SUBMITTED BY: ARPIT 08108047

The purpose of the Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) process is to refine the hot metal produced in the blast furnace into raw liquid steel, which may be subsequently refined in the secondary steelmaking shop. The main functions of the Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) are to decarburize and remove phosphorus from the hot metal, and to optimize the steel temperature so that any further treatments prior to casting can be performed with minimal reheating or cooling of the steel. The exothermic oxidation reactions that occur during BOS generate a lot of heat energy - more than is necessary to attain the target steel temperature. This extra heat is used to melt scrap and/or iron ore additions. Typical compositions and temperatures of the hot metal charge and tapped steel are as follows:

Relevance and relation of carbon removal with oxygen

transport/diffusion to gas metal interface

 The reaction of oxidation of carbon practically does not

take place at the slag metal interface because of the difficulty in nucleating gas bubbles there. The reaction takes place at the gas metal interface since it eliminates the necessity of nucleation of gas bubble. The decarburisation rate (dc/dt) is controlled by the rates of diffusion of either carbon or oxygen to the gas metal interface. In the bottom blown bessemer converters a continuous series of fresh air bubbles pass through the melt. It results in increasing the total area of gas-metal interface enormously. The turbulence caused by the bottom blown operation favours the mass transport.

Mechanism of oxygen transport from the gas phase to

the gas metal interface Kinetics of carbon oxygen reaction

Pneumatic Processes:
In pneumatic processes oxygen is readily present at the

gas metal interface. The rate of reaction is affected by diffusion of carbon to the interface. The stirring of bath caused in these processes help to hasten carbon transport and thus decarburisation rate upto 10% per hour are obtainable in these processes

A bessemer convertor

Hearth processes:
Oxygen from the furnace atmosphere has to diffuse

across the slag and the metal layers to reach the oremetal interface. The physical solution of oxygen in slag is negligible. It must dissolve in slag in ionic form. The mechanism of oxygen transport from the gas phase is described below:

 At the gas slag interface oxygen dissolves as:

{O2 } + 2e- = (O2-) And the iron in the slag gets oxidised as:

2(Fe2+) = 2(Fe3+) + 2e so the overall reaction is: 2(Fe2+) + (O2 ) = 2(Fe3+) + (O2-)

Due to thermal diffusion these migrate from gas-slag

to slag-metal interface and a reverse reaction as: 2(Fe3+) + (O2-)= 2(Fe2+) + [O2] takes place. The ferrous ions again migrate to the gas-slag interface and complete the complete the cycle which repeats itself. The oxygen dissolved in the metal diffuses to the pore-metal interface and combines with carbon.

 The process of diffusion of oxygen can be hastened by

eliminating the diffusion path across the slag layer by adding lumps of ferric oxide which, being heavier than the slag but lighter than the metal settles down at the slag metal interface.It supplies oxygen as : <Fe2O3> = 2(FeO)+[O] Which is an endothermic reaction.It is known as oreing of slag. In absence of oreing when oxygen solely comes from furnace atmosphere, under the usual conditions of open hearth practice, a maximum dc/dt of 0.12-0.18% C/hr is attainable. If oreing is carried out to its maximum extent the rate can increase upto o.6 % C/hr .The limit is due to the inadequate heat transfer across the slag layer since the

 2/3<Fe2O3> + 2[C] = 4/3[Fe] + 2{CO} ; Is endothermic in nature

H = +65Kcal

If low pressure oxygen is sprayed on the slag surface the

above endothermic reaction is replaced by [C]+[O]={CO} ; H=-89Kcal With a net heat gain and hence dC/dt upto 3% C/hr have been obtained. Higher dC/dt values can be obtained in hearth processes by oxygen lancing of the bath during refining period. This is the principle of the modified hearth processes of steel making.