Thermodynamics of inclusions engineering in steelmaking and refining

Abstract

The thermodynamics of inclusions in steelmaking and refining for minimizing the harmful effects of residual inclusions was investigated. the formation and evolution of inclusions are strongly dependent on concentrations of dilute elements dissolved in steel. The use of computational thermodynamics to provide accurate and reliable information on phase equilibrium particularly for chemical reactions between steel and inclusions and phase stability are also investigated. Inclusions are formed by deoxidation reactions or entrapped from the top slag in the refining process and inclusions are formed by precipitation during the cooling process due to decreased solubility of each element in the steel matrix. It was observed that even a small amount of impurity of ferroalloy, refractory can affect oxide inclusion formation due to high affinity of oxygen compared to Mn, Si and Ti. The effect of Mg on inclusion evolution in steel was examined with varying Mg content.