Metal Preparation

A. Important elements of steel:

i) Carbon:
Carbon is the major alloying element in steel
- Increase in C increases Tensile Strength and Hardness, but decreases
Ductility and Impact Strength.
- Optimum properties o Tensile Strength, Hardness and Impact Strength
are obtained !ith C in the range o ".#$-".$$%.
- The properties o steel can be altered !ith heat treatment.
- Carbon content as per I&S-&-'( )art-III Speciication is ".#*-".$*% or
Class-+ metal , ".$*-".-*% or Class-. metal.
ii) Manganese:
- In presence o C, /n orms /n
0
C and hardens the steel.
- Increases the hardenability o steel.
- It combines !ith S to orm /nS !ell distributed in steel, reducing the bad
eect o Sulphur.
- /anganese content as per I&S-&-'( )art-III Spec. is ".--".1%
iii) Silicon:
- Si dissol2es in steel and strengthens the steel.
- 3p to ".4%, it does not ha2e any appreciable eect on steel.
- It increases tensile strength o steel !ithout decreasing the ductility
bet!een ".4-".#%.
- I&S-&-'( )art-III Spec. permits Si range o ".'$-".*"%.
'
i2) Phosphorus:
- It dissol2es in steel to orm Iron )hosphide and ma5es steel hard and
brittle.
- It creates crac5 deects during cold !or5ing o steel termed as Cold
Shortness. It is considered as impurity in steel and should be minimi6ed.
- I&S-&-'( )art-III Spec. permits )hosphorus "."0"% ma7.
2) Sulphur:
- Sulphur orms Iron Sulphide 89eS) in steel.
- It is a lo! melting point compound and gets segregated along the grain
boundaries during solidiication. 9eS is a brittle compound and ma5es
steel brittle at high temp. applications termed as Hot Shortness.
- )resence o /anganese neutrali6es this eect to a certain e7tent, but
/echanical properties are aected.
- I&S-&-'( )art-III Spec. permits Sulphur content "."0"% ma7.
- Combined percentage o )hosphorus , Sulphur is to be maintained at
:"."$%
2i) Tramp elements:
- They are usually present in 2ery small ;uantities.
- Chromium and <ic5el= should not e7ceed ".4$%. They ma5e steel hard
and brittle.
- Copper= should not e7ceed ".'$%. It increases the propensity to crac5.
B. Amount of Calcined Lime in the charge:
a) Calcined >ime 8CaO) is used as lu7 in &?9 steel ma5ing. It melts during
initial melting o scrap and orms li;uid slag. It acts as reser2oir or o7ides o
Silicon, /anganese, )hosphorus, Sulphur etc. Carbon escapes as CO@CO
4
gas.
/ain objecti2e o lu7 addition is to reduce )hosphorus and Sulphur in the
li;uid to as lo! le2el as possible.
4
9irst element to get o7idi6ed is Silicon !hich gets o7idi6ed to SiO
4
, goes into
slag, reacts !ith CaO and gets i7ed into slag as CaO.4SiO
4
. )hosphorus gets
o7idi6ed to )
4
O
$
goes in to a slag and gets i7ed as A8CaO)
#
)
4
O
$
B.
It is only ater reacting !ith Silicon, balance ;uantity o CaO !ill react !ith
)hosphorus, to remo2e )hosphorus rom the metal. So >ime content should
be o2er and abo2e re;uired by Silicon a2ailable in the scrap.
The ratio o CaO@SiO
4
is termed as basicity ratio and should be preerably 4.$-
0." or eecti2e dephosphorisation.
b) Calculation=
Silicon content in the &?9 scrap C about ".$%
Hence Si content in 40$"" Dgs o steel C 40$""7".$@'"" C ''*.$ Dgs
+s SiE4FOGC SiO
4
i.e., 41 Dgs Si orms -" Dgs SiO
4
Hence ''*.$ Dgs Si gets con2erted in to C ''*.$7-"@41C4$'.*1Dgs SiO
4

CaO re;uired C 4$'.*170 Dg C*$$ Dgs.
Cal >ime contains ("% CaO and 4% SiO
4
Hence eecti2e CaO present in '""Dgs >ime to maintain basicity o
0 C ("-470 Dg C1#Dgs
Thereore Calcined >ime re;uired C **$7'""@1#Dg C 1(( Dgs.
In &?9 ''""Dgs Calcined >ime is charged as lu7.
Since calcined lime reacts !ith moisture in the air to orm CaOEH
4
OCCa8OH)
4
8sla5ed lime) and loses its potency, it must been ensured that lime bags are not
damaged and lime charged is in lump shape.
0
C. Furnace Charging:
9urnace charging has been discussed in O/-'. +ter charging ollo!ing steps are
ollo!ed=-
i) The charge is le2eled !ith magnet
ii) I limestone is on top and at the centre, the scrap is lited by magnet and
adjusted. This operation is continued e! times till the limestone goes do!n.
.oring chips are added on top or crushing.
iii) The be6el ring is cleaned. &oo is s!ung, lo!ered and loc5ed.
i2) +ll the inter-loc5s are chec5ed at the time o roo raise, roo lo!er, roo
s!ing-out, and roo s!ing-in operation. +ny o these inter-loc5s should not
be by passed.
. Melting:
i) The initial arcing o the urnace is started on lo! tap 8Tap--) to protect the
roo. This is done or one minute. Then HC. 8Haccum Circuit .rea5er) is
tripped !ith all the electrodes resting on the scrap.
ii) Ilectrodes are adjusted, clamps cleaned !ith compressed air !hile adjusting.
iii) <ot to o2er adjust or under adjust the electrodes since this !ill damage the
urnace hearth portion or cause bridging.
i2) +ter adjusting the electrodes, the electrodes are lited !ell abo2e the scrap
le2el beore closing the HC. to a2oid hea2y o2erload o HC..
2) HC. is closed and arced or 0 or # minutes till the electrodes bore and go
do!n.
2i) <o! ma7imum po!er should be injected in to the urnace to melt the scrap
and orm li;uid slag. Hence the tap is changed to the highest tap. Jenerally
Tap 4 is selected. Initial arcing is !ith longer arcs so that the side scrap !ill
melt ast. To achie2e this, the rheostat is adjusted in such a !ay that the load
on indi2idual electrode ranges rom '(-4" D+.
#
2ii) O
4
lancing pipe is inserted in the urnace through the hole in the closed slag
door ater about 4" minutes o arcing and O7ygen is partially injected at
moderate pressure 8$ to - 5g@cm
4
) into the urnace or o7y-assisted melting.
?hen the scrap melts during initial period o arcing, Carbon in the charge and
li;uid metal reacts !ith O7ygen, orms CO and tries to escape rom the
urnace. I e7cess O
4
is supplied to this CO, it gets con2erted into CO
4
releasing heat. This released heat helps in heating the balance scrap and early
meltdo!n.
2iii) Ilectrodes should not be raised or lo!ered manually unless humming is
obser2ed.
i7) # or $ degree angle is pro2ided to the 9urnace or easy collapsing o scrap.
7) O2er-tilt o the 9urnace should be a2oided since this may cause Ilectrode
brea5ages at the time o scrap collapse or may burn the panels.
7i) I the arcing is healthy throughout 8continuous hea2y crac5ing sound indicates
a healthy melting inside the 9urnace), clearing the door !ith O7ygen 8O
4
pressure is 1-'" 5g@cm
4
) should be started ater #$ or $" minutes o po!er on.
7ii) The side scrap rom the door is cleared irst.
7iii) Same tap is continued !hile cutting the scrap through slag door by O
4
lancing.
The current is adjusted i necessary, to ensure that the bath temp does not go
beyond '$#"-'$-"
O
C till ("% scrap is melted.
7i2) 9irst sample is ta5en at '$#"-'$-"
O
C. .y this time, majority o the scrap !ill
ha2e collapsed and the side!alls are e7posed. To pre2ent side !all reractory
erosion, shorter arc lengths are preerred. .y changing to lo!er taps, urnace
current can be increased, so that arc length is reduced and temp o the bath can
be raised aster. So tap is changed to #@$. 9ull current is 5ept and Carbon boil
started by injecting O
4
through the bath. Slag !ill become oamy and starts
lo!ing through slag door. O7idising slag should be remo2ed thoroughly by
C-boil. /a7imum slag has to be remo2ed bet!een '$$"-'-0"
O
C. This !ill
ensure )hosphorus remo2al rom metal. Second sample is ta5en ater slag o.
!! Slag should not be remo2ed beore proper slag 2olume is ormed, and
proper temperature is reached. Improper slag ormation and temperature !ill
$
cause slag metal jam on the door. +ll the slag metal jam should be cleared
rom the door beore tilting the 9urnace or remo2al o slag. + sho2el o
Dolomite is spread on the slag door to a2oid slag metal stic5ing.
!! Only slag should be remo2ed and not metal. ?hen metal comes out rom
the slag door, it !ill gi2e continuous spar5s. ?hile obser2ing the slag lo!
through saety glasses, metal spar5s cannot be seen. Hence, slag metal lo!
should be obser2ed once in-bet!een !ithout the saety goggles, so that metal
lo! through door can be identiied and stopped.
!! Slag should be ta5en o as much completely as possible bet!een '$$"
"
to
'-0"
"
C, because 5eeping the slag o2er bath and raising the temperature,
!or5ing the heat, deo7idi6ing !ith 9erro /anganese, addition o &S/ etc.,
!ill a2our )hosphorus re2ersal rom slag to metal.
72) Samples are air cooled beore immersing it in !ater. This !ill a2oid internal
hair line crac5s and !rong chemical analysis.
72i) The abo"e is #$idation Period in the bath:!
a% Purpose= To remo2e )hosphorus rom the metal. )hosphorus reacts !ith
O
4
. It is o7idi6ed to )
4
O
$
8)hosphoric acid), neutrali6ed by 9eO and gets i7ed
in the slag as Calcium )hosphate in presence o CaO.
Sources of #$&gen for Phosphorus #$idation:
- &usty scrap in the charge
- O
4
rom the urnace atmosphere
- O
4
injection directly rom O
4
lancing pipe
- The o7idation starts at around '$$"-'$*"
"
C ater complete meltdo!n and
it completes by around '-4"-'-0"
"
C !hen all o7idi6ing slag is remo2ed.
b% Main reactions:
FSiG E 4 FOG C 8SiO
4
)
8CaO) E 8SiO
4
) C 8CaO.4SiO
4
)
F/nG E FOG C 8/nO)
8/nO)E8SiO
4
) C 8/nO.SiO
4
)
#)E$O
4
C 4)
4
O
$
#8CaO) E 8)
4
O
$
) C A8CaO)
#
)
4
O
$
B
-
4F)G E #8CaO) E $89eO) C A8CaO)
#
)
4
O
$
BEF9eG
4CEO
4
C 4CO
c% Conditions for effecti"e dephosphorisation=
- Slag should be highly basic in nature
- CaO to SiO
4
ratio to be preerably 4.$ to 0."
- Slag should be o7idi6ing in nature
- &ate o temperature increase should be slo!
- Suicient bath boil or intermi7ing o bath and slag to be achie2ed by
Carbon .oil.
d% Carbon Boil:
- O
4
injected in to the bath by lancing.
- Temp '$*"-'$1"
"
C
- CO bubbles generated at the bottom o the hearth rise to the top o the
bath generating hea2y boil, termed as Carbon .oil.
- Increases luidity o slag and ma5es it to lo! out o slag door.
- O7idation )eriod.
Ad"antages of Carbon Boil:
- <onmetallic inclusions and gases mainly Hydrogen and <itrogen are
brought to the surace o slag along !ith CO bubbles.
- Intermi7ing o slag , metal is ensured or eecti2e dephosphorisation
- /etal composition and temperatures become more uniorm through
out the bath.
72ii) <o! tap is changed to #@$. +t '-#"
"
C electrodes are raised and urnace is
chec5ed or scrap s5ic5ing.
72iii) Second sample is ta5en ater slag o. Depending on carbon percentage 8i
more than ".-%) decarborisation is done by pro2iding O
4
through lancing
pipe. Slag coated lancing pipe is immersed into metal to burn carbon. One
more sample is ta5en.
*
7i7) <e7t the bath is deo7idi6ed and reducing slag is made. The purpose o this
phase is =
- To reduce O
4
le2el in steel to as lo! as possible.
- To clean the steel o any inclusions due to Deo7idation products.
- To reduce Sulphur content o the steel
Sulphur can be remo2ed rom the metal only ater metal is deo7idised
and all the o7idi6ing slag is remo2ed at appro7 '-4"-'-0"
"
C. Sulphur
remo2al is a2oured by
- >o! o7ygen potential in the bath and slag.
- High basicity o slag K0
- High temperature 8 K '-#"
"
C)
77) Heat is bloc5ed by adding 9erro /anganese, a mild deo7idiser. '"" 5g o
9e/n is added in the urnace.
77i) Depending on the opening carbon 8I less than ".$%) bath is recarborised.
Thumb rule is 0.0 5g graphite granules is added in urnace or each hundredth
o percentage point 8"."'%). Target is to ha2e ".$$ to ".-"% carbon or class
. and ".#1 to ".$0% or class + steel.
77ii) + ne! slag is made by adding calcined lime to attain the basicity o 0 to 0.$,
!hich is luid and interacti2e. >ime to the e7tent o ' to '.4$% o charge
!eight is added to the bath. +t present 4"" Dgs o calcined lime is added
77iii) ?hen lime melts and becomes luid, reducing slag mi7ture o Calcined >ime,
Jraphite Jranules , 9erro-Silicon 8$" 5g=4$5g='"5g) are added to deo7idi6e
the bath. +luminum shots o - to '" mm si6e to the tune o '$ Dgs can also
be added. .ath must be thoroughly rabbled.
77i2) Ta5e third sample.
772) Main reactions during this period are =
a) F/nGE89eO)C 8/nO)EF9eG
8/nO)EC C F/nGECO
8CaO) E 0C C 8CaC4) E CO
089eO) E 8CaC4) C 0 F9eG E 8CaO) E 4CO
08/nO) E 0C C 0F/nG E 8CaO) E 4CO
1
b) 'ote:! There can be t(o methods of deo$idation
irect eo$idation=
- Deo7idising elements 9e-Si, 9e-/n, +luminum pieces, Co5e are
added directly to steel bath.
- +lloys dissol2e into the bath, reduce 9eO to 9e, orming
deo7idation products and steel is deo7idi6ed.
- Deo7idation products sometimes do not loat to the slag in time,
creating inclusion deects in steel.
eo$idation b& diffusion method:
- Deo7idising elements are added in po!der orm, uniormly on to
the slag layer.
- They react !ith 9eO content o slag reducing it to 9e and
Deo7idation products are ormed in the slag layer.
- 9eO rom the metal passes to the slag by diusion to maintain the
e;uilibrium, thus reducing o7ygen content o the metal.
- Deo7idation does not ta5e place in bath. Hence there are no
deo7idation products in the li;uid metal. Cleaner metal results
than in direct Deo7idation.
&?9 ollo!s the latter method.
c% esulphurisation:
Sulphur plus )hosphorus is to be aimed at pretap "."0"% preerably.
Sulphur remo2al is 2ery tedious in single slag basic electric steel ma5ing
process. Jenerally the eiciency is 0"% remo2al o the total Sulphur
burden. Sulphur remo2al is not a chemical reaction unli5e )hosphorus
remo2al. It is a diusion process. i.e., Sulphur is absorbed rom /etal to
Slag as CaS at the slag metal interace under strongly reducing atmosphere
i.e.,
CaO E 0C C CaC
4
E CO
Calcium Carbide 8CaC
4
) reacts !ith 9eO in the slag
(
CaC
4
E 09eO C CaO E 09e E 4CO
i.e., 9eO is remo2ed 8deo7idi6ed) rom slag. To maintain e;uilibrium
more 9eO rom metal diuse into slag i.e., O
4
potential o the bath is
reduced. 9urther reactions are L
CaO E 9eS C CaS E 9eO
F9eSG E 8CaO) E C C F9eG E 8CaS) E CO
/nO E 9eS C /nS E 9eO
F/nSG E 8CaO) E C C F/nG E 8CaS) E CO
I deo7idation is not complete
8CaS) E 89eO) C 8CaO) E F9eSG
8CaS) E 8/nO) C 8CaO) E F/nSG
The continued abo2e reaction at the slag metal interaces a2ours Sulphur
remo2alL being a diusion reaction at the interace, the reaction rate and
eiciency depend on the contact area i.e. mi7ing. Hence reducing slag needs
rabbling or ra5ing !ith metal@slag and is a must. +rcing is continued to raise
temp along !ith mi7ing to bring do!n Sulphur.
c)% 'ote: ! Factors fa"ouring esulphurisation:
- Highly basic slag. CaO@SiO
4
ratio to be 0."-0.$
- .ath should be in deo7idi6ed state. 9eO content o the slag should
be minimum
- Slag should be luid. Sometime lour spar is added to achie2e this.
Higher temp. is needed to dissol2e more Cal. >ime. )rocess ta5es place in
the temp. range o '-#"-'-*"
"
C.
772i) The bath is mi7ed again and ater i2e minutes ourth sample and ith
samples 8chec5 samples) are ta5en.
772ii) Temperature is chec5ed. ?hen the temperature is '--"-'-*"
"
C, the tap is
changed to 1 or (.
772iii) >aunder is cleared and the tap hole opened.
'"
77i7) Slag door should be 5ept closed al!ays e7cept !hen necessary or energy
conser2ation.
777) >adle is lited rom M/)@>)H
- >adle lit should be so timed that ladle !ith molten metal arri2es M/) just
beore the pre2ious heat pouring is completed.
- >adle lip is prepared at slag o station 8SOS).
- Depending on the analysis o chec5 sample 9erro-Silicon, Silico-
/anganese and Jraphite granules are added to ladle in metal stream.
9erro-alloy addition can be guided by the ollo!ing table=-
For *+., MT of Li-uid Metal
Item to be
added
.lement to
Increase
/uantit& of Ferro Allo& to be added
for increase of element
Aim to achie"e
0Points% 01%
Jraphite
Jranules
Carbon i. ?ithout drain C 4.$ 5g or ' point
8"."'%) to increase
ii. ?ith drain C 4.0 5g or ' point
8"."'%) to increase
N Carbon pic5 up rom >I/ by one to
t!o points should be considered !hile
aiming
-"--4 or .o7-<
$"-$4 or .J
Coaching
9erro Silicon Silicon i. ?ithout drain C 4"$ to 4'" 5g
ii. ?ith drain C '(" to 4"" 5g
N ?hile deciding the abo2e guidelines,
Silicon reco2ery rom Silicon
/anganese has been considered.
-$--1
Silico
/anganese
/anganese i. ?ithout drain C 0.1 to0.( 5g or '
point 8"."'%) to increase.
ii. ?ith drain C0.# to 0.$ 5g or ' point
8"."'%) to increase.
*"-*$
+ssumption or the abo2e guidance =
i. Total metal C 40.$ t
ii. Drain metal C 4 t
iii. Carbon % in graphite granules C (1%
- Carbon reco2ery eiciency C ($% o (1% i.e., o2erall
reco2ery C (0% o Jraphite Jranules.
i2. Silicon in 9e Si C *"-*$%
''
- Silicon reco2ery eiciency C ($% o Silicon a2ailable
i.e., o2er all reco2ery C -$ to *"% o 9e Si
- Silicon pic5 up rom Si /n has been considered !hile
pro2iding the guidance 2alue
2. /anganese in Si /n C -"--$%
- /anganese reco2ery ($% o /n a2ailable i.e., o2erall
eiciency C ".$*% to ".-4% o Si /n
- Silicon in Si /n C '# O '*%
To acilitate erro-alloys addition in metal stream, chute is pro2ided near
urnace launder. +ter ladle is '@0
rd
illed, erro-alloys are dropped through
the chute.
777i) Chec5 the temperature t!ice beore tapping the heat.
777ii) In the normal conditions, !ithout ladle delay, '-("-'-($
"
C temperature is
considered or tapping 8!hen the ladle preparation is o2er in ten minutes time
and inal analysis is recei2ed !ithin ten minutes).
777iii) O
4
is used to open the tap hole rom the tap hole side. I the tap hole does not
open in time, o7ygen pipe is used or tap hole opening rom the slag door side.
777i2) ?hile tapping, care is re;uired to see that only metal comes out o the tap hole
initially and not !ith the slag. This can be achie2ed by tilting the urnace till
the metal le2el is abo2e the tap hole.
7772) In case o erratic Carbon results, the bath is mi7ed thoroughly. 9i2e minutes
ater the irst bath sample, bath is mi7ed again beore ta5ing the second
sample.
7772i) In case o 2iscous slag, one operator must push the slag !ith the steel rabble
and the second operator must ta5e the sample.
'4
.. Preparation of Ladle for Tapping and Pouring=
i) +ter pouring is o2er, ladle is co2ered !ith dummy co2er and 5ept at M/)
home position till it is remo2ed rom the tan5 to a2oid thermal shoc5 to the
bric5s and a hea2y radiation loss and solidiication o li;uid metal.
ii) The ladle is lited rom the pit, '4 to '# minutes beore the heat is ready.
>adle liting time should be so synchroni6ed that ladle !ith ull metal comes
to M/) as soon as pre2ious heat is just poured. Hence ideally ladle may be
lited !hen '*-'1
th
!heel is cast rom the pre2ious heat.
iii) The number o !heels poured is chec5ed to assess the ;uantity o li;uid metal
a2ailable in the ladle to be used or tapping.
i2) The ladle side!all should be inspected thoroughly ater lo!ering the ladle at
the SOS. In case o 2ery !ide opening in the bric5 joints at the lo!er side
!all, ladle should be condemned.
2) >adle should be centered properly at the tapping station so that the metal
stream stri5es the centre o the ladle. /etal stream directed onto side !alls
may cause side!all erosion and side!all punctures.
2i) +ter slag o, the lip portion is co2ered !ith ramming mass and then !ith the
ra! dolomite.
2ii) The slag metal jam belo! the lip and belo! the stiener ring should be
cleaned beore the ladle is sent to /oulding &oom.
2iii) The ladle is centered properly in M/) so that the ladle bail arm is dis-engaged
!ithout problem.
i7) In case o metal@slag spill o2er to ladle sides, this should be cleared beore
sending the ladle to /oulding &oom. Cleaning o ladle and bail arms should
not be done once the ladle is inside the tan5.
7) One super2isor must be a2ailable on the spot !hen the ladle is lo!ered and
!hen it is remo2ed rom the Mohn /ohr tan5 so that he can super2ise proper
centering o the ladle and proper dis-engaging o the bail arm.
'0
7i) ?hene2er there is a delay in tapping due to /elting@/oulding problem, the
ladle lip ater pouring li;uid metal must be cleaned and ladle is 5ept or pre-
heating.
F. Sample Ta2ing3 Cutting and Polishing #peration:
i) 9irst sample should be ta5en only !hen ("% o scrap is melt. Other!ise it is
not a representati2e sample.
ii) Sample should be ta5en only !hen the temperature is abo2e '$#"
"
C,
preerably bet!een '$#"-'$-"
"
C.
iii) )re-tap chec5 samples must be ta5en bet!een '-*"
"
C to '-1"
"
C only.
i2) Sample should not be ta5en 2ery close to the electrodes.
2) ?hile ta5ing the samples, the spoon should be dipped as much as possible
inside the metal to get a more homogeneous sample.
2i) ?hile pouring metal inside the sample mould bo7, suicient aluminium !ire
is ed to a2oid blo! holes. Suicient time should be gi2en to ensure
solidiication o metal in the mould bo7.
2ii) The sample must be air-cooled till the bright red colour o the sample
becomes dull red colour. This is to a2oid internal ;uenching crac5s in the
sample.
2iii) Double cutting o the sample should be a2oided.
i7) ?ay surace on cut ace should be a2oided.
7) + mirror inish should be gi2en to the polished ace and the ace cleaned
beore sending it to the spectrometer analysis.
7i) The sample should be cut on the ma7imum diameter to get enough surace or
proper spar5ing at spectrometer.
7ii) The bottom ace o the sample is ground to ha2e a proper hold in the
spectrometer.
'#
4. Aluminium Plunging in Ladle:
+luminium plunging is done in the ladle !hen the metal temperature is '-'"
"
C. This is
primarily to ta5e care o the residual gases in the li;uid metal. To achie2e this the
aluminium stars are properly secured !ith 4" /S rod. Jenerally t!o +luminium stars
o #$" gms. each are plunged. On rare occasion, i metal is dull !ith slag generation, 0
stars are plunged.
The /.S. &oad must be three meters minimum. The ends must be properly bent and
!ound to the stars so that they do not get detached hal-!ay through !hile plunging
inside the metal. 9or proper assimilation o aluminium, the stars must reach the bottom
o the ladle.
The operator must be s!it and not slo!. +t one stro5e, the aluminium stars must reach
the bottom. The rod should be held or a e! seconds beore it is !ithdra!n. Once the
rod !ith aluminium stars touches the bottom, it should not be ta5en up and do!n. To
achie2e this, the rods must be cut to proper si6e. Initially, it can be o $ mtrs length and
can be used till the length comes do!n to 0 metres. +t 0 metres length, the rod must be
discarded. Improper aluminium plunging !ill gi2e rise to pinholes, slag patches on
!heel surace and ine crac5s belo! the slag patches.
'$
Tap Changing Se-uence
Sl
'o
Cumulati"e
Time from
Po(er #n
Incoming
5oltage
0#'
Load%
Taps 6emar2s
' " -'/in T- )o!er on T- or one min. )ut o the urnace !ith all the three electrodes resting on the
scrap. +djust the electrodes to appropriate length.
4 4 to * /in T- )o!er on or another $ mins on T-, to ensure that electrodes bore in to the urnace. This
is to saeguard the roo rom the laring arcs o the electrodes and to impro2e the lie o
roo.
0 * to $"
/ins
:(DH T' Change to T'@T4@T0 depending upon incoming 2oltage. Select the Tap in such a !ay
that !ith current setting is at '(-4" D+mps, ?attmeter reading should indicate bet!een
1"""-("""D!h 81-(/!h). This is necessary because *"% o &?9 scrap is H/S. ?ith
this current and Tap setting, H/S scrap on the side!all o the urnace !ill also get
heated up and collapses in time and the melt do!n temp o the bath is around '$0"-
'$#"
O
C. I the current is 5ept lo!er than this, melt do!n !ill still ta5e place but melt
do!n temp o the bath !ill be lo!. .ath boiling and temp raising problems are
e7perienced delaying the heat. I urnace is operated !ith ma7 current and highest tap,
H/S scrap on the sides o urnace !ill not get heated up in time. Ilectrodes bore in to
the scrap, superheat the bath at the bottom and cause hearth pitting. Scrap stic5ing,
delays in heat and higher po!er consumption are the conse;uences. +ter 4" mins o
arcing, insert O4 lancing pipe through the hole in the slag door and introduce $"% O4 or
O7y assisted melting. +ter #"-#$ mins o arcing, start cutting scrap through slagdoor
by O4 lancing.
( to
'"DH
T4
K'" To
''DH
T0
K''DH T#
:(DH T' Continue !ith the same taps !hile cutting the scrap through slag door by O4 lancing.
&educe@Increase the current i necessary, to ensure that the bath temp does not go
beyond '$#"-'$-"
O
C till ("% scrap is melted.
# $" - *"
/ins
( to
'"DH
T4
K'" To
''DH
T0
K''DH T#
$ *" - 1"
/ins
T$@T- 9irst sample S' is ta5en at '$#"-'$-"
O
C. .y this time, majority o the scrap !ill ha2e
collapsed and the side!alls are e7posed. To pre2ent side !all reractory erosion, shorter
arc lengths are preerred. .y changing to lo!er taps, urnace current can be increased,
so that arc length is reduced and temp o the bath can be raised aster. Deep ull current
and start the Carbon boil by injecting O4 through the bath. Slag !ill become oamy and
starts lo!ing through slag door. &emo2e o7idising slag thoroughly by C-boil. /a7
slag has to be remo2ed bet!een '$$"-'-0"
O
C. This !ill ensure )hosphorus remo2al
rom metal. Second sample S4 is ta5en at around '$("-'-4"
O
C.
- 1" - ($
/ins
)ut o the current and cut the remaining scrap by lancing. &ecarb@Decarb the bath
depending upon S4 reading. +dd about 4"" Dgs lime to ma5e the second slag .
* ($-'""
/ins
T#@T$ /a5e the slag luid, add ?+)@&S/ in to the urnace at around '-#"-'-$"
O
C. /i7 the
bath thoroughly
1 '""-'"$ /ins T*@T1@
T(
Ta5e the chec5 samples. Insure bath is uniorm beore ta5ing chec5 samples
( '"$-
''$@'4"
/ins
T*@T1@
T(
Jradually raise the bath to tapping temp and tap the heat.

'-
Tap(ise 5oltage etails of Furnaces
Tap
'o
.AF!) 7
.AF!*
05olts%
6emar2s .AF!+
05olts%
6emar2s
'
0"$
T@' is the
Highest
Tap. Same
po!er or T@'
to T@#
'#$
Decreasing
po!er
4
4(" '-0
0
4*$ '1"
#
4-4 '(*
$ 4$"
Decreasing
)o!er
4"*
- 4'( 4'*
* 4"0 44*
1 '11 40*
( '*- 4#*
'" 4$*
'' 4-*
Same po!er
rom T@'- to
T@''.
T@'- is the
Highest Tap
'4 41"
'0 4(4
'# 0"*
'$ 040
'- 0#"
'*
List of Specifications :
Sl.'o. Item PL 'o. Specification 'o.
'. 9erro-Silicon ("*(04"' &?9@/@S)IC<-'@""#@'(1*
4. 9erro-/anganese ("*("*"# &?9@/@S)IC<-'@"4*@'(11
0. Silico- /anganese ('4'""-( &?9@/@S)IC<-'@"4#@'(11
#. Jraphite Jranules 1'(141(- &?9@/@S)IC<-'""@4""*
$. +luminium Star ('(1""4' ?+)-/@S)IC<-'@"$1@'((#
-. >i;uid O7ygen 1'"#"#41 IS 0"(=4""$
*. 9lour Spar 1'(1"#"' &?9@/@S)IC<-'@"4-@'(11
'1
List of Consumables :
Sl.'o. Item PL 'o. 8nit 'orms .A6 Li2el& Suppliers
'. 9erro-Silicon ("*(04"' Dg *.0#@/T
o metal
'4**""" a) 9erromet /ar5eting
b) &<. Carbides
c) H.C 9erro +lloys
d) S<+/ 9erro +lloys
4. 9erro
/anganese
("*("*"# Dg 4.$@/T
o metal
#0$""" a) /ython 9erro +lloys
b) Impe7 9errotec
c) <a2abharath 9erro +lloys
0. Silico-
/anganese
('4'""-( Dg $.0#@/T
o metal
(4(""" a) Chattisgarh Ilectrical
Coporation
b) 9erromet /ar5eting
c) /annet Ispat +lloys
#. Jraphite
Jranules
1'(141(- Dg (.''@/T
o metal
'$1*""* a) Jraphite India
b) Mayanthilal , Company
c) /ineral )ul2erising /ills
)2t. >td., <agpur
d) /@s. H.& Sales )2t. >td.
$. +luminium
Star
('(1""4' Dg "."$@/T
o metal
1*"" a) Century +luminium
-. >i;uid O7ygen 1'"#"#41 <m
0
- - a) <ational O7ygen >imited
b) .ritish O7ygen Company
c) )ra7 +ir >td.
d) Ino7 +ir )roduct
e) .horu5a Jases >imited
*. 9lour Spar 1'(1"#"' Dg ".#@/T
o metal
-(-"" a) Hindustan )roduce Company
'(