Assessment of Refractory Lining Erosion, Kinetic Characteristics, and Metallurgical Efficiency in Steelmaking Converter Throughout Entire Campaign Life

The erosion of the refractory lining, kinetic characteristics, and metallurgical efficiency of a steelmaking converter undergo significant and complex evolution throughout the entire campaign life. This study focuses on a 200t top and bottom combined blowing converter, where changes in the lining profile and metallurgical performance were comprehensively evaluated by integrating laser‐based thickness scanning of the refractory lining with operational production data. Furthermore, numerical simulations were employed to systematically analyze the dynamic behavior of the gas–slag–metal interface, the flow and stirring characteristics of the molten steel, and the diffusion and mixing behavior of tracer during both the early and late campaign stages. The results demonstrate that as the number of heats increases, the lining profile evolves gradually from a “conical‐spherical” shape to a “pear” shape, resulting in an enlarged molten bath diameter and a reduced depth. This evolution in converter geometry attenuates both the impingement effect of the top blowing supersonic jets and the stirring capacity of the bottom blowing bubble plumes. As a consequence, the mixing time of the molten bath increased from 95.9 s in the early campaign stage to 126.1 s in the late campaign stage, reflecting a 31.49% prolongation. The deterioration in kinetic characteristics of the molten bath further led to a decline in key metallurgical indicators, including dephosphorization rate, carbon‐oxygen product, residual manganese rate, and total iron content in the final slag. This research provides valuable theoretical insights for optimizing the kinetic characteristics of molten bath and enhancing the overall metallurgical performance of converters throughout the entire campaign life.