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Effect of usage of sinter in BOF steelmaking as a replacement to iron ore as

coolant for thermal balance

Article · January 2014

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 Effect of Usage of Sinter in BOF Steelmaking as a Replacement to Iron Ore as Coolant for
Thermal Balance
Kanan Sahoo1, G.Veera Babu1, P.N Rao2, Shankar Jee2
1
Research and Development Department, Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Visakhapatnam, India
2
Steel Melt Shop, Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Visakhapatnam, India

ABSTRACT

Steelmaking through BOF route is still a predominant process as compared to EAF and Induction Furnace route. More
than 60% of World liquid steel production comes from BOF route only. Steelmaking is a autogenous process due to oxidation
of silicon which releases tremendous amount of heat that can be utilized and balanced by scrap and iron ore addition. Due to
higher price of scrap and scarcity of lump iron ore in the world an alternate resource, iron ore fines in the form of sinter, may
be used as a substitute coolant in the steelmaking process.
In this paper a study is made for comparing the use of sinter vs iron ore as a coolant in BOF by evaluating the mass and
heat balance, total oxygen consumption and trajectory of removal of the impurities especially during de-carburization and
oxygen blowing pattern of refining of heats. The quality of slag generated with the usage of sinter as coolant and its impact
on refractory lining is also studied. The cost effectiveness of the two processes is compared.

Key words: BOF, sinter, oxygen blowing, refining, heat and mass balance, decarburization

INTRODUCTION

From the very beginning of the theory of steelmaking it is well known that steel refining from liquid pig iron(Hot Metal) by
oxidation of metalloids(C,Si,Mn,P and S) is anautogenous process. Heat generated due to oxidation of the impurities like [Si],
[Mn] and [C] provides a good amount of heat in the system which is used to melt scrap. Non availability of good quality scrap
and the increasing cost of scrap is forcing the integrated steel makers to depend on iron ore at times for thermal balancing and
dynamic bath temperature adjustment .Most of the steel plants in India uses iron ore with a partial quantity of indigenous scrap
for thermal balance during liquid steel refining. But nowadays even the price of iron ore has also increased and quality and
sized ore is even scarcer. Sinter being an internal production of an integrated plant can offer consistency in these two aspects
without compromising on net metallic content. So for economical production of liquid steel Visakhapatnam steel plant has
initiated the addition of +25mm size sinter in place of +25-40mm sized ore as an alternate coolant in the BOF vessel for
achieving the required thermal balance during refining of liquid steel. The cooling efficiency of sinter is less than that of iron
ore. Also the sinter composition contains SiO2and FeO which increase the slag volume during refining of steel in the vessel.

To understand the effectiveness of the use of sinter as alternate coolant in BOF steel making, the material and thermal
balance, the variation of evolution parameters like oxidation of silicon, manganese, decarburization rate temperature of liquid
steel, weight of liquid steel and slag are compared with that of iron ore used as a coolant.

COMPARISON BETWEEN MATERIAL AND HEAT BALANCE

Taking 1 Ton of Hot metal (THM) as the basis of calculation, the mass and heat balance was carried out for iron ore and
sinter addition as coolant in BOF vessel. This is shown in the flow diagrams given below.

 
  AISTech 2014 Proceedings. © 2014 by AIST. 287
Mass and Heat balance for iron ore addition as coolant in BOF

6.88 Kg. Dust loss

1000 Kg. Hot Metal 888.305 Kg. Steel

69.07 Kg. Flux 98 Kg. Slag

Heat Production by
(49.84 Kg. Lime
and 19.23 Kg Calcined dolomite) Oxidation of Hot Metal

79.88 Kg. Oxygen 156 Kg. gas and fumes

Heat to Coolant (217.375 MJ) Heat loss (5338.378 MJ)

Mass and Heat balance for Sinter addition as coolant in BOF

5.801 Kg. Dust loss

1000 Kg. Hot Metal 887.4 Kg. Steel

74.44 Kg. Flux 105.3Kg. Slag

Heat Production by
(53.73 Kg. Lime
and 20.71 Kg. Calcined dolomite) Oxidation of Hot Metal 156 Kg. gas and fumes
80.14 Kg. Oxygen

Heat to Coolant (236.439 MJ) Heat loss (5338.378 MJ)

Keeping the hot metal weight as 140 tons and scrap weight as 12 tons in both the cases, the sinter requirement will be
1.5~1.7 times more than that of iron ore. This shows that, the cooling efficiency of sinter is less than that of iron ore.
As shown in the two flow diagrams, while using sinter as coolant in place of iron ore, the flux requirement and slag
generation rate per ton of hot metal is increased by 0.33% and 7.14% respectively. The flux consisting of lime and burnt
dolomite for the case of sinter is taken which includes the CaO and MgO content of sinter. Here it is assumed that the heat loss
from the shell and mouth of the vessel are constant (i.e. 5338.378 MJ) (4) for both the addition of iron ore and sinter as coolant
in BOF. It is very interesting to observe that, the excess heat for coolant (i.e. for scrap and iron ore or sinter) in case of sinter
addition is 19.064 MJ more, which means more sinter addition is required for equivalent addition of iron ore. Where as the
dust loss in case of sinter addition is 11.33% less as compared to iron ore addition which shows better control over the blow.

COMPARISON OF TRAJECTORY OF DECARBURIZATION RATE AND %[C] IN THE BATH

Approximately 30 sets of data of off-gas flow rate (m3/hr.) and analysis were collected at 3 seconds intervals for both iron
ore and sinter additions during the blow while keeping the oxygen flow rate (m3/min.) and blowing lance height almost
constant. The observed percentages of CO and CO2 in the off-gases can’t be directly used to calculate the amount of
decarburization during the blow because a significant amount of nitrogen is always present in the off-gas which is a direct
indication of air infiltration taking place in the mouth (glory-hole) of the vessel. Ingress of air, which contains oxygen causes

 
 288 AISTech 2014 Proceedings. © 2014 by AIST.
oxidation of CO to CO2 near the mouth or outside the vessel (i.e. within the off-gas collection system).Since the oxidation
takes place above the mouth of the vessel, temperature increase due to post combustion does not increase the temperature
inside the vessel.

In order to compute the actual percentages of CO gas and CO2 gas at mouth the following procedure was adopted.

Actual % CO gas in the off-gas

= %CO 2 ∗ ∗ 100 %CO %CO2 H2 (1)
Actual % CO2 gas in the off-gas
= %CO2 2 ∗ ∗ 100 %CO CO2 H2 (2)

The average decarburization rate (Kg./sec) and % carbon in the bath were calculated at 3 seconds and were compared in
Fig. 1 for both iron ore and sinter addition.
d c /d t_ Ir o n O r e
d c /d t_ s in te r
60

50

40
dc/dt(Kg./sec)

30

20

10

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

tim e o f b lo w in s e c

Figure 1. Decarburization rate in Kg./sec for iron ore and sinter addition

It is seen from the Figure 1 that decarburization starts early during the oxygen blow period in case of sinter addition than
that of iron ore addition. This may be due to slag-metal decarburization reaction as;

(FeO)+[C] = CO +Fe (3)

The overall rate of decarburization during sinter addition is less for sinter than that of iron ore addition. due to the FeO
present in the sinter which promotes initial oxidation of silicon and manganese i.e. slag-metal reaction of type;

(FeO)+ [Mn]= (MnO) +Fe (4)

2(FeO)+[Si]=(SiO2)+2Fe (5)

It is also observed that overall decarburization is more consistent through out the blow period in case of sinter usage in
comparison to iron ore may be due to constant availability of slag and its fluidity due to increased FeO and MnO content.

The slag-metal decarburization reaction during sinter addition as in equation (3) in the final stage of blowing extends for
approximately 30 seconds more than during iron ore addition indicating more oxygen consumption.

 
  AISTech 2014 Proceedings. © 2014 by AIST. 289
 5
a v g [B o o k 1 _ B ]_ IO
a v g [B o o k 1 _ B ]_ s in te r
4

[C] in the Bath (%)

3

0 200 400 600 800 1000

tim e o f b lo w (s e c )

Figure 2. %[C] removal profile after iron ore and sinter additions in BOF with progress of the
blow.

The comparison of carbon removal profile as shown in Figure 2, after iron ore and sinter addition, shows that in the initial
phase of the blow, removal of [C] from the bath for sinter addition is less than that of iron ore addition due to slag-metal
oxidation reaction of [Si] and [Mn] with FeO of slag. In the final stage of the blow, due to reduction reaction of FeO of slag
with the bath [C] which is controlling the rate in this stage is similar for sinter addition and iron ore addition as coolant.

OXIDATION OF [SI] AND [MN] OF THE BATH FOR IRON ORE AND SINTER ADDITION IN BOF

Silicon from the hot metal is oxidized early in the progress of the blow. Almost all the silicon is oxidized within 3 minutes
of the blow.

[Si] + O2 = (SiO2) (6)

The (SiO2) formed combines with CaO of lime forming di-calcium silicate and tri-calcium silicate in the slag. The rate is
controlled by liquid phase mass transfer. The mass transfer can be simplified to mass transfer in the metal and is given by

%
% % (7)
Where,
mSi = Mass transfer coefficient for silicon
A = Area of slag-metal interface
ρ = Density of melt
WBath = Weight of melt
%Sie = The Silicon content in metal in equilibrium with the slag& is
close to zero

The overall reaction rate for oxidation of silicon can be assumed as a first order reaction.(1)

%
ln = - ksi . t (8)
%

Where,
%Si = wt. % Silicon at any time t
%Si0= wt. % Silicon initially
ksi = rate constant for the reaction (3)

Manganese oxidation reaction takes palce both in the jet-impact zone and at the slag-metal interface. The rate of oxidation
of manganese is controlled by renewal rate of bulk metal in the reaction zone.

 
 290 AISTech 2014 Proceedings. © 2014 by AIST.
For [Mn] oxidation the slag-metal interface reaction is

[Mn] + (FeO) = (MnO) + Fe (9)

Reaction (9) can be controlled by mass transfer of FeO in the slag. In the competitive oxidation of [C] and [Mn],the overall
rate equation can be described as(2) ;

%
=k1[%Mn]+k2(%FeO) (10)

Where,
k1 = Rate constant for mass-transfer of
Manganese in the metal.
k2 = Rate constant for mass transfer of (FeO)
in the slag.
The value of ksi, k1 and k2 obtained from the plant data respectively are 1.33*10-2, 7.7*10-4 and 8.2*10-3.

0.90
2 for iron ore addition
0.85
2 for sinter addition
0.80
2 for iron ore addition
0.75
2 for sinter addition
0.70
0.65
[Si],[Mn] in the bath (%)

0.60
0.55
0.50
0.45
0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
0.00
0 200 400 600 800 1000
time of blow (sec)

Figure 3. Removal profile for [Si] and [Mn] in the progress of the blow.

From Figure 3, it is seen that oxidation of [Mn] never reaches completion as it is a bulk metal-slag reaction. But Mn-hump
is not observed in the graph due to very low initial [Mn] content of the hot metal.

COMPARISON OF %FeO IN SLAG FOR IRON ORE AND SINTER ADDITION INTO THE VESSEL

The amount of FeO in the slag can be calculated by a mass balance for Oxygen. After oxidation of [C], [Si], [Mn] the
unused oxygen from the system oxidizes iron.

The number of moles of FeO in the slag at any time is given as(2):

 d % C Wbath (1  f ) 
t
n FeO   2  nO2  dt  ( nO2  nO2 )
Si Mn

0  dt 1200 

Where,
nO2 = Flow rate of oxygen in moles
Wbath = Wt. of liquid steel
f = The fraction of off-gas which is CO
nO2 Si , nO2 Mn = Number of moles of oxygen consumed in
oxidizing Si and Mn

 
  AISTech 2014 Proceedings. © 2014 by AIST. 291
 The amount of FeO in the slag after iron ore addition and sinter addition were evaluated and plotted in Figure 4. The initial
amount of FeO in the slag after sinter addition is very high providing slag-metal interfacial reactions for [Si] and [Mn]
removal during the progress of the oxygen blow in the vessel. Whereas amount of FeO for both the cases are almost same at
the final stage of the blow.

Avg. FeO in Iron ore

Avg. FeO in Sinter
3500

Avg. FeO in Kg. of Slag 3000

2500

2000

1500

1000
0 150 300 450 600 750 900 1050 1200
Time of Blow (Sec)

Figure 4: Amount of FeO in the slag as a function of blowing time after iron ore and sinter additions

COMPARISON OF WEIGHT OF BATH AND SLAG BETWEEN IRON ORE AND SINTER ADDITION

To determine the dynamic weight of liquid steel and slag a material balance was carried out considering the removal of all
impurities as well as melting rate of scrap and dissolution of lime.

Weight of liquid steel: W %C %Si %Mn

W W W (11)

Weight of liquid slag: W ∗ %Si ∗ %Mn

W W (12)

 
 292 AISTech 2014 Proceedings. © 2014 by AIST.
 a v g b a th w t_ s in te r
144 a v g b a th w t_ Ir o n o r e

142

140

138

Avg. Bath Wt. (Tons)

136

134

132

130

128

126

0 200 400 600 800 1000

tim e o f b lo w ( S e c )

Figure 5. Comparison of weight of liquid steel between iron ore and sinter addition during the
progress of the blow.

Figure 5 shows that there is a slight variation in the weight of liquid steel in the initial and final stages of blow. It may be
due to more oxygen presence in the system in the form of FeO which resulting in more impurity removal in the initial period
by providing slag-metal reaction and variation of initial wt.% [C] and [Si] in the hot metal. Prolonged decarburization
reaction results in better carbon removal in the final stage as the blow progresses.

From Figure 5 it quite seen that there is not much difference in variation in the weight of liquid steel between iron ore and
sinter addition. This is because the total iron content is almost same in the case of iron ore and sinter additions. The melting
rate of scrap and losses in fumes are taken as constant for both the cases.

avg w t of slag_sinter
avg w t of slag_IO
14

12

10
Wt. of slag (Tons)

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000
tim e of blow (S ec)

Figure 6. Comparison of weight of slag after sinter and iron ore additions

From Figure 6 it is seen that slag weight after sinter addition increases by approximately 1 ton more than that of iron ore
addition as the blow progresses. This may be due to increase in wt. % SiO2 and CaO in the slag. The dissolution of lime is
taken as a constant for both the cases throughout the progress of the blow.

COMPARISON OF BASICITY OF SLAG AFTER SINTER AND IRON ORE ADDITION

The variation of slag basicity (%CaO/SiO2) during the progress of the blow was compared after iron ore and sinter
addition.

 
  AISTech 2014 Proceedings. © 2014 by AIST. 293
 a v g B a s ic ity _ ir o n o r e
3 .5
a v g B a s ic ity _ s in te r

3 .0

2 .5

Basicity of slag
2 .0

1 .5

1 .0

0 .5

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

tim e o f b lo w ( s e c )

Figure.7
Variation of slag Basicity during the progress of the blow for iron ore and sinter addition as coolant.
From Figure 7 it can be inferred that as the dissolution of lime in the slag increases during the progress of the blow after
sinter addition the basicity also increases when compared with iron ore addition as sinter contains approximately 10 wt. %
CaO in the particulate form which helps its easy dissolution in the slag.

VARIATION OF TEMPERATURE OF THE STEEL MELTS FOR IRON ORE AND SINTER ADDITION

From WU Ling et al. (3) the temperature of the steel melt can be calculated from off-gas CO and CO2 analysis as given by;

log + logw + logf +3.302 (13)

Where,
xi = % of i in the off-gas
w[C] = % concentration of i in the molten steel.
fC = activity coefficient of i
T = Temperature of liquid Bath.

The activity coefficient of carbon (fC) can be obtained by the equation:

log fC = 0.1666w[C] +9.9613*10-7 w[C]3(T-273) -0.0158 w[C]2 +3.0246* w[C](T-273) (14)

a v g m e lt te m p _ IO
1800 a v g m e lt te m p _ s in te r

1700

1600
melt temperature (deg. C)

1500

1400

1300

1200

1100

1000
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
tim e o f b lo w (s e c )

Figure 8. Bath temperature trajectory for iron ore and sinter addition in BOF vessel.

From Figure 8 it can be seen that the temperature trajectory after iron ore and sinter additions are almost same in the initial
part of blow. As the decarburization rate increases steel melt temperature increases by about 20~30 0C for sinter addition

 
 294 AISTech 2014 Proceedings. © 2014 by AIST.
implying that it is not a very effective coolant compared to iron ore. But for maintaining bath temperature dynamically and
for consistent decarburization intermittent addition of sinter is helpful in comparison to iron ore. Intermittent addition of iron
ore releases oxygen suddenly disturbing the gas flow and resulting in puffing of gases at the mouth which is not the case with
sinter and hence intermittent additions of sinter can be helpful in controlling bath temperature.

COMPARISON OF COST BETWEEN SINTER AND IRON ORE ADDITIONS

As the amount of sinter addition to BOF steelmaking is approximately 1.5~1.7 times than that of iron ore addition, the
economics of the process needs to be compared.

The estimation of cost can be carried out by applying the equation:

Cost = [Price of crude steel*(Wt. of crude steel) + price of slag*(Wt. of slag) + price of gas
Generated*(Wt. of gas)] – [price of Hot metal*(Wt. of Hot metal)+price of scrap
* (Wt of scrap) +price of oxygen*(Wt. of Oxygen)+price of fluxes*(Wt. of fluxes)
+price of coolant (i.e. iron ore or sinter)*(Wt. of coolant)]
(14)

By comparing the Cost for 1 Metric ton of above components, it was found that using sinter as alternate coolant in place
iron ore for thermal balance is more or less same from economical point of view.

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK

(1) Using sinter as coolant in BOF instead of iron ore the final chemistry of liquid steel does not change.
(2) The dust losses with the use of sinter are less than that of use of iron ore showing better impact on environment.
(3) The slag generation rate and the basicity of slag are more with usage of sinter.
(4) The cooling efficiency of sinter is 1.5 to 1.7 times less than the equivalent cooling efficiency of iron ore. Theoretical
calculation as mentioned above shows this difference but in plant practices it is almost equal quantity replacement due to
increased retained slag availability in the vessel with sinter addition.
(5) The evolution trajectory of impurity (C, Si, Mn) removal from hot metal does not differ much while using sinter.
(6) The trajectory of phosphorus removal during the blow which is not included in this investigation can be incorporated in
future.

LIST OF SYMBOLS

W = Weight of hot metal at any time during refining (Tons.)

W = Initial weight of hot metal (Tons)
= Rate of change element (C,Si,Mn) in the melt during the refining(Tons/sec.)
W = weight of scrap at any time during refining (Tons)
W = Weight of iron oxide fumes (Tons)
W = weight of FeO formed during the refining (Tons)
W = Weight of slag at any time during refining (Tons)
W = Weight of CaO in the slag at any time during refining (Tons)

REFERENCES

1. B.Deo, V.Balakrishna, AISTech 2009, conf.proc. vol-1,pp:766-775

2. N.Sano,W.K.Lu,P.V. Riboud and M.Maeda, Advanced Physical Chemistry For Process Metallurgy, Academic Press,
p.370
3. WU Ling et al./Procedia and Planetary Science, vol-2, 2011, pp:14-19
4. R.I.N.L Internal report “Improvement of Lining Life of LD-Converter” pp:52-68

 
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 296 AISTech 2014 Proceedings. © 2014 by AIST.

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