Investigation into Oxygen steel–making process employing Indian raw materials and Refractories

Abstract

Investigation into oxygen steel-making process employing Indian pig irons and refractories, from a broad based theme of research and development work at the National Metallurgical Laboratory and some of the earlier results obtained, were given in a paper at the National Metallurgical Laboratory Symposium on “Iron and Steel Industry in India”. These investigations are being now extended to study the possibilities of refining Indian pig irons involving the blowing of oxygen or air in top or side-blown converters respectively lined with Indian basic refractory compositions with special reference to high silicon and medium phosphorous bearing Indian pig irons. It is also stated that the objective by top oxygen lancing of Indian pig iron, are not aimed at elucidating any known or unknown features of conventional L-D oxygen steel-making technique which is already practiced in Indian at Rourkela Steel Plant on an industrial scale using Indian pig irons. It is also well-known that although over 60 oxygen-steel-making plants in Austria, U.S.A., Canada, Japan, U.S.S.R. and the Continent are annually producing more than 10 million tons of L-D steel, comprehensive research and pilot plant scale investigations are also at the same time actively in progress in many countries on many features of top-blown oxygen-steel making to standardize the operational techniques, economics yield and quality of the output utilizing their respective raw materials of metal and refractories .This work in National Metallurgical Laboratory also is aimed at fulfilling these requirements based on pilot plant investigation on pneumatic steel making methods, employing oxygen refining or side-blown air blast in basic lined vessels to produce satisfactory yields of quality steel. The use of Indian basic refractories in these techniques with reference to their performance and service life etc. is one of the important themes in these investigations at the National Metallurgical Laboratory.