Analysis of slag foaming during the operation of an industrial converter

−− In the converter operation, a proper control of the slag-metal reactions that take place along the process is required to guarantee successful results. During the decarburization reaction a high gas flow rate is generated which increases the slag volume and can, eventually, promote its spill out of the converter. In this work, samples of slag and metal were taken out of an industrial converter at different stages of the process using a special device. The evolution of slag weight and composition was determined. Furthermore, calculations were performed in order to estimate the foaming capacity of the slags at the different stages of the process. It was found that the foam height reaches a maximum in the first half of the process, mainly due to the higher slag viscosity. Keywords−− Steelmaking, Converter, Slags, Foaming.