Metallurgy ladle refining's methods

Introduction to LF ladle refining methods

There are dozens of refining methods outside the furnace, which have their own characteristics. Which method to choose should first be based on the specific conditions of each plant: according to the requirements of the treated varieties and other relevant conditions, such as quality, cost, construction cost, etc.

Which kind of out of furnace refining method is adopted depends on the plant conditions and the requirements for product quality, so as to establish different production processes.

For the continuous caster matched with electric furnace or ultra-high power electric furnace, when selecting metallurgy ladle refining, it shall meet the product quality requirements with high alloy ratio, such as electric furnace AOD furnace continuous casting for stainless steel; Electric VOD furnace continuous casting process.

For slab, bloom and round billet casters matching with large converter, it is required to provide high-quality molten steel to produce defect free billet, such as converter RH continuous casting and converter RH + KPI continuous casting process. When producing ultra-low carbon steel (carbon less than 0.0015%) or ultra-low sulfur steel (sulfur less than 0.001%), LF furnace and vacuum treatment can be used to achieve the best effect. In consideration of saving investment, CAS-OB refining furnace process can also be adopted.

For small billet and rectangular billet casters mainly producing plain carbon steel in combination with small converters, ladle argon blowing or ladle wire feeding technology is generally adopted, which can basically meet the requirements of continuous casting process and slab quality.