A fired precast block prevents itself from dropping off early due to corrosion and increases service life of a blast furnace runner, etc. when used in a very vulnerable portion of the blast furnace runner, etc., and can be produced at low costs. The fired precast block has an upper surface to contact molten metal or slag, a lower surface opposing the upper surface, and a plurality of side surface. The fired precast block is used by being embedded in a castable in such a manner that the upper surface is exposed from the castable and the lower surface and the plurality of side surfaces contact the castable. Each side surface of at least one opposing pair of side surfaces includes a planar portion and an uneven portion. The uneven portion has at least one groove-shaped concave portion.

A metal transfer device including a cast trough body that includes a vessel for receiving liquid metal, a heater for heating the trough body, and a reinforcing layer provided on an outer surface of the cast trough body between the trough body and the heater. The reinforcing layer includes a composite ceramic material having a high thermal conductivity.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a melt launder to be used for transferring molten phase such as slag, matte, or metal formed in a process for the production of metals. The invention also relates to a melt launder to be used for transferring molten phase such as slag, matte, or metal formed in a process for the production of metals. The melt launder comprises a launder body of metal, a flow channel for molten phase, a refractory lining for lining the launder body of metal so that the refractory lining at least partly forms a flow surface for molten phase in the flow channel for molten phase, and a layer of steel between the launder body of metal and the refractory lining.

A method for manufacturing pig iron in an electrical smelting furnace including a vessel, the method including the following successive steps: loading DRI product in the vessel, melting the DRI product to form a pig iron layer topped by a slag layer and, tapping the pig iron into a ladle, and adding a carbon containing material directly in the pig iron in the runner of at least one of the smelting furnace tap holes. It also deals with the manufacturing of steel from the pig iron and the associated electrical smelting furnace.