Effect of Arriving Velocities of Carbon and Oxygen on the Rate of Decarburization in Liquid Iron

Kinetic study of decarburization in molten steel-VI

Abstract

The author has pointed out in previous reports that the rates of transfer and diffusion of reacting elements and reacted products are important in the process of decarburization as the reaction C+O⇔CO takes place very rapidly.
The previous reports also stated that there are two regions in the process where the arriving velocities of carbon and oxygen determine the rate of decarburization, and the transi-tion point in between the two regions is 0.30% carbon in a basic open hearth furnace, and 0.15% in a small high frequency furnace.
The author clarifies here that the rate of decarburization is increased with the increase of agitation effect of metal in a high frequency furnace, especially in the low carbon range, and further that the rate of decarburization in the oxygen steel making process in a basic open hearth furnace is increased with the increase of oxygen flow rate, and the transition point where the rate-determining step changes from oxygen diffusion to carbon diffusion is also raised to a higher carbon range.