THE BASIC OXYGEN STEELMAKING (BOS) PROCESS

By John Stubbles, Steel Industry Consultant

I INTRODUCTION
Accounting for 60% of the world's total output of crude steel, the Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) process is the dominant steelmaking
technology. In the U.S., that figure is 54% and slowly declining due primarily to the advent of the "Greenfield" electric arc furnace (EAF) flatrolled mills. However, elsewhere its use is growing.

Figure 1: Charging aisle of a Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Plant showing scrap

being charged into the BOF vessel. A ladle full of hot metal is seen to the
right.

There exist several variations on the BOS process: top blowing, bottom blowing, and a combination of the two. This study will focus only on the
top blowing variation.
The Basic Oxygen Steelmaking process differs from the EAF in that it is autogenous, or self-sufficient in energy. The primary raw materials for