Rate of Oxidation of Silicon in Liquid Iron by Oxidizing Gas

Abstract

For the purpose of investigating the transfer rate of silicon in steelmaking process, oxidation rate of silicon in liquid iron was measured by blowing oxidizing gas onto the surface of Fe-Si alloys melted in magnesia crucible, and relations among the rates of oxidation of silicon, carbon and manganese were examined.
It was found that oxidation rate of silicon in liquid iron was strongly influenced by the nature of slag formed on the surface of melt during run.
In the system containing carbon, preferential oxidation of carbon was observed because CO is thermodynamically more stable than SiO₂ under experimental conditions which are high temperature and low pressure of cabon monoxide.
In the system containing manganese, silicon and manganese were oxidized simultaneously and the rate of oxidation of silicon increased with increase of flow rate of oxidizing gas. In this case it was supposed that the rate of reaction was controlled by the diffusion of oxidizing gas in the gas phase.