St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University (St. Petersburg, Russia):

Yaschenko V. K., Mag. Eng., Post-Graduate, the Chair "Metallurgical Technologies"
Karasev V. P., Cand. Eng., Ass. Prof., the Chair "Metallurgical Technologies"

E-mail (common): kovalev@thixomet.ru

The attempt to determine the condition of a converter bath surface before oxygen blowing using a cold modeling approach has been done. The model simulated a 350–400 ton basic oxygen furnace (BOF) with mass fraction of scrap as large as 110 tons. Basic dimensions of the internal converter chamber and its model are presented. Nine variants of lightweight and baled scrap load in different proportions have been tested. It was established that, after hot iron pouring, weight of scrap protruding above liquid surface depends on size and fraction of bales and can vary from 42.9 to 2.9 tons. In the meantime the level of liquid iron may increase from 2.0 to 2.8 m. It is recommended to take into account a bath surface condition for calculation of material and thermal balance; for setting an oxygen lance position at initial blowing step; for optimization of slag-formation and dephosphorizing. It is necessary to mention that this work took into consideration only scrap bales with their volume and mass corresponding to the technical parameters of national pressing equipment. But really these parameters can be lower that the required figures; in this case they usually increase amount of charged bales, but it leads to deterioration of the problem with protrusion of scrap. But initial state of converter bath surface can be evaluated using the technique described in the paper.

1. Varshavskiy A. P., Ankudinov M. Ya., Medzhibozhskiy M. Ya. et al. Optimalnye parametry metalloshikhty dlya konverternogo i martenovskogo proizvodstva stali (Optimal parameters of metal charge for converter and open-hearth steel making). Vtorichnye chernye metally : tematicheskiy sbornik (Secondary ferrous metals : subject collection). 1974. Iss. 6. pp. 5–13.
2. Varshavskiy A. P., Ganenko L. D., Ratner B. Ya., Zarutskaya L. I. Vliyanie metalloloma na shlakoobrazovanie v kislorodno-konverternoy plavke (Influence of scrap metal on slag formation in oxygen-converter smelting). Vtorichnye chernye metally : Tematicheskiy sbornik (Secondary ferrous metals : subject collection). 1974. Iss. 6. pp. 61–68.
3. Kolpakov S. V., Starov R. V., Smoktiy V. V., Lebedev V. I., Ryabov V. V. Tekhnologiya proizvodstva stali v sovremennykh konverternykh tsekhakh (Steel production technology in modern converter shops). Moscow : Mashinostroenie, 1991. 464 p.
4. Tselikov A. I., Polukhin P. I., Grebenyuk V. M. et al. Mashiny i agregaty metallurgicheskikh zavodov (Machines and aggregates of metallurgical plants). Moscow : Metallurgiya, 1988. Vol. 2. pp. 432.
5. Sushchenko A. V., Tskitishvili E. O., Sidorchuk R. S., Ligus N. N., Orlichenko M. P. Sovershenstvovanie konstruktsii kislorodnoy furmy i dutevogo rezhima konverternoy plavki v kislorodno-konverternom-tsekhe Publichnogo Aktsionernogo Obshchestva «Metallurgicheskiy Kombinat Azovstal» (Improvement of structure of oxygen lance and blasting mode of converter smelting in oxygen-converter shop of Azovstal Iron & Steel Works). Metallurg = Metallurgist. 2013. No. 9. pp. 49–59.