Mechanisms of Iron Entrainment into Slag due to Rising Gas Bubbles

Abstract

Iron droplets can be entrained into the slag phase when gas bubbles pass through the molten iron/slag interface. The physical phenomena occurring during passage of single bubbles through the interface were investigated by using in-situ X-ray transmission techniques and optical microscopy of the cooled specimens afterwards. Based on the X-ray observations, two mechanisms of entrainment of iron droplets into slag were proposed: large droplets are entrained by jet formation, fine droplets by the rupture of the metal film covering the gas bubble releasing from the iron/slag interface, respectively. The results provide novel erudition of the interaction between the ascending gas bubbles and the slag/iron systems.