Modern Developments in Engineering of Oxygen Steelmaking Shops for Bottom and Combined Blowing

Abstract

The bottom blown basic oxygen steelmaking process was introduced and tested on low phosphorus hot metal in North America during 1971, The OBM/Q-BOP process proved to be an improvement over the top blown basic oxygen process in many aspects - capital costs, operating_costs, and process capabilities. Capital costs could be saved mainly because of much reduced Space requirements and deletion (particularly in the case of open hearth con-version) of extensive overhead material storage and han-dling systems due to the absence of lop lances and beca-use pneumatic material handling and bottom injection per-mitted replacement of gravity fed top additions. Operat-ing costs were reduced by a combination of high produc-tivity due to the capability of greater specific oxygen blowing rates and better product yields, both from charged-and additive materials.