SMS group completes partial hearth repair in record time at Třinecké Železárny BF4

A targeted partial hearth repair completed in just 42 days, minimised production downtime

SMS group has successfully executed a partial hearth repair of blast furnace BF4 at Třinecké Železárny in the Czech Republic. The furnace, which has a production volume of 3100 tons of hot metal per year, was showing a high degree of wear in the hearth area and the hearth linings in the tapping hole area were nearing their end of life. SMS group replaced the carbon blocks and reprofiled the entire hearth with heat-resistant concrete. This targeted approach prevented the need for a full rebuild and significantly reduced downtime, delivering a safe, durable hearth profile within the planned schedule. 

The Paul Wurth technology —sectoral carbon block replacement combined with specialised heat-resistant concrete reprofiling —offer clients the ability to restore hearth integrity and serviceability with minimal operational interruptions. By limiting the scope to the worn sector and optimising drying and follow-on activities, the client benefited from a shortened repair window, reduced project risk, and lower overall downtime costs compared to a full hearth replacement. 

A sectoral Paul Wurth carbon block replacement combined with heat-resistant concrete ensures long-term durability

Jan Zmrzlík, project manager at SMS, said, “We delivered a targeted, high-quality partial hearth repair that met the customer’s need for the shortest possible outage. The chosen method allowed us to confine interventions to the critical sector and complete full reprofiling efficiently, while unexpected tasks such as cutting a frozen salamander were executed rapidly without delaying the handover.”