In the oilfield, WC is used as described in linked article; it, for hardfacing operations. Fused (or cast-crushed) WC is much harder and, therefore more wear resistant than the sintered pelets. On the other hand, the sintered pelets have a rounded shape (as oppoesd to the cast-crushed), so the sintered pelets are often specified for applications where the drill string has to run through cased portions of the hole.
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