Oxygen pressure dependence of tracer diffusivities of Ca and Fe in liquid CaO-SiO2-FexO system

The tracer diffusivities of calcium and iron in a steel-making slag of 33 pct CaO-27 pct SiO₂-40 pct Fe₂O₃ by charge composition have been measured at 1360 to 1460°C as a function of temperature and oxygen pressure in the gas phase. The results expressed in cm²/s (in SI unit of m²/s, the following equation should be divided by 10,000) are given by $$D^{tr} = D_0 \left {P_{O_2 } } \right]^{1/\chi } \exp \left { - \frac{E}{{RT}}} \right](at 1360 to 1460^\circ C)$$ where for tracer diffusion of iron, D_o is 0.2,x is 8.5, andE is 26 kcal/mol (1.09 x 10⁴ J/ mol) and for tracer diffusion of calcium, D_o is 0.1,x is 12.5, andE is 28 kcal/mol (1.17 × 10⁴ J/mol). Prior to diffusion runs, the slag was equilibrated with the gas mixture of carbon monoxide and dioxide with an oxygen pressure of 10^?11 to 10^?8 atm. The diffusivity was measured by the instantaneous plane source method, using radioactive tracers of calcium and iron. The increase of the tracer diffusivities with the oxygen pressure was interpreted in relation to a probable increase of the divalent cation vacancies in the slag.