Characterization of Metal Droplets in Slag after Desulfurization of Hot Metal

Abstract

Iron losses in slag during an intensive desulfurization of hot metal can reach 0.6–1.1% from the total amount of processed hot metal. The characteristics of different metal droplets (such as morphology, number, size, composition and solidification structure) in industrial slag samples after desulfurization were investigated using SEM. All metal droplets in the slag were classified into three groups according to morphology: Type A - spherical/oval; Type B - spherical/irregular; Type C - irregular. Thereafter, some mechanisms for involving of different metal droplets into the slag during desulfurization process were studied based on obtained characteristics of metal droplets. Moreover, a possibility to remove those metal droplets from the liquid slag was estimated based on Stokes law. In addition, the effect of some parameters (such as slag viscosity and size of different metal droplets in this slag) on the possibility to reduce the iron losses during desulfurization of hot metal was considered.