Dissolution of lime in BOS slag: from laboratory experiment to industrial converter

In the basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS) process, fast dissolution of lime in slag would promote quick formation of a suitable slag, which could increase the process productivity and improve the steel quality at reduced cost. Many studies have been carried out to investigate the dissolution of lime in slag in terms of the mechanism, dissolution rate and influencing factors under well controlled experimental conditions. In this study, the dissolution of lime in BOS slag was studied by characterising the lime particle and its surrounding area in the slag samples taken from a laboratory induction furnace during hot metal dephosphorisation experiment, a 6 t pilot plant converter and a 320 t industrial converter. The mechanism of lime dissolution in BOS slag is discussed under varying dynamic conditions from laboratory experiment to industrial converter.