Success Story:

Carbon Black Injection Hose

Market Served:
Manufacturing & Industrial

Eaton Industrial Hose Assembly Helps Make

Steel Mills More Productive
Location:
Bartlett, Tennessee
Segment:
Steel Making
Challenge:
Create a longer-lasting hose assembly
for injecting highly abrasive carbon
black into electric arc furnaces used in
steel mills.
Solution:
A purpose-built hose assembly
incorporating a steel fitting from Fugitt
Rubber Supply and industrial hose
from Eaton.
Results:
The new hose assemblies deliver four
to five times the service life of gum
rubber hosesand are lighter, more
flexible, less expensive, and easier to
handle than ceramic lined hoses.
Contact Information:
Contact Name
Eaton
(xxx) xxx-xxxx
contact@eaton.com

Based on parts alone, these

new hose assemblies could
save steel mills more than
$10 million in the first year.

Background

Challenge

Steel mills are among the

most demanding work
environments in any industry.
Equipment used in making
steel has to endure severe
heat, chemical reactions and
abrasion. A new product
from Eaton stands up to
these extreme conditions,
helping reduce downtime
and increase productivity.

For years, steel mills have

used traditional gunite
hose, named for its use in
spray concrete applications,
in 1-inch inside diameters
and lengths from 3 to
25 feet. These hoses are
usually fitted using male
pipe threads on the hoses
and female threads on the
furnace. Carbon black is
moved through the hose in
slurry or granular form at
pressures of 100 psi or less.

During the melt cycle,

carbon black is injected with
compressed air through
hoses into an electric arc
furnace. The carbon black
creates a foamy slag layer,
which helps regulate the
chemistry and temperature
of the molten steel, and
shields it from the electric
arc. But the carbon black is so
abrasive that it quickly wears
through most rubber hoses
and even the steel walls of
fittings at the hose ends.

During use, carbon black

eventually wears completely
through gum rubber
hosesand even through
conventional fittings, especially
if the assembly includes any
90-degree bends.
Fugitt Rubber Supply, an
Eaton Aeroquip Premiere
Select distributor, has served
the steel making industry
for more than 20 years.
One of its customers asked
Fugitt if there was any way
to increase the service life

Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company ranked among the largest Fortune
500 companies. Eaton is a global leader in electrical components and systems for power quality,
distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile
equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and
truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety.
Eaton has approximately 73,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries.
www.eaton.com.

Since its introduction, Eaton

has delivered approximately
60,000 feet of carbon
black injection hose to
Fugitt, which in turn sells
assemblies to several steel
mills. Customers report
that the new assemblies
provide much longer service
life than gum rubber hoses
and angled fittings, keeping
furnaces in operation
longer between scheduled
maintenance events.

of these injection hoses.

A more durable hose
would reduce scheduled
maintenance requirements
and increase furnace uptime.
A better hose product
for this application could
improve productivity for
all the steel mills served
by Fugittand by the
customers of other Eaton
distributors across the
globe. With 246 electric
arc furnaces currently in
operation, each consuming
approximately 2,200 feet of
gum rubber hose per month,
the potential market for
1-inch hose is 6.5 million
feet in the first year.
Solution
Fugitt Rubber employees
applied their knowledge
of the application and
connection systems to
develop a custom stainless
steel fitting. The hose
passes completely through
the inner diameter of the
fitting, and ends flush
with a male camlockstyle connection. This
straight-through design and
permanent attachment help
minimize flow restrictions
and abrasion failures.
In 2006, Fugitt called
on Eaton to develop an

industrial hose, rather than

a hydraulic hose, for carbon
black injection applications.
Eaton engineers in
Newbern, Tennessee,
designed a hose that would
perform optimally when
paired with the Fugitt
fitting. The result was a true
system solution.
In extensive field testing,
the new hose assemblies
delivered up to five times
the service life of the gum
rubber hose assemblies they
were designed to replace.
They also provide several
advantages compared to
ceramic lined hoses, the
previous alternative to
gunite rubber hose: they
are lighter, more flexible,
less expensive, and easier

Eaton
Hydraulics Group USA
14615 Lone Oak Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
USA
Tel: 952-937-9800
Fax: 952-294-7722
www.eaton.com/hydraulics

2012 Eaton Corporation

All Rights Reserved
Printed in USA
Document No. E-HYOV-MS0XX-E
April 2012

to handlewith lower risk

of critical damage during
installation. Eaton branded
this hose product exclusively
for Fugitt, and introduced it
in 2007.
Results
Although several factors
affect how often hose
assemblies need to be
replacedhose length,
number of bends, volume
of carbon black, and so
onthe numbers are
significant. For 246 electric
arc furnaces, average
consumption is 2,200 feet
of gum rubber hose and
176 new fittings per month.
That represents 6.5 million
feet of hose and more than
500,000 fittings per year.

Eaton
Hydraulics Group Europe
Route de la Longeraie 7
1110 Morges
Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 21 811 4600
Fax: +41 (0) 21 811 4601

The new carbon black

injection hose assemblies
reduce the need for
replacement. With four to
five times the service life,
they reduce the chances
of premature failure, which
means lower risks of lost
batches and cleanup costs.
A 75 percent reduction
in assembly changeovers
also means greater uptime.
Based on parts alone, these
new hose assemblies could
save steel mills more than
$10 million in the first year.
Eaton and Fugitt are proud
to help these businesses
become more productive
and profitable.

Eaton
Hydraulics Group Asia Pacific
Eaton Building
4th Floor, No. 7 Lane 280 Linhong Rd.
Changning District
Shanghai 200335
China
Tel: (+86 21) 5200 0099
Fax: (+86 21) 5200 0400