Although the phosphorus reaction in steelmaking has been extensively studied, it continues to be a relevant topic as low phosphorus iron sources become less available and more expensive, necessitating the need for more accurate predictions of the partitioning of phosphorous as function of slag composition and temperature. The current study revisits some of the relevant literature on the topic and details the methodology and experimental setup used in recent studies on phosphorus equilibrium between liquid iron and slags. New data for BOF-type slags are presented, where equilibrium was approached from both metal and slag sides i.e., phosphorus was transferred from metal to slag and vice versa. It was found that slags with basicities higher than 2.5 and FeO contents around 20 to 25 wt pct can promote extensive dephosphorization, and high L P , ((pct P)/[pct P]), values were observed i.e., greater than 500.
The increased use of electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking using up to 100% direct reduced iron (DRI) has prompted an interest in better control of phosphorus since iron ore and, consequently, DRI have higher phosphorus and silica compared to scrap. There is limited work reported on slag chemistries corresponding to that in the EAF when DRI is used. In the current research, phosphorus equilibria between molten Fe–P alloys and CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-P2O5-FeO-MgOsaturated slags were investigated. The results indicate that there is a significant decrease in the phosphorus partition coefficient (LP) as alumina in the slag increases. The observed effect of alumina on the phosphorus partition is probably caused by the decrease in the activities of iron oxide and calcium oxide. Finally, an equilibrium correlation for phosphorus partition as a function of slag composition and temperature has been developed. It includes the effect of alumina and silica and is suitable for both oxygen and electric steelmaking-type slags.
Small Fe-based droplets have been heated to a molten phase suspended within a slag medium to replicate a partial environment within the basic oxygen furnace (BOF). The confocal scanning laser microscope (CSLM) has been used as a heating platform to interrogate the effect of impurities and their transfer across the metal/slag interface, on the emulsification of the droplet into the slag medium. The samples were then examined through X-ray computer tomography (XCT) giving the mapping of emulsion dispersion in 3D space, calculating the changing of interfacial area between the two materials, and changes of material volume due to material transfer between metal and slag. Null experiments to rule out thermal gradients being the cause of emulsification have been conducted as well as replication of the previously reported study by Assis et al. [1] which has given insights into the mechanism of emulsification. Finally chemical analysis was conducted to discover the transfer of oxygen to be the cause of emulsification, leading to a new study of a system with undergoing oxygen equilibration.
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