Modelling of ladle glaze interactions

A potential source of inclusions in liquid steel is ladle glaze, the slag/inclusion coating on the refractory lining of the ladle which is always present after casting and before reuse of the ladle. The, composition and quantity of this glaze can vary considerably, depending on the range of steel qualities being made and, in order to model the effect of glaze on inclusion/top slag formation, a combined fluid flow-thermodynamic model has been developed. The behaviour of ladle glaze for various different steels has been studied under pilot plant conditions and the results incorporated into the mathematical model. The implications of the pilot plant and model results are discussed in the context of the production of clean steel.