Primary Study on Medium and Low Carbon Ferromanganese Production by Blowing CO₂-O₂ Mixtures in Converter

Abstract

The production of medium- and low-carbon ferromanganese (M-LCFeMn) using the converter method has not been industrialized to date in China due to the high manganese loss and serious erosion of the furnace lining. To solve the above problems and to improve the refining technology of M-LCFeMn, the introduction of CO2 gas into the traditional converter process is proposed. In this study, the oxidation behavior of C and Mn in various conditions was analyzed by blowing different proportions of CO2-O2 mixed gas into the high-carbon ferromanganese (HCFeMn) melt. The results showed that it is feasible to make M-CFeMn by blowing CO2-O2 mixtures, and the Mn loss can be effectively reduced during the decarburization process. It is considered that when the proportion of CO2 reaches 25%, the mixed gas has the best effect on the decarburization and manganese preservation under current experimental situation. Two hypotheses and corresponding rate formulas of decarburization kinetics by using pure oxygen are put forward, and the effect of CO2 on the kinetics of decarburization was studied according to different hypotheses.

Keywords

• medium and low carbon ferromanganese
• converter
• CO₂
• kinetics of decarburization