SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO DESCRIBING STEEL REFINING PROCESSES IN A LADLE FURNACE

Abstract

This work presents a systematic approach to describing the physicochemical processes occurring in the metal-slag system during steel refining in a ladle furnace. The aim of the study was to develop methods for predicting the distribution of main and impurity elements based on a comprehensive analysis of the initial and final melts of metal and slag. Industrial data on the chemical composition of SAE1006 grade steel and the corresponding slag were used as the input. Based on the methodological framework of the Directed Chemical Bonding Concept (DCBC) and mathematical processing of multivariate data, the applicability of interatomic interaction parameters and technological regime indicators as model parameters was substantiated. Complex indicators for the metal-slag and metal-additive systems were constructed using Harrington’s desirability function, which enables integration of multidimensional parameters into a single generalized index. Analytical dependencies were developed for calculating the distribution coefficients of sulphur (S), silicon (Si), manganese (Mn), and aluminium (Al), considering both the composition of metallurgical phases and the smelting conditions. The proposed approach provides a quantitative assessment of the distribution coefficients of elements as variable quantities, which fundamentally distinguishes it from traditional methods. The results obtained form the basis for developing algorithms to predict the chemical composition of the final melt and for creating practical recommendations on the selection of optimal additives and slag-forming mixtures aimed at improving steel quality and reducing production costs.