The Effect of Slag on the Effectiveness of Phosphorus Removal from Ferrous Alloys Containing Carbon, Chromium and Nickel

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of slag composition on phosphorus removal from ferrous solutions containing carbon, chromium and nickel. Additions of cryolite, Na₃AlF₆, were applied for better fluxing and higher phosphate capacity of the slag. An X-ray analysis of final slags formed during dephosphorization of ferrous solutions containing chromium and nickel with CaO-CaF₂ or CaO-CaF₂-Na₃AlF₆ mixtures of different chemical compositions was carried out. The equilibrium composition of the liquid and the solid phase while cooling the slags from 1673K to 298K was computed using FactSage 6.2 software. The performed equilibrium computations indicated that the slags were not entirely liquid at those temperatures. The addition of cryolite causes a substantial increase of the liquid phase of the slag. It also has a favourable effect on the dephosphorization grade of hot metal. The obtained results were statistically processed and presented in the form of regression equations.