Ranchi, Dec. 9: Do you know that the steel in advanced countries like Japan is cheaper and better because of their modern refractory technology?

Hence, if the Indian steel has to sustain itself in the global market, it needs to upgrade refractories.

Addressing a two-day seminar on ?Advances in Refractories for Steel Making?, managing director of Bokaro Steel Plant U.P. Singh stressed the need for better refractories.

Organised by Research and Development Centre for Iron and Steel (RDCIS), a corporate unit of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Singh said consumption of refractories in a country like Japan is between seven to nine kg per tonne of crude steel, whereas in India it is between 10 to 15 kg per tonne of crude steel.

Refractories are heat resistant materials and are used for lining the inside of steel making furnaces and ovens in the steel-making process.

Quality of refractories determines the heat and time consumed and other important technical parameters in steel making.

While lauding advances in our steel sector, Singh said though we are scaling new heights, ?but we still have a long way to go?.

On the cost front, the situation is comparatively better.

In the USA or Japan the cost of refractories used in steel making comes to around seven US dollars per tonne of crude steel; it is virtually the same in our country.

But both these countries use superior quality and expensive refractories, which is why they produce steel at a cheaper rate, Singh said.

U.C. Deveshwar, chairman of Indian Refractory Makers Association, in his address stressed on the need for joint effort between the steel industry and the domestic refractory manufacturers for quality and cost-effectiveness.

He also talked about the latest advances in refractories applications.

Hence, to discuss the latest advances in the refractories 175 technical experts, including 10 from abroad, from the steel industry have assembled here to discuss the 18 technical papers that will be presented in four technical sessions spread over these two days.

S. Mazumdar, general manager (steel) and D.P. Chakraborty, DGM (refractory) of RDCIS are co-ordinating and supervising the seminar and the technical sessions.