Development of a decarburization and slag formation model for the electric arc furnace

A decarburization and slag formation model for the electric arc furnace was developed, which includes the rate phenomena for decarburization and the reaction between carbonaceous materials and iron oxide in slag, mass balance for each species in the metal, slag and gas phases, and the melting behavior of pig iron, scrap and fluxes. The model was applied to a two bucket charge operation electric arc furnace and the dynamic metal and slag compositions were calculated as a function of time. The effects of melting patterns for raw materials, carbon-FeO reaction rate, and the post combustion ratio were examined. The critical parameters, which most strongly influence chemistry development, were identified. These parameters were fitted to an industrial case, such that the model could accurately predict slag and metal chemistry development. This model could be utilized to optimize the operation in order to improve yield, energy efficiency, and increase consistency of metal and slag chemistries from heat to heat.