Synthetic Slag Refining of 18Cr Steel in VOD

Abstract

Operation results of refining the stainless steel melt with synthetic slag in combination with vacuum treatment in VOD are presented, The final oxygen content decreased to lower level than that obtained with simple vacuum treatment, and was lowered by increasing slag basicity. depending on carbon content. The metallurgical facter that played the most important role in lowering oxygen level was the increased power of Si deoxidation that was resulted from the reduced silica activity in slag phase. The amount of extracted oxide inclusion was lowered by the synthetic slag refining in vacuum. As a result the surface quality of the sheet was fairly improved.