Critical Assessment of the Applicability of the Foaming Index to the Industrial Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Process

The goal of this work is to assess the applicability of the concept of a slag foaming index on industrial data. For this purpose, process data from the steel plant of ArcelorMittal Ghent are used. An acoustic measurement is used to identify the heats with high levels of slag foaming. A model based on process data is developed to estimate the slag's composition during the converter process. The results of this model, together with industrial data on the slag's end composition, are used as input to calculate the slag's viscosity, density, and surface tension. Subsequently, the calculated foaming indices are compared with the acoustic measurements from industry. No distinct link between the calculated foaming index and the slopping behavior of the industrial slag is observed. Furthermore, it is observed that the slag's viscosity is the dominant parameter in the foaming index for the industrial slags. In conclusion, it seems that the calculated foaming index cannot be used as a tool to identify foamy slags within the considered industrial context.

Automated summary

The goal of this work is to assess the applicability of the slag foaming index concept on industrial data. By using acoustic measurements and developing a model to estimate the composition and properties of the slag, it is found that there is no distinct link between the calculated foaming index and industrial measurements, with viscosity being the dominant parameter in the foam index for industrial slags.