 2.802 tons per cubic meter per day, setting a new domestic record for the startup and full-production phase of similar blast furnaces. Since the second quarter, the furnace’s production indicators have repeatedly broken previous records. From July 1 to 7, the No. 1 blast furnace achieved an average daily pig iron production of 7,477 tons, an increase of 775 tons year-on-year. The fuel ratio stood at 490 kg per ton, down 14 kg per ton from June. Meanwhile, the furnace utilization rate climbed to 2.991 tons per cubic meter per day. All key economic and technical indicators continue to show steady improvement, reaching yet another all-time high.

Case Study No. 2: The 430 m³ oxygen blast furnace at Xinjiang Bayi Iron & Steel, a subsidiary of China Baowu, was engaged in intensive production preparation work even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leveraging the unique smelting characteristics of oxygen blast furnaces—specifically their oxygen-enriched air blowing—and taking advantage of the superior properties of high-quality refractory materials, Meigu Metallurgy carried out a comprehensive refurbishment of the furnace hearth refractories in May 2020. This effort has ensured the smooth commissioning of what is currently the world’s only industrially tested oxygen-enriched blast furnace. At present, the oxygen blast furnace has completed routine operations such as slag removal, furnace temperature elevation, and silicon content reduction. It will now, according to schedule, gradually begin exploring low-carbon metallurgical trials involving different oxygen ratios and varying material compositions, thus truly embarking on an innovative path toward low-carbon metallurgy with distinctive features tailored to Bayi Steel.

It is worth noting that as early as 2015, Meigu Meite had already completed the world’s first lining pour for a blast furnace hearth using carbon-free side-wall bricks. As of June 2020, Meigu Meite’s technology for lining blast furnace hearths with carbon-free side-wall bricks had been successfully applied to 30 blast furnaces both domestically and internationally. Currently, all 30 blast furnaces are operating safely, and their service life has far exceeded initial expectations.

As of June 30, 2020, Meigu Meite had completed a cumulative total of 58,000 tons of blast furnace hearth lining castings worldwide. Among these, 53% were cast using reclaimed carbon bricks, 21% were cast using carbon-free bricks, and 26% were cast using new carbon bricks. Of the 22 blast furnaces with hearth linings over 2,000 m³ that were lined using reclaimed carbon bricks, examples include Baogang No. 3 2,200 m³ blast furnace, Shougang Qiansteel No. 1 2,650 m³ blast furnace, No. 2 2,650 m³ blast furnace, Shougang Tonggang No. 3 2,680 m³ blast furnace, Bensteel Plate No. 5 2,600 m³ and No. 7 2,800 m³ blast furnaces, Bensteel Beiyong New No. 2 3,200 m³ blast furnace, and Chongqing Iron & Steel No. 1 2,500 m³ blast furnace. In the first half of 2020 alone, Meigu Meite’s total volume of blast furnace hearth lining castings reached 7,300 tons.

As 2020 marks the concluding year of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, Meigu Meite will uphold the concept of green development, remain committed to innovation-driven technological advancement, and pursue a path of high-quality service development, working hand-in-hand with steel enterprises to create a brighter future together.