Control of Slopping in Basic Oxygen Steelmaking

Abstract

<p>Methods for controlling slopping (slag overflow) were studied in the Steel Company of Canada's Hilton Works basic oxygen furnace installation. A link was established between slopping and various operating conditions by drawing on the experience of the furnace operators and by examining ingot yield data. An on-line control system was developed which used changes in the temperature of the furnace waste gases to signal when corrective action should be taken to prevent slopping. During trials, this system reduced slopping and increased ingot yield by approximately one percent.</p> <p>The chemical composition of slag from normal and slopping heats was studied in an attempt to determine why slopping occurs. The results of this study support a mechanism proposed by F. Bardenheuer (Ref. 21) which relates increases in slag foaming in the B.O.F. to the precipitation of dicalcium silicate and overoxidation.</p>