Ladle Metallurgy: R&D Trends
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Slagmelt Ladle Refining Technology Feasibility |
Equipment
Combustion Technology
Energy Consumption
Process Description
R&D Trends
SLAGMELT System
Research on a gas fired ladle furnace has been conducted by GRI and Textron Defense Systems. The SLAGMELT system consists of stoichiometric combustion of natural gas with oxygen while liquid metal is protected against rapid oxidation by a top layer of molten slag. Melting/refining trials were conducted using the test facility shown. The test facility suffered from excessive oxidation of metal. This problem is expected to be mitigated in a commercial size ladle, but support for further developments has been suspended. A similar design, based on an independent effort, was installed in a prerefining steel reheat station at Timken’s Faircrest Steel Plant. The unit is used for holding molten steel prior to refining.
Slagmelt Ladle Refining Technology Feasibility, Textron Defense Systems, GRI-94/0105.1, October 1994.