Characteristics of Foaming Slag in Smelting Reduction Processes
Characteristics of Foaming Slag in Smelting Reduction Processes
Characteristics of Foaming Slag in Smelting Reduction Processes
Dr S K Dutta, Member
R Sah, Non-member
Smelting reduction processes, without using coke, are alternative ironmaking technologies for production of hot metal.
Gases, which are generated due to reaction, cannot be removed from the reactor without foaming of the slag.
Characteristics of foaming slag are important in the smelting reduction processes. Main foaming parameters are foaming
index and foam life.In this paper measurement of foaming index and influence of additives on foam are discussed.
Keywords : Alternate ironmaking ; Non-coking coal ; Slag foam ; Foaming index ; Foam life
In most of the smelting reduction processes, coal and iron ore are FOAMING PARAMETERS
injected into an iron bath, the main reactions are the cracking of the
coal and the reduction of iron oxide in the slag phase by solid carbon Foaming Index
and carbon dissolved in metal. Therefore, a large amount of CO and H 2
gases are evolved when a high production rate is maintained. The Considerable research activities were concentrated toward
gases at the slag-metal or slag-carbon interface, as a result, form understanding the foaming behaviour of slag in the past decade, the
4,5,7,8
bubbles and the volume of the slag increases extensively due to major contribution coming from Fruehan and co-workers . They
5
foaming , ie, the gases cannot come out from the reactor through the
measured the foaming behavior of different slags. To
5
slag phase without foaming. Slag foams are formed, when gas bubbles quantify the foaming behaviour, Ito and Fruehan defined
entrapped in the slag can not readily coalesce and foam the foaming index (Σ, s) of the slag as
s (1)
Table 1 Coal reserves in India2 ∑ = h / Vg
Type of Coal Reserves, Mt Percentage of Total where h is the height (cm) of the foam at steady state when gas
Coking coal 28 031 15.4 s
Non-coking coal 148 284 81.3 with superficial velocity (Vg , cm /s) is passed through it.
Lignite 5 978 3.3
Total 182 293 100.0 s
The superficial gas velocity (Vg ) is defined as
s
Dr S K Dutta is with the Metallurgical Engineering Department, Faculty V g =Qg /A (2)
of Technology and Engineering, M S University of Baroda, Vadodara
390 001; and R Sah is with the Mechanical Engineering Department,
Q 3
where g is a volumetric gas flow rate (cm /s) and A is
Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad. 2
cross-sectional area (cm ) of the reactor.
This paper was received on September 12, 2005. Written discussion on
the paper will be received until January 31, 2006. The superficial gas velocity is also correlated to the void function (α),
54 IE(I) Journal-MM
V Therefore,
volumetric fraction of gas, and the actual gas velocity ( g ,cm /s)
s (3) (8)
V g = α Vg Rate of volume change due to bubble rupture = k NV b
assumed to be proportional to the number of bubbles. Assume that
the kinetics of bubble ruptures follow first order rate equation.
The foam height (h) is expressed as a function of void
function and foam layer thickness (L , cm) Vol 86, October 2005
h=αL
(4
)
Using equations (8) and (9), equation (7) can be written as:
Finally, foaming index is expressed in terms of the foam layer d V /dt =Q − k αV (10)
and actual gas velocity as
(5) 3
∑= L /Vg where Q is the rate of gas generation or injection (cm /s).
If foam is produced in a reactor of uniform cross sectional
From equation (5) it is clear that foaming index means the average
area, the equation (10) can be written as:
gas travelling time through the foamed layer. This equation is valid
when void function (α) is independent of foam height (h), ie, void
function can be assumed as constant. The foaming index was found
to be independent of reactor size for reactor diameter greater than 3
4
cm and depends only on the physical properties of the slag .
Knowing the foaming index of the slag, the gas evolution rate, and
the reactor size, the foam height in any process can be calculated.
The foaming index means the foaming ability of the slag in the
foam caused by blowing gas. So, the foaming index has been
correlated as a function of the physical properties such as the
density, viscosity, and surface tension of the liquid slag. Zhang
7
and Fruehan have demonstrated that the foaming index is also
inversely proportional to the gas bubble size. For dimensional
4
analysis, Jiang and Fruehan have assumed that the foaming
index is a function of all the variables and dimensional
constants that may affect the foaming index (Σ).
Therefore,
∑ = f ( µ, σ , ρ, d b ) (6)
Foam Life
9
The foam volume is determined by the balance equation
The gas bubble rupture on the top layer of foam causes a decrease
in foam volume because of gas escape. Bubble rupture inside the
foam leads to bubble coalescence and, consequently, a change in
the liquid film thickness between the bubbles and their packing.
Coalescence of bubbles also leads to a decrease in foam volume.
Besides, non-uniform bubbles, which are produced by coalescence,
make the foam unstable. Hence, the bubble rupture rate can be
where k, N and Vb are the rate constant for bubble rupture
-1
(s ), total number of bubbles, and average volume of a gas
3
bubble (cm ), respectively.
The total volume of foam and the bubbles volume are can be
related by:
α = NV /V (9)
b
where α is the average void fraction and V is the volume of foam
3
(cm ).
s (11)
d h /dt = V g − k α h
−kt (16)
d V /d t = kV e
0
Combining equations (14) and (16) can be written as:
− kt (17)
τ=k∫te d t = 1/k
Foam life (τ) is the time (s) required to drain the liquid entrapped
between two consecutive layers of bubbles, the rate constant (k) for
bubble rupture is inversely proportional to foam life (τ). Again by
combining equations (13) and (17), can be written as:
τ = α∑ (18)
Σ s,
5
5
Ito and Fruehan found that the foaming index was independent of
reactor diameter (>3.2 cm) and wall effects were small. Foaming index 1573 K
decreased with increasing basicity (B = CaO / SiO 2) upto a maximum 2 1673 K
(B=1.2 to 1.22) and then increased (Figure 3) at 1673K due to presence
of second phase particles (CaO or 2CaO. SiO2). The
1
1.50 2.0
0 0.5 1.0 1.5
CaO/(SiO2+Al2O3)
1.25 Figure 3 Relation between foaming index Σ and the basicity ratio of the
height, cm
0.50
0.50 30% CaO 10% CaF2 2.000
0.50 15% Al O
2.00 48.7% CaO
24.3% SiO2 20% CaF2 0.681
7% MgO
1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 2.60 47.7% CaO
18.3% SiO2 20% CaF2 1.170
Temperature, K
9% MgO
Figure 2 Effect of temperature on foaming index for a slag containing 10% Al2O3
48% CaO, 32% SiO2, 10% Al2O3, and 10% FeO
56 IE(I) Journal-MM
4
Jiang and Fruehan have conducted slag forming measurements in
terms of the foaming index on reduction smelting slags (CaO - SiO2
tension of the slag. P2O5 slightly increases foaming index (Σ) 6 Added 76 µm coke
whereas marginally decreases foaming index indicating surface
5 Added 110 µm coke
tension alone does not determine slag foamability. CaF 2 decreased No additive
foaming index by lowering the viscosity of the slag. Large addition
h, cm
4 Added 1 µm coke
of CaF2 significantly decreases the foam stability by increasing Added 3 µm coke
CaO solubility and consequently dissolving some of the second
phase particles. MgO increases foaming index probably because it 3
Foam height,
Foaming index decreases with increasing basicity up to a 6. D R Gaskell. Steel Research, vol 60, nos 3 and 4, March-April 1989, p 182.
maximum and then increases due to presence of second phase
particles (CaO or 2CaO.SiO2). The slag foam stability 7. Y Zhang and R J Fruehan. Metall Trans B, vol 26B, August 1995, p 813.
decreases with increasing FeO content and basicity. The
foaming index decreases with increasing temperature because 8. B Ozturk and R J Fruehan. Metall Trans B, vol 26B, October 1995, p 1086
of a decrease in viscosity and an increase in surface tension. .
9. A K Lahiri and S Seetharaman. Metall Trans B, vol 33B, June 2002, p 499.
The anti-foam effect of coke or coal char particles was primarily
contributed by the non-wetting nature of the carbonaceous 10. J J Bikerman. ‘Foams’. Springer-Verlag, New York, USA, 1973, p
materials with the liquid slag. Adding carbonaceous material can 168.
control the slag foaming. Wettability between the particle and
the slag is the key factor in determining the ability of the particle 11. K Wu, W Qian, S Chu, Q Niu and H Luo. Iron Steel Inst Jpn
Int, vol 40, no 10, October 2000, p 954.
to control foaming of slag.
13. S Hara and K Ogino. Iron Steel Inst Jpn Int, vol 32, no 1, January
1992, p 81.
58 IE(I) Journal-MM