The Reaction Behavior of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) in Steelmaking Slags: Effect of DRI Carbon and Preheating Temperature

An experimental study was conducted to quantify the rate of direct reduced iron (DRI) decarburization in a steelmaking slag using the constant volume pressure increase technique. Experiments were conducted by dropping DRI pellets into molten slag at temperatures from 1773 K to 1873 K (1500 °C to 1600 °C). Subsequent experiments were carried out in which the DRI pellets were preheated while the slag temperature remained constant. The effect of the initial carbon content and the preheating temperature of the DRI on the reaction rate was investigated. The decarburization of DRI seems to comprise two stages, a reaction between the FeO and DRI followed by decarburization through the iron oxide of slag. Carbon has a significant effect on the kinetics of both stages, whereas the preheating temperature mainly influences the rate of decarburization between FeO and carbon inside the pellet.     

Role of Heat Transfer in Early Stage Decarburization of DRI in Slag

The gas generation from reactions between direct reduced iron (DRI) pellets and steelmaking slags is known to take place in two stages; (1) the reaction of FeO and carbon within DRI, i.e., pellet internal reaction, followed by (2) the reduction of slag FeO with DRI carbon at the pellet?Cslag interface, if any carbon remains from the first step. To understand the controlling mechanism of the reaction between FeO and C inside DRI, the rate of the gas release and the temperature of pellets suspended in a slag-free atmosphere were quantified. The results were used to determine the apparent thermal conductivity of DRI that showed values of approximately 0.5 to 2 W.m^?1.K^?1 for a temperature range of 573?K to 1273?K (300?°C to 1000?°C). Furthermore, it was found that the experimental gas evolution rates are consistent with the values predicted by a heat?Ctransfer based model, confirming that the FeO-C reaction within pellet is controlled by the rate of heat transfer from the slag to the DRI pellet.     

Kinetics and Mechanism of the Simultaneous Carbothermic Reduction of FeO and MnO from High-Carbon Ferromanganese Slag

The carbothermic reduction of 38.7 pct MnO-12.1 pct CaO-5.4 pct MgO-9.3 pct Al₂O₃-24.1 pct SiO₂-10.4 pct FeO slag in Ar at 1600 °C was studied using the sessile drop wettability technique. Pure graphite, coke, and charcoal were used as the carbon material substrates. The reduction rates were evaluated by sampling at different reduction times and by analyzing the chemical compositions of the reduced slag and the produced metal. The carbothermic FeO reduction from slag is initially fast followed by a much slower reduction rate. However, the rate of the MnO reduction is slow in the fast FeO reduction stage, and it starts to increase significantly during the slow FeO reduction stage. The kinetics of FeO and MnO reduction are affected by the type of carbonaceous materials. Moreover, the rate of the carbon dissolution/transfer into the produced metal phase and the amount of the transferred manganese to the metal phase depend on the type of carbon. Based on the experimental observations and the thermodynamic calculations, a mechanism for MnO reduction was proposed. According to this mechanism, MnO is mainly reduced through a metallothermic reduction by Fe and the rate of MnO reduction is controlled by the rate of the consumption of FeO from the slag, which takes place simultaneously. In contrast, the rate of FeO reduction in the fast initial reduction stage is controlled by the rate of the carbon dissolution/transfer into the metal phase. However, at the second slow FeO reduction stage, it is reduced mainly by the solid carbon.     

The reaction behavior of Fe-C-S droplets in CaO-SiO2-MgO-FeO slags

The rate of reduction of FeO in the slag by carbon in iron droplets (2.9 wt pct C, 0.01 wt pct S) was studied for CaO-SiO₂-MgO slags containing between 3 and 35 wt pct FeO and temperatures ranging from 1643 to 1763 K. The effects of Fe₂O₃ additions to the slag and sulfur variations in the metal on the reaction rate were also studied. It was found that the behavior of the metal droplets in the slag, as observed by X-ray fluoroscopy, changed significantly with FeO content in the slag. Below 10 wt pct FeO, the droplet remained intact while reacting with the slag; however, above this FeO concentration, the droplet became emulsified within the slag. The large increase in surface area of the metal droplet due to emulsification caused the rate of reaction to be one to two orders of magnitude faster than for droplets that did not become emulsified. It was suggested that when the droplet is emulsified, the surface area and reaction kinetics are greatly increased, and the rate becomes controlled by mass transfer of FeO as Fe²⁺ and O²⁻ ions in the slag to the emulsified droplet. At low FeO contents for which the droplet does not emulsify, the rate is controlled by dissociation of CO₂ on the metal. It was also found that a critical temperature exists for a given FeO content at which point the rate of CO evolution increases dramatically. Additions of Fe₂O₃ to the slag and sulfur to the metal caused significant changes to the rate of reaction possibly by affecting the emulsification behavior of the droplet.     

Kinetics of simultaneous reactions between liquid iron-carbon alloys and slags containing MnO

The oxidation rates of carbon, phosphorus, and silicon; the desulfurization rate of liquid iron; and the simultaneous reduction rate of MnO from slag were examined at 1450 °C to 1550 °C by using high carbon iron alloys and CaO-SiO₂-CaF₂ slags containing MnO and FeO. The reaction rates were well reproduced by a kinetic model describing the reaction between the slag and multicomponent iron alloys. The controlling steps applied for the reactions considered in the present kinetic simulation were as follows. The rate of decarburization is controlled by the chemical reaction at the slag-metal interface, and those of the other reactions are controlled by the transport in slag and metal phases. Both observation and simulation results showed that MnO was not a strong oxidizer compared with FeO in the slag, but was an effective component for desulfurization. The simulation results also showed that the interfacial oxygen activity using MnO-based slag was much lower than that using FeO-based slag. The apparent equilibrium constants of phosphorus and sulfur, which were obtained by the kinetic modeling of experimental results, were found to increase with increasing the (MnO + CaO)/SiO₂ ratio of the slag. The controlling step(s) of each element transport across the slag-metal interface was discussed with the aid of the kinetic model.     

The effect of carbon content on the rate of reduction of FeO in slag relevant to iron smelting

In the iron smelting, or bath smelting, process the tapped metal contains high amounts of sulfur and the slag contains high amounts of FeO, relative to blast furnace slag. After tapping, the FeO can be further reduced by carbon in the metal, which will also lead to better desulfurization. Although there have been many studies of the reaction of carbon in iron with FeO in slag, discrepancies exist with regards to the effect of carbon in iron on the rate of FeO reduction in slag, which is the subject of this study. Experiments were conducted at 1723 K, using a slag with basicity close to one with an FeO mass content of 5 %. The rate of reduction was measured using a pressure increase technique. For moderate and high sulfur contents, as in the case of iron smelting, the rate is primarily controlled by the dissociation of CO₂ on the surface of the molten iron. Furthermore, if the effect of carbon on sulfur is taken into account, for the range of carbon mass contents of 2 to 4.5 %, there is no effect of the carbon level on the rate of FeO reduction. At low sulfur contents it was found that there is considerable slag foaming, which inhibits mass transfer of FeO in the slag, and significantly reduces the rate. Even when there is no slag foaming at low sulfur contents, mass transfer of FeO in the slag can influence the rate of FeO reduction.     

Kinetic model for reduction of iron oxide in molten slags by iron-carbon melt

Rate of reduction of iron oxide in iron and steelmaking slags by mass contents of dissolved carbon (>3%) in molten iron depends upon activity of FeO, temperature, mixing of bulk slag and other experimental conditions. A general kinetic model is developed by considering mass transfer of FeO in slag, chemical reaction at gas-metal interface and chemical reaction at gas-slag interface, respectively, as the three rate controlling steps. A critical analysis of the experimental data reported in literature has been done. It is shown that in the case of slags containing mass contents of less than 5% FeO, the reduction of FeO is controlled by mass transfer of FeO in slag plus chemical reaction at gas-metal interface; when slags contain more than 40% FeO, the reduction of FeO is controlled by chemical reaction at gas-metal interface plus chemical reaction at gas-slag interface; at intermediate FeO mass contents (between ～ 5 and 40% FeO), the reduction of FeO is controlled by all three steps, namely, mass transfer of FeO in slag, chemical reaction at gas-metal interface and chemical reaction at gas-slag interface. The temperature dependence of rate constant for the gas-slag reaction is obtained as: In k₂ = –32345.4(&6128)/ T + 19.0(&3.42); σ_lnk2,1/T = &0.3. where k₂ is expressed in mol m^-2 s^-1 bar^-1. The mass transfer coefficient of iron oxide in bulk slag is found to vary in the range 1.5 × 10^-5 to 5.0 × 10^-5 m/s, depending upon the slag composition as well as experimental conditions.     

A study of the reduction rate of FeO in slag by solid carbon

The reduction reaction of FeO in slag by carbon plays an important role in bath smelting reduction processes. In this study, the rate of this reaction was measured to understand the kinetic behavior of FeO reduction in slag by using the mass spectrometer technique. The present experimental results implied that the rate-determining step would change from the mass transfer of FeO at a low FeO content (<5 wt pct) to the chemical reaction at the gas/carbon interface at a high FeO content (>30 wt pct), while the total reduction rate would increase with an increasing FeO content in the slag. Based on the results of this study and comparisons with thermodynamical data for FeO in slag, the reduction rate of FeO can be expressed by the following equation:

Reduction of FeO in smelting slags by solid carbon: Experimental results

The reduction of CaO-SiO₂-Al₂O₃-FeO slags containing less than 10 wt pct FeO by solid carbonaceous materials such as graphite, coke, and coal char was investigated at reaction temperatures of 1400 °C to 1450 °C. The carbon monoxide evolution rate from the system was measured using stationary and rotating carbon rods, stationary horizontal carbon surfaces, and pinned stationary spheres as the reductants. The measured reaction rate ranged from 3.25 × 10^?7 mol cm^?2 s^?1 at 2.1 pct FeO under static conditions to 3.6 × 10^?6 mol cm^?2 s^?1 at 9.5 pct FeO for a rotating rod experiment. Visualization of the experiment using X-ray fluoroscopy showed that gas evolution from the reduction reaction caused the slag to foam during the experiment and that a gas film formed between the carbon surface and the slag at all times during experimentation. The reaction rate increased with increased slag FeO contents under all experimental conditions; however, this variation was not linear with FeO content. The reaction rate also increased with the rotation speed of the carbon rod at a given FeO content. A small increase in the reaction rate, at a given FeO content, was found when horizontal coke surfaces and coke spheres were used as the reductant as compared to graphite and coal char. The results of these experiments do not fit the traditional mass transfer correlations due to the evolution of gas during the experiment. The experimental results are consistent, however, with the hypothesis that liquid phase mass transfer of iron oxide is a major factor in the rate of reduction of iron oxide from slags by carbonaceous materials. In a second article, the individual rates of the possible limiting steps will be compared and a mixed control model will be used to explain the measured reaction rates.     

Mathematical Modelling and Experimental Investigation of Coke Reduction of FeO in Slag

Mathematic model development and experimental investigations were carried out for the reduction of FeO in slag by coke. Rate expressions for the reduction limited by the different steps and through different reaction routes were proposed. In the experimental investigation, the FeO reduction was found to be a first order and irreversible reaction; the reduction rate increased with increasing temperature and the FeO content in slag, and decreased with increasing ash content in the coke. Low CO₂/CO ratio in the product gas and preferential reduction of FeO over SiO₂ in slag were observed in the reaction system. The proposed reaction mechanisms were discussed with the observed kinetic phenomena. The reduction of FeO in slag by coke was found most likely to be jointly dominated by the mass transfer of FeO in slag and the chemical reactions at slag‐coke, slag‐gas or slag‐metal interfaces.     

Effect of CaO Addition on Iron Recovery from Copper Smelting Slags by Solid Carbon

We investigated the effect of flux (lime) addition on the reduction behavior of iron oxide in copper slag by solid carbon at 1773 K (1500 °C). In particular, we quantified the recovery of iron by performing typical kinetic analysis and considering slag foaming, which is strongly affected by the thermophysical properties of slags. The iron oxide in the copper slag was consistently reduced by solid carbon over time. In the kinetic analysis, we determined mass transfer coefficients with and without considering slag foaming using a gas holdup factor. The mass transfer of FeO was not significantly changed by CaO addition when slag foaming was ignored, whereas the mass transfer of FeO when slag foaming was considered was at a minimum in the 20 mass pct CaO system. Iron recovery, defined as the ratio of the amount of iron clearly transferred to the base metal ingot to the initial amount of iron in the slag phase before reduction, was maximal (about 90 pct) in the 20 mass pct CaO system. Various types of solid compounds, including Mg₂SiO₄ and Ca₂SiO₄, were precipitated in slags during the FeO reduction process, and these compounds strongly affected the reduction kinetics of FeO as well as iron recovery. Iron recovery was the greatest in the 20 mass pct CaO system because no solid compounds formed in this system, resulting in a highly fluid slag. This fluid slag allowed iron droplets to fall rapidly with high terminal velocity to the bottom of the crucible. A linear relationship between the mass transfer coefficient of FeO considering slag foaming and foam stability was obtained, from which we concluded that the mass transfer of FeO in slag was effectively promoted not only by gas evolution due to reduction reactions but also by foamy slag containing solid compounds. However, the reduced iron droplets were finely dispersed in foamy and viscous slags, making actual iron recovery a challenge.     

Reaction mechanism of FeO reduction by solid and dissolved carbon

The reduction reactions of FeO by carbon have been studied in order to be able to understand the fundamental phenomena occurring in smelting reduction process. The reduction of pure FeO by solid carbon proceeds mostly according to the same reaction mechanism as that by dissolved carbon in iron, the rate of which was experimentally determined to be controlled by the interfacial chemical reaction between Fe-C melt and intermediate CO₂ gas. Hence, the reduction rate of pure FeO by solid carbon is also chemically controlled by the Boudouard reaction between the dissolved carbon and CO₂ at the interface of by-product Fe droplet/gas phase, the activation energy of which was found to be about 193.2 kJ/mol. In addition, the reduction reaction of FeO in CaO-SiO₂-Al₂O₃-FeO slags by the dissolved carbon in Fe melt was also investigated over the FeO mass content less than 20 %. The reduction rate shows first order dependence with respect to FeO concentration. The surface active sulphur content in iron does not affect the reduction rate, and the temperature dependence of reduction rate gives the activation energy of 24.78 kJ/mol. Therefore, the reduction rate of FeO in slags by the dissolved carbon can be safely mentioned to be controlled by the liquid phase mass transfer of FeO through the slag phase diffusion-resistant boundary layer over the limited FeO concentration range. The empirical expression for the mass transfer controlled reactioe, deren Aktivierungsenergie ca. 193.2 kJ/mol beträgt. Außerdem wurde die Reduktion von FeO in CaO-SiO₂-Al₂O₃-FeO-Schlacken mit dem in der Eisenschmelze gelöstem Kohlenstoff fär FeO-Massengehalte von weniger als 20% untersucht. Die Reduktionsgeschwindigkeit weist hinsichtlich der FeO-Konzentration eine Abhängigkeit 1. Ordnung auf. Der Anteil an oberflächenaktivemn rate was determined as r = 5.94(±0.07).10^?6.exp(-24780/RT).(%FeOP)^0.96 over the reaction conditions employed.     

Reduction Behaviour of BOF Slags by Carbon in Iron

Experiments were carried out in a system with BOF slags from industrial operations in order to optimize the conditions of recycling BOF slags produced in the steelmaking process. Reduction reactions of FeO and P₂O₅ proceeded steadily and the FeO reduction rate was almost identical to that of P₂O₅. The reduction reaction of FeO and P₂O₅ in BOF slag at the slag/gas interface is the rate‐controlling step. The reaction rates of FeO and P₂O₅ by dissolved carbon in molten iron are of first order with respect to their respective concentrations. The reduction reactions of FeO and P₂O₅ by dissolved carbon in iron are much closer to the equilibrium state compared with the reduction by solid carbon. It is necessary to control the portion of phosphorus vaporization during reduction treatment in order to obtain efficient operational conditions for BOF slag reduction.     

Effects of additives on the foaming behaviour of the FeO-SiO2 based slag

The slag foaming of FeO-SiO₂ based desiliconized slags was investigated using an X-ray fluoroscopy technique. Foaming phenomena and antifoaming effects of metallic aluminum and carbon based materials were observed. Aluminum based agents with a proper particle size range had a more significant antifoaming effect than the conventional carbon based ones. The major contribution of antifoaming agent might be due to an instantaneous reduction of FeO in the slag, resulting in the sudden decrease of slag viscosity. Although the carbon based agents also had a capability of lowering slag viscosity, suspension of carbon particles tended to increase a bulk viscosity due to its relatively slow reaction with FeO component in slags.     

Foaming and the Rate of the Carbon-Iron Oxide Reaction in Slag

Foaming in the electric arc furnace is achieved by injecting carbon into slag, where the resulting reaction of the carbon with FeO dissolved in the slag generates gas (CO) that causes the slag to foam. In this research, the rate of the reaction of FeO in slag with carbon and the resulting foam height were measured. In these experiments, the FeO content of the slag ranged from 15 to 45 mass pct, and several different types of carbon were used including graphite, coals, and chars. The rate of the slag-carbon reaction and the consequent CO generation increased with FeO content of the slag from 15 to 45 mass pct. However, the slag foam height reached a maximum at about 25 mass pct FeO and decreased at higher FeO contents. The decrease in foaming is apparently due to a decrease in the foam index or foamability caused by a decrease in viscosity and an increase in density of the slag with FeO content. The results of this work indicate that the foam height is influenced more significantly by the decrease in the foam index compared to the increase in the CO gas generation rate at higher FeO contents. The decrease in the foam index with FeO agrees with that predicted from the slag properties.     

Experimental simulations of primary slag formation in blast furnace

Abstract

Primary slag formation of the blast furnace ferrous burden was experimentally simulated using synthetic MgO-Al₂O₃-CaO-SiO₂ slags with FeO, Na₂O, or FeS additions. The combined effect of FeO and Na₂O or FeS was also examined. The melting behaviour and viscosity of five different base slags (sinter, pellet, or lump ore) were investigated using optical dilatometry, thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), and viscometric analysis. The results indicate the importance of FeO (wüstite) in the formation and nature of liquid primary slags. Solidus temperature, fusion temperature, solidus-fusion interval, and viscosity were all significantly affected by FeO. A clear, but not simple or linear, tendency showed a lowering of the solidus and fusion temperatures and a concomitant decrease of the viscosity with increased FeO addition. The presence of Na₂O or FeS in the slag system, alone or combined with the FeO addition, created an initial melting at lower temperatures, but the liquid volume produced was limited. The effect of the added components was distinctly different on different base slag systems. It is proposed that the effect is fundamentally dependent on the chemical or, more exactly, on the mineralogical composition of the base slag systems at the initial stage of the melting. The results of the experiments are considered to represent reasonable simulations of the melting behaviour of the corresponding primary slags of the blast furnace ferrous burden in the cohesive zone.     

Reduction Behaviour of BOF type Slags by Solid Carbon

Experiments were carried out on a system with artificially prepared slags in a graphite crucible, in order to examine the possibility of recycling BOF slags produced in the steelmaking process. More than 80% of FeO and P₂O₅ was reduced within 20 minutes and the FeO reduction rate was greater than that of P₂O₅. P₂O₅ reduction began after more than 60% of FeO was reduced. Increasing slag basicity enhanced the reduction of FeO and P₂O₅. Temperature also improved slag reduction. The overall reduction rate was controlled by the chemical reaction at the slag/carbon interface. The reduction rates of FeO and P₂O₅ were second and first order with respect to their respective contents. Most of the reduced phosphorus is believed to vaporize in the form of P₂ gas.     

The rate of decarburization of liquid iron by CO2 and H2

The rate of decarburization of liquid iron in CO-CO₂ mixtures and hydrogen at 1800 K has been investigated. The effect of sulfur on the rate in CO-CO₂ was also determined. Two experimental techniques were employed, one with the gas flow parallel to the surface of the melt, the other with gas flow perpendicular to it. The rate of decarburization in both CO-CO₂ mixtures and hydrogen at high carbon contents is controlled primarily by diffusionsion in the gas film boundary layer near the surface of the liquid. The presence of 0.3 wt pct sulfur reduced the rate of decarburization in CO-CO₂ by about 10 pct indicating that a slow chemical reaction on the surface is effecting the rate slightly when the surface is covered with sulfur atoms. The rate of decarburization at low carbon contents in CO-CO₂ is controlled primarily by carbon diffusion in the metal. The mass transfer relationships for the experimental geometries employed were investigated by measuring the rate of oxidation of graphite in CO-CO₂ mixtures. Previous work in which it was concluded that a chemical reaction was controlling the rate were re-examined and it was concluded that gas phase mass transfer was in fact controlling the rate of the reaction.     

Dynamic Model of Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Process Based on Multizone Reaction Kinetics: Modeling of Decarburization

In a previous study by the authors (Rout et al. in Metall Mater Trans B 49:537–557, 2018), a dynamic model for the BOF, employing the concept of multizone kinetics was developed. In the current study, the kinetics of decarburization reaction is investigated. The jet impact and slag–metal emulsion zones were identified to be primary zones for carbon oxidation. The dynamic parameters in the rate equation of decarburization such as residence time of metal drops in the emulsion, interfacial area evolution, initial size, and the effects of surface-active oxides have been included in the kinetic rate equation of the metal droplet. A modified mass-transfer coefficient based on the ideal Langmuir adsorption equilibrium has been proposed to take into account the surface blockage effects of SiO₂ and P₂O₅ in slag on the decarburization kinetics of a metal droplet in the emulsion. Further, a size distribution function has been included in the rate equation to evaluate the effect of droplet size on reaction kinetics. The mathematical simulation indicates that decarburization of the droplet in the emulsion is a strong function of the initial size and residence time. A modified droplet generation rate proposed previously by the authors has been used to estimate the total decarburization rate by slag–metal emulsion. The model’s prediction shows that about 76 pct of total carbon is removed by reactions in the emulsion, and the remaining is removed by reactions at the jet impact zone. The predicted bath carbon by the model has been found to be in good agreement with the industrially measured data.     

Influence of slag and foam characteristics on reduction of FeO-containing slags by solid carbon

The present study reports experimental results on the reduction of FeO in molten CaO-SiO₂-Al₂O₃-MgO-FeO slags by solid carbon in an extended-arc plasma reactor. The reduction reaction was found to be controlled by mass transport of FeO in liquid slag. The CO gas generated stirs the bath to establish a convective mass transport system. CO also causes foaming. An analysis using dimensionless numbers provides correlations between the rate constant, k, as well as the foaming index, Σ, with some properties of the slag such as viscosity, surface tension, and density. A correlation between k and Σ is also developed using these parameters for slag characteristics.