Decarburization of Fe/C melts in a crucible: Effects of gas flow rate and composition

Decarburization of iron-carbon melts contained in a bath has been experimentally Investigated. In some experiments controlled Fe/C melts were used whereas in others commercial type metal containing some impurities was used. The effects of a wide range of gas Injection flowrates, percentage composition of the decarburizing component and nature of the decarburizing gas were Investigated. The presence of nitrogen or argon as inert gas has also been Investigated. Results showed that decarburization rate Increases with an increase in the concentration of O₂ or CO₂ in the decarburizing gas. It was also observed that higher decarburization rate and more vigorous reaction were observed when O₂ was used as oxidizing gas Instead of CO₂. Finally, the presence of N₂ Instead of Ar as Inert gas in the oxidizing gas mixture, did not make any significant difference to the decarburization rate.