Solubility of oxygen in niobium-bearing iron-nickel melts

The solubility of oxygen in niobium-bearing iron-nickel melts is studied experimentally, for the example of Fe-40% Ni alloy at 1823 K. Niobium reduces the solubility of oxygen in this melt. Values are determined for the equilibrium constant of the reaction between niobium and oxygen dissolved in the given melt (logK _{(1)(Fe-40% Ni)} = ?4.619), the Gibbs energy (ΔG _{(1)(Fe-40%Ni)} ^o = 161210 J/mol), and the interaction parameters (e _{Nb(Fe-40% Ni)} ^O = ?0.630; e _{O(Fe-40% Ni)} ^Nb = ?0.105; e _{Nb(Fe-40% Ni)} ^Nb = 0.010). Over a wide range of concentrations, the Gibbs energy of the reaction between niobium and oxygen dissolved in Fe-Ni melts, the equilibrium constants, and the interaction parameters at 1823 K are determined. The solubility of oxygen in Fe-Ni melts of different composition containing niobium is determined at 1823 K. With increase in nickel content in the Fe-Ni melts, the oxygen affinity of niobium increases significantly, on account of the decrease in oxygen binding forces with increase in nickel content in the melt (γ _O(Fe) ^° = 0.0084, γ _O(Ni) ^° = 0.297).     

Thermodynamics of carbon and oxygen solutions in manganese melts

The thermodynamics of carbon and oxygen solutions in manganese melts is studied. An equation for the temperature dependence of the activity coefficient of carbon in liquid manganese is obtained (γ _C(Mn) ⁰ = ?1.5966 + (1.0735 × 10^?3)T). The temperature dependence of the Gibbs energy of the reaction of carbon dissolved in liquid manganese with the oxygen of manganese oxide is shown to be described by the equation ΔG _T ⁰ = 375264 ? 184.66T(J/mol). This reaction can noticeably be developed depending on the carbon content at temperatures of 1700–1800°C. The deoxidation ability of carbon in manganese melts is shown to be much lower than that in iron and nickel melts due to the higher affinity of manganese to both oxygen and carbon. Although the deoxidation ability of carbon in manganese melts increases with temperature, the process develops at rather high carbon contents in all cases.     

The solubility of copper in lime-saturated and calcium ferrite-saturated liquid iron oxide

The solubility of copper in lime-saturated and calcium ferrite-saturated liquid iron oxide has been measured at 1300 °C by equilibrating copper-gold alloys with the melts in CO-CO₂ atmospheres of oxygen potentials 10^?7, 10^?8, 10^?9, and 10^?10 atm. It was found that copper exhibits Henrian behavior in the oxide melts and that the solubility is given by $$wt pct Cu = 17.6a_{CuO_{0.5} } $$ The copper capacity of the melts, 17.6, is approximately one-half of that of silica-saturated iron silicate melts at the same temperature. The results are compared with those of previous studies, and the difference between the solubilities of copper in silica-saturated and lime-saturated melts are discussed in terms of ionic interactions in the melts.     

Activities in liquid Fe−Al−O and Fe−Ti−O alloys

The solubility and activity of oxygen in Fe?Al and Fe?Ti melts at 1600°C were measured. The activity was measured electrochemically using the following galvanic cells: Cr-Cr₂O₃(s) ? ThO₂(Y₂O₃) ? Fe-Al-O(l), Al₂O₃(s) Cr-Cr₂O₃(s) ? ThO₂(Y₂O₃) ? Fe-Ti-O(l, saturated with oxide) Cr-Cr₂O₃(s) ? ZrO₂(CaO) ? Fe-Ti-O(l, saturated with oxide) Aluminum and titanium decrease the solubility of oxygen in liquid iron to a minimum of 6 ppm at 0.09 wt pct Al and 40 ppm at 0.9 wt pct Ti, respectively. The value of the interaction coefficients ε ₀ ^(Al) and ε ₀ ^(Ti) are ?433 and ?222, respectively. the activity coefficient of aluminum at infinite dilution in liquid iron is 0.021, while that of titanium is 0.038. The value of the aluminum equilibrium constant, the solubility product at infinite dilution, is 5.6×10^?14 at 1600°C. The ThO₂(Y₂O₃) electrolyte exhibited insignificant electronic conductivity at 1600°C down to oxygen partial pressures of 10^?15 atm, which corresponds to about 0.3 ppm O in unalloyed iron.     

Determination of diffusion coefficient of oxygen in γ-iron from measurements of internal oxidation in Fe-Al alloys

The internal oxidation of iron alloys containing between 0.069 and 0.274 wt pct aluminum was investigated in the temperature range from 1223 to 1373 K for the purpose of determining the diffusion coefficients in γ-iron as well as in the internal oxidation layer. A parabolic rate law is obeyed in the internal oxidation of the present alloys. The rate constant for penetration of the oxidation front, the oxide formed, and the concentration of aluminum in the oxidation layer were determined. Pronounced enrichment of aluminum in the oxidation layer was observed, resulting from the counterdiffusion of aluminum. The oxygen concentration at the specimen surface was determined by combining the thermodynamic data on the dissociation of FeO and the solution of oxygen in y-iron. The diffusion coefficient of oxygen in the internal oxidation layer,D _o ¹⁰ , was evaluated on the basis of the rate equation for internal oxidation.D _o ¹⁰ increases at a given temperature as the volume fraction of oxide,f ¹⁰, in the oxidation layer increases. The diffusion coefficient of oxygen in γ-iron,D _o, was determined by extrapolation ofD _o ¹⁰ = 0.D _o may be expressed as $$D_o = \left( {1.30\begin{array}{*{20}c} { + 0.80} \\ { - 0.50} \\ \end{array} } \right) \times 10^{ - 4} \exp \left[ { - \frac{{166 \pm 5(kJ \cdot mol^{ - 1} )}}{{RT}}} \right]m^2 \cdot s^{ - 1} .$$ D _o is close to the diffusion coefficients of carbon and nitrogen in γ-iron.     

Isotope exchange studies of the rate of dissociation of CO2 on liquid iron oxides and CaO-saturated calcium ferrites

Measurements of the rates of dissociation of CO₂ on liquid iron oxides and CaO-saturated liquid calcium ferrites have been made by the¹⁴CO₂-CO isotope exchange technique. For temperatures up to about 1550 °C, the apparent first order rate constants for both melts are essentially inversely proportional to the equilibrium CO₂/CO ratio over the range studied (≈0.4 to 12). Evidence is presented that the rate limiting step in the interfacial oxidation of these melts by CO₂ is the dissociation of CO₂- Rates of oxidation, in mol cm^?2 s^?1, in CO₂-CO atmospheres are deduced to be given by the equations:v =( _p CO ₂ a _o ^{? 1} ? _p CO) exp(?15,900/T ? 2.03) andv = (pCO₂ α _o ^-1 ?pCO) exp(?3800/T ? 6.93) for the iron oxides and CaO-saturated calcium ferrites, respectively, wherea ₀ is the oxygen activity of the melt expressed as the equilibrium CO₂/CO ratio and the pressures are in atmospheres. The strong dependence on the CO₂/CO ratio is shown to be consistent with the need to transfer two charges to the adsorbing or dissociating CO₂ molecule. Correlation with the existing surface tension data is inconclusive.     

The effect of zirconium,cerium, and lanthanum on the solubility of oxygen in liquid iron

The effect of zirconium, cerium, and lanthanum up to about 1 wt pet on the solubility of oxygen in liquid iron in equilibrium with an oxide phase at 1680°C was measured. All three elements are strong deoxidizers of iron, and the oxygen solubility minimums were 10 ppm or less at 0.05 to 0.1 wt pet of the alloying element. The interaction coefficients were estimated from the results giving e_o ^zr = −3, e_o ^Ce = −3, and e_o ^La = −5. When the concentration of the alloying element is expressed in wt pet, the effect of each of the three elements (Zr, Ce, and La) on the activity and solubility of oxygen in liquid iron is similar to that of aluminum.     

Thermodynamics of oxygen solutions in nickel melts containing aluminum and titanium

Thermodynamic analysis of oxygen solutions in nickel melt shows that, as aluminum and titanium are added to the melt, the solubility of oxygen decreases. However, after reaching 0.205% Al and 0.565% Ti, the oxygen concentration in the melt begins to rise with increase in the Al and Ti content. The minimum oxygen concentrations in the reduction of nickel melt by aluminum (1.44 × 10^–4% O) and titanium (2.98 × 10^–4% O) are determined. On that basis, we may propose the optimal approach to alloying nickel melts with aluminum and titanium. First, the melt is reduced by adding sufficient aluminum to minimize the oxygen concentration in the melt (~0.2% Al). Then the oxide formed is removed, so as to prevent repeated oxidation of the melt. Finally, the melt is alloyed with aluminum and titanium to obtain the required alloy composition.     

Interaction coefficients in Fe-C-Ti-i (i = Si,Cr, AI,Ni) systems

Ever since Schroeder and Chipman_[10] initiated the application of the silver bath iso-activity method to the study of activity interaction coefficients of components in iron alloys, the method was only applied to some ternary systems in which only one component dissolves in both liquid iron and liquid silver. The authors of the present work proposed a method which enables the silver bath iso-activity method to be utilized to study the activity interaction coefficients of two components simultaneously dissolvable in both liquid iron and liquid silver by establishing an iso-i-j-activity state for several Fe-C-i-j quarternary samples through a common silver bath. This new “quarternary silver bath iso-activity method” was applied to quarternary Fe-C-Ti-i (i = Si,Cr, Al,Ni) melts at 1600 °C and estimated the activity interaction coefficients as follows: ε _Ti ^¡ = 7.96, ρ _Ti ^¡ = ?6.88, ρ _si ^Ti = 0.51, ρ _Ti ^Ti,si = ?2.27, ρ _Ti ^Ti,si = ?5.66 ε _Ti ^? = 3.46, ρ _Ti ^? = 10.43, ρ _Ti ^Cr,Ti = 17.40 ε _Ti ^Al = 0.93, ρ _Ti ^? = 10.22, ρ _Ti ^Al,Ti = 25.11 ε _Ti ^Ni = 2.49, ρ _Ti ^Ni = 9.33, ρ _Ti ^Ni,Ti = 16.37     

Thermodynamics of Oxygen Solution in Fe–Ni Melts Containing Boron

Fe–Ni alloys are widely used in engineering today. They are sometimes alloyed with boron. Oxygen is a harmful impurity in Fe–Ni alloys. It may be present in dissolved form or as nonmetallic inclusions. The presence of oxygen in Fe–Ni alloys impairs their performance. Research on the thermodynamics of oxygen solutions in Fe–Ni melts containing boron is of considerable interest in order to improve alloy production. The present work offers a thermodynamic analysis of solutions of oxygen in Fe–Ni melts containing boron. The equilibrium constant of the reaction between boron and oxygen dissolved in the melt in such systems is determined. The activity coefficients at infinite dilution and the interaction parameters in melts of different composition are also calculated. When boron reacts with oxygen in Fe–Ni melts, the oxide phase contains not only B₂O₃ but also FeO and NiO. The mole fractions of B₂O₃, FeO, and NiO in the oxide phase are calculated for different boron concentrations in Fe–Ni melts at 1873 K. For iron melts with low boron content, the mole fraction of boron oxide is ~0.1. With increase in the nickel and boron content in the melts, the boron-oxide content in the oxide phase increases. Its mole fraction is close to one for pure nickel. The solubility of oxygen in Fe–Ni melts is calculated as a function of the nickel and boron content. The deoxidizing ability of the boron improve significantly with increase in nickel content in the melt. The curves of oxygen solubility in Fe?Ni melts containing boron pass through a minimum, which is shifted to higher boron content with increase in nickel content in the melt. The boron content at the minima on the curves of oxygen solubility are determined, as well as the corresponding minimum oxygen concentrations.     

Thermodynamics of Oxygen Solutions in Ni–Cr Melts Containing Aluminum

The influence of aluminum on the solubility of oxygen in Ni–Cr melts is considered on the basis of thermodynamic analysis. Very low aluminum concentrations have practically no influence on the oxygen concentration in the melt, which is determined by the chromium content. When the aluminum content exceeds 0.01%, it determines the solubility of oxygen in the melt, in all cases. The minimum oxygen concentration corresponds to about 0.2% Al. With increase in chromium content in the melt, the minimum oxygen concentration increases. It is 2 × 10^–3%, 7 × 10^–3%, and 10^–2% for nickel alloys with 10%, 20%, and 30% Cr, respectively.     

Solubility of Nitrogen in High Manganese Steel (HMnS) Melts: Interaction Parameter between Mn and N

Nitrogen solubility in Fe-Mn melts was measured using a N₂ bubbling and sampling method at temperatures from 1823 K to 1923 K (1550 °C to 1650 °C) for manganese content to about 25 mass pct. The effect of temperature on the nitrogen solubility was well described based on the thermodynamic behavior of Fe-Mn system. Furthermore, the interaction parameter between Mn and N was evaluated as a function of temperature. The present results can be used in thermodynamic analyses of the formation of nitride compounds such as AlN or TiN in high manganese steel melts for example, transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) and twin induced plasticity (TWIP) aided steels as well as high Mn-N alloyed stainless steels.     

Thermodynamics of the oxygen solutions in boron-containing Fe–Co melts

A thermodynamic analysis of the oxygen solutions in boron-containing Fe–Co melts has been performed. The equilibrium constant of reaction between boron and oxygen, which are dissolved in iron–cobalt melts; the activity coefficients at infinite dilution; and the interaction parameters for melts differing in composition have been determined. The oxide phase formed in the Fe–Co melts containing boron and oxygen comprises FeO and CoO along with the B₂O₃ phase. The oxide phase compositions over Fe–Co–B–O melts are calculated. As the cobalt and boron contents in the melts increase, the mole fraction of boron oxide increases; in the case of pure cobalt, it is close to unity. The dependences of the oxygen solubility on the cobalt and boron contents in the melts are calculated. The deoxidizing capacity of boron substantially increases as the cobalt content in a melt increases. The composition dependences of the oxygen solubility in boron-containing Fe–Co melts have a minimum, which shifts to a low boron content as the cobalt content in the melts increases. The boron contents corresponding to the minimum in the oxygen solubility curves and the minimum oxygen concentrations corresponding to the boron contents are determined.     

Thermodynamics of the oxygen solutions in manganese-containing Fe-Co melts

Thermodynamic analysis of the oxygen solutions in manganese-containing Fe-Co melts has been performed. The equilibrium constants of deoxidation reaction of iron-cobalt melts with manganese, the activity coefficients during infinity dilution, and the interaction parameters in various melts are found. During the deoxidation of manganese-containing Fe-Co melts, the oxide phase contains FeO and CoO along with MnO. The compositions of the oxide phase above Fe-Co-Mn-O melts are calculated. When the cobalt and manganese contents in the melts increase, the mole fraction of manganese oxide increases, and it approaches 1 in the case of pure cobalt. The dependences of the oxygen solubility in the melts on the cobalt and manganese contents are calculated. The deoxidizing capacity of manganese increases substantially with increasing cobalt content in the melt. The curves of oxygen solubility in Fe-Co melts have minima, whose values shift toward low manganese content in a melt. The manganese contents are determined at the minimum points in the oxygen solubility curves, and the corresponding minimum oxygen contents are found.     

The diffusion of hydrogen in liquid Ni,Cu, Ag,and Sn

The rates of absorption of hydrogen in stagnant liquid Ni, Cu, Ag, and Sn have been measured using 1) an unsteady-state gas-liquid metal diffusion cell technique similar to that used by El-Tayeb and Parlee for iron and 2) a steady-state diffusion cell technique recently developed in this laboratory. The rates of absorption are considered to be controlled by diffusion in the liquid. On this basis the chemical diffusion coefficients of hydrogen (D _H) in liquid Ni, Cu, and Ag, calculated from the rate data, can be described by:D _H ^Ni =7.47×10^?3 exp(?8550±1114/RT) cm²/secD _H ^Cu =10.91×10^?3 exp(?2148±349/RT) cm²/secD _H ^Ag =4.54×10^?2 exp(?1359±207/RT) cm²/sec In the above equations, the uncertainty in the activation energy (Q _H) corresponds to the 90 pct confidence level. No reliable Arrhenius equation could be obtained forD _H ^Sn , but theD _H values in tin are greater than for the other three metals. The following interesting and possibly significant correlations are observed betweenD _H,Q _H, and the hydrogen solubility (S _H):D _H ^Ni <D _H ^Fe <D _H ^Cu <D _H ^Ag <D _H ^Sn , andQ _H ^Ni >Q _H ^Fe >Q _H ^Cu >Q _H ^Ag , andS _H ^Ni >S _H ^Fe >S _H ^Cu >S _H ^Ag >S _H ^Sn .     

Activity-composition relations of MnO in MnO-CrO x -CaO-SiO2-containing melts

The MnO activities in (MnO-CrO _x -CaO-SiO₂)-containing melts, which were saturated with the (Mn, Cr)₃O₄ spinel phase, were determined at 1500 °C under an oxygen partial pressure of 10^−8.99 atm. This was done by equilibrating the samples with platinum. The activity of MnO in the melt was then calculated from the activity coefficient of manganese in the resultant Pt-Cr-Mn alloy. Darken’s quadratic formalism for ternary metallic solutions was used to calculate the activity coefficient of manganese in the Pt-Cr-Mn system, in which platinum was considered to be the solvent. It was found that an increase in the concentration of MnO in the melt increases both the MnO activity and the activity coefficient of MnO. For a constant MnO concentration in the (MnO-CrO _x -CaO-SiO₂)-containing melts, the activity of MnO can be increased by increasing the basicity of the melt. In order to obtain high-manganese recoveries from (MnO-CrO _x -CaO-SiO₂)-containing melts into an alloy phase, basic slags in which the activity coefficient of MnO is high should therefore be used.     

Solubility of oxygen in Fe–Co melts containing titanium

Solutions of oxygen in Fe–Co melts containing titanium are subjected to thermodynamic analysis. The first step is to determine the equilibrium reaction constants of titanium and oxygen, the activity coefficients at infinite dilution, and the interaction parameters in melts of different composition at 1873 K. With increase in cobalt content, the equilibrium reaction constants of titanium and oxygen decline from iron (logK(FeO · TiO₂) =–7.194; logK(TiO₂) =–6.125; logK(Ti₃O₅) =–16.793; logK(Ti₂O₃) =–10.224) to cobalt (logK(CoO · TiO₂) =–8.580; logK(TiO₅) =–7.625; logK(Ti₃O₅) =–20.073; logK(Ti₂O₃) =–12.005). The titanium concentrations at the equilibrium points between the oxide phases (Fe, Co)O · TiO₂, TiO₂, Ti₃O₅, and Ti₂O₃ are determined. The titanium content at the equilibrium point (Fe, Co)O · TiO₂ ? TiO₂ decreases from 1.0 × 10^–4% Ti in iron to 1.9 × 10^–6% Ti in cobalt. The titanium content at the equilibrium point TiO₂?Ti₃O₅ increases from 0.0011% Ti in iron to 0.0095% Ti in cobalt. The titanium content at the equilibrium point Ti₃O₅ ? Ti₂O₃ decreases from 0.181%Ti in iron to 1.570% Ti in cobalt. The solubility of oxygen in the given melts is calculated as a function of the cobalt and titanium content. The deoxidizing ability of titanium decline with increase in Co content to 20% and then rise at higher Co content. In iron and its alloys with 20% and 40% Co, the deoxidizing ability of titanium are practically the same. The solubility curves of oxygen in iron-cobalt melts containing titanium pass through a minimum, whose position shifts to lower Ti content with increase in the Co content. Further addition of titanium increases the oxygen content in the melt. With higher Co content in the melt, the oxygen content in the melt increases more sharply beyond the minimum, as further titanium is added.     

The rates of desulfurization of liquid iron by solid CaO and CaO-saturated liquid iron oxide at 1600‡c

The rates of desulfurization of Fe-O-S melts by CaO crucibles and by CaO-saturated liquid iron oxide have been measured at 1600 ‡C. It was found that irons containing 1.62 wt pct and 0.64 wt pct sulfur and 0.070 wt pct oxygen are desulfurized by a reaction with the containing CaO crucible which does not involve the formation of a CaS product layer. The rate of desulfurization reaction is controlled by diffusion of sulfur in the iron melt, and a value of 6.7 ±1.7 × 10^-5 cm² per second was obtained for the diffusion coefficient of sulfur in liquid iron. Iron containing 0.088 wt pct sulfur and 0.070 wt pct oxygen is not desulfurized by solid CaO. The rate of desulfurization of liquid iron containing 0.088 wt pct sulfur and 0.070 wt pct oxygen by CaO-saturated liquid iron oxide is significantly greater than that calculated on the assumption of diffusion control in the metal phase, and evidence is presented in support of speculation that the reaction rate is enhanced by Marangoni turbulence at the slag-metal interface. The addition of 4 wt pct CaF₂ to the CaO-saturated liquid iron oxide has no influence on the rate of desulfurization of the melt. A. Saelim formerly Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand