Modern view on steel desulfurization

Abstract

Modern technological schemes of steel production do not allow to achieve low (< 0.01 % S) and ultra-low (<0.005 % S) sulfur content on the production of in the metal directly. That is why out-of-furnace steel treatment is often used to remove sulfur. Desulfurization process of steel depends on the chemical composition of the slag, the time of its formation in the ladle, metal oxidation, conditions of mixing of steel in a ladle, additional technological operations and ladle metal processing. Methods are widely used for desulfurization of steel treatment of steel with solid slag-forming mixtures, synthetic slag, lime-aluminous slag, silico-calcium and other powdered materials. Modern approaches to the process of steel desulfurization in conditions steel production are analyzed in the Study. In particular, the Ukrainian (on the example of PJSC ‘Azovstal Iron & Steel Works’ and PJSC ‘Dneprovsky Integrated Iron & Steel Works named after Dzershinsky’) and foreign (on the example of PJSC ‘Severstal’ and PJSC ‘Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works’) experience of desulfurization under oxygen converter production. The use of technological complexes ‘Installation of pig iron desulfurization steel making unit’ and ‘Cast iron desulfurization installation steel making unit is ‘oven-bucket’ installation’ provides a deeper desulfurization of steel, the possibility of optimizing the cost of steel production, expands range of scarce products and eliminates a number of restrictive conditions that complicate current production. The analysis of steel C80D desulfurization process is given in the conditions of JSC ‘Moldova Steel Works’, in which partial sulfur removal occurs in an arc steel making furnace, and the ultra-low content is achieved by creating a highly basic refining slag in the process out-of-furnace processing of steel. The study of the kinetics of the desulfurization process of 20GL steel in the conditions of JSC ‘Tashkent Mechanical Plant’ with the use of solid slag-forming mixtures and modification of steel with rare-earth metals is analyzed. The issue of desulfurization of electric steel in the conditions of OJSC ‘Byelorussian Steel Works’ with injection of powdered materials through the installation ‘Velko’ during out-of-furnace processing of steel is considered. Keywords: steel desulfurization, desulfurizer reagent, degree of desulfurization, cast iron desulfurization installation, out-of-furnace processing of steel, ‘‘oven-bucket’’ installation.