2005 Volume 45 Issue 11 Pages 1597-1606
The separation of non-metallic inclusions from the steel to the slag phase in the ladle during secondary steel making operations and in the tundish and mold during casting is very crucial to the production of clean steel. In this work a theoretical study of the separation of solid inclusions, alumina and others, at the steel-slag interface applied to the actual conditions in the tundish has been carried out. The theoretical model is based on the equation of motion with the following forces acting on an inclusion as it tries to cross the interface between the metal and the slag; buoyant, added mass, rebound and drag force. A sensitivity analysis study was carried out in order to clarify which of the parameters in the model that had the largest influence on the inclusion displacement. The results showed that the interfacial tensions (σMI, σIS, σMS) and the slag viscosity (μS) have the largest influence on the predicted displacement. It was also concluded that the overall wettability should be positive and that the slag viscosity should be as low as possible to obtain the most favorable conditions for inclusion transfer at the steel-slag interface.