MME:291

Production of Steel

Department of MME
BUET, Dhaka
 The Steelmaking Processes
Overall refinement scheme of B/F iron
 Reduction of iron and other metallics from ore
Resulting pig iron containing high carbon and other impurities

 Oxidation of C, Si, Mn by exposing to oxygen & flux

Resulting steel contains high oxygen levels

 S,P removed in slag by fluxing

Linked to deoxidation

 Oxygen and other dissolved gases must be removed

Vacuum gassing and other methods

 Recarburization and Ladle additions for fine chemistry control

 Common refinement processes of B/F iron
Open Hearth
Bessemer Furnace
Converter

Steelmaking
Processes

Electric Arc
Basic Oxygen Furnace
Furnace
Two principal steelmaking processes

Acid processes
 Use costly pig iron
 It can not remove S and P
 Cheap production process

Basic processes
 Use cheap pig iron
 Remove S and P
 Costly production process
Principles of Steel Making

1. [Fe] + [O] = [FeO]

2. [C] + [FeO] = [Fe]+{CO}

Acid and basic
3. [Si] + 2 [FeO] = 2 [Fe]+(SiO2) process

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

5. 2[P] + 5[FeO] = 5[Fe]+ (P2O5)

6. [FeS] + (CaO) = (CaS) + (FeO) [Basic]

3 FeO + P2O5 = (FeO) 3P2O5 Basic

(FeO) 3P2O5 +3 CaO= (CaO) 3P2O5 + 3 FeO
 The Bessemer process

Converter and its lining

❖ Small furnaces (converter) (~20 tons)
❖ Lined with siliceous and quartzite rock in acid process
❖ Lined with burnt dolomite mixed with tar in basic process
 Sequence in operation

➢Charge in horizontal position

➢Air blowing in vertical position

➢Tapping in upside down

➢Deoxidation and recarburization in ladle

 1.Charge
Charge in Acid process
Pig Iron
Composition:
C=3-4 % Si=1.2-2%
Mn=.75-1 % P,S=.04 %

Charge in Basic process

Pig Iron
Composition:
C=3-4 % Si=1%
Mn=1 % P=1.5%
S=.1% max
Lime
 Air Blow in acid and basic process
Elements removal in case of Acid process

Elements removal in case of basic process

 Pouring off
Slag and hot metal is poured off in different ladle.
Slag produced in basic process are SiO2 . CaS, P2 O5, MnO, FeO

Recurburization and deoxidisers

➢Coke ( carbon source) ,ferrosillicon ( Si), ferromanganese (Mn) ,Al are added

FeO + C= Fe +CO
FeO +Mn=Fe +MnO
Comparison of the acid and Basic Bessemer process

Advantages of Bessemer process

Disadvantages of Bessemer process

LD Process /The basic oxygen process

• The name LD stands for Linz and Donawitz, these were the
two places in Austria where the process was born.

• This process is also called as Basic Oxygen Process.

• LD process is a refining process which is carried out in a LD

vessel(or LD converter/BOF).
Construction:
• LD converter is a welded construction of non-ageing steel
plates (8mm), the height of the vessel varies from 7-10m.

• L.D converter has a basic lining of magnesite bricks

(permanent lining) and Dolomite bricks (working lining).

• Oxygen lance (8-10m & 20-25cm dia) is made of concentric

steel tubes and the tip of the lance is made with Copper.
LD Converter
Steps involved in LD process:
 1. Charging

i) Scrap:

✓Home scrap generated in the plant is

charged.

✓It acts as a coolant & utilizes the excess

heat energy generated during refining.

✓LD process can take upto 25% of the metal

charge as scrap.
ii) Hot Metal (75-90%):
The analysis of iron required to use in LD process as follows:

C 4.10 - 4.30%

Si 0.50 – 0.85%

Mn 0.50 – 0.80%

S 0.02 – 0.03%

P 0.10 – 0.25%
 iii) Fluxes:
❑ Lime (95+%CaO) and dolomite (58%CaO, 39%MgO) are the
two primary fluxes.

iv) Coolants:
❑ Limestone, scrap, iron ore, and sponge iron are all potential
coolants that can be added to a heat that has been overblown
and is excessively hot.

v) Oxygen:
❑ 99.5% of pure oxygen is used as refining agent.
 2.Blowing
 After charging, the vessel is rotated to
vertical position, lance is lowered to
blowing position and O2 is turned on.
 Oxygen blows at a pressure of 150 psi .
which increases temperature (16000C) (
at hot spot around 25000C)and burns
off impurities.
 The blow continues for about 18
minutes.
 Oxygen consumption: 50-60 Nm3/t of
steel.
 3.Sampling
• Slag and metal samples are taken out for analysis.
• Temperature of the bath is measured by immersion of
thermocouple.
 Tapping
• If the analysis & tapping temperature are in the required range,
then the molten steel is tapped in the laddle.
• Deoxidizers and alloying additions are made in the laddle.
• Tap-to-tap time is 40 – 50 min.
 De-oxidation of Converter Steel
• De-oxidation is the final process in which dissolved oxygen in
the steel is removed.
• The de-oxidizers i.e. Al, Fe-Si and Fe-Mn are added to the steel,
which combines with dissolved oxygen and forms their oxides.

FeO + Al Fe + Al2O3
FeO + Fe-Si Fe + SiO2
FeO + Fe-Mn Fe + MnO
 5.Slag off
• After tapping steel into the ladle, and turning the vessel
upside down and tapping the remaining slag into the "slag
pot“.
Chemical Reactions
1. [Fe] + [O] = (FeO)

2. [C] + [O] = {CO}

3. [Si] + 2 [O] = (SiO2)

4. [Mn] + [O] = (MnO)

5. 2[P] + 5[O] = (P2O5)

6. [FeS/MnS] + (CaO) = (CaS) + (FeO/MnO)

Sequence of elimination of impurities
 Disadvantages of LD converter
• The major disadvantage of L-D process is that the charge must
include a considerable quantity of molten pig, thus limiting
the amount of scrap that can be used.

• Steel wastage due to splashes by oxygen lancing is more.

• Insufficient depth of penetration of O2, leads to thermal

gradient in the bath.
 Advantages of LD converter
• L-D process is about ten times faster than the open hearth
process.

• Instead of air pure oxygen is used, this eliminates the harmful

effects of nitrogen.

• It produces steel with low S & P content from raw materials of

ordinary quality.

• It does not use an external source of heat or fuel.

 Electric Arc Furnace
• Two types
1. Arc type
2. Induction type
Basic Arc furnace
➢Lined with magnesite on firebrick
➢Top lined with silica brick.
➢Carbon or graphite electrodes
 The electric-arc operation

Large scrap
Oxygen
Lance
Medium- Molten
sized iron
scrap

Small scrap
Super Refining Of steel
✓Pig refined properly
✓Highly oxidizing condition is not necessary

Charge
✓Mainly scrap , small amount of molten metal
✓Large scrap at the top and smaller scrap on bottom
✓Some iron ore or mill scale and lime for oxidizing medium and
coolant.
 Operation Continues

❑Basic and oxidizing slag removes impurities (Si, Mn, P,C)

❑Second slag is basic and reducing
✓Lime and coke are used
✓Steel picks some carbon
✓Produce calcium carbide (carbide slag)
CaO + 3 C=CaC2 + CO
✓Carbide slag has two functions
1. Reduction of iron oxide
3FeO +CaC2 =3Fe +CaO +2CO
1. Elimination of sulphur
FeS +2CaO +CaC2 =3 Fe + Ca S + 2 CO
Fe-Mn,Fe-Si alloys for deoxidation are added

Chemical reactions of EAF

Oxidation, Deoxidaion, Desulphurisation
 Advantages of Electric process

❖Great flexibility

❖ Super refining and good mechanical properties

❖Cleanest heating agent

❖Heats may remain for longer time without changing

composition.
 Ladle metallurgy

 Presence of high levels of

oxygen (0.04 to 0.1 wt%)
results oxide inclusions

 Lime particle injection

- Ladle deoxidation
- Purification
- Total residuals < 50 ppm

 Alloying additions also can

be made here
- Mn, Cr, Mo, V, Nb
Continuous casting