OXYGEN BOTTOM BLOWING PROCESS ( BOP)

OMB –OXYGEN BODENBLASEN MAXIMILLIASHUTTE ) ( process was first

commissioned at MAXIMILLIANSHUTTE IRON AND STEEL CO. GERMANY 1967
Development of oxygen steel making process

Problems encountered due to blown of air through tuyers BOM process

1. High nitrogen content in steel due to which its affects its mechanical properties like its
decreases its formability, ductility, toughness
2. Since nitrogen do not take part in combustion its leads to loss in heat energy.

Problems encountered when air is enriched with oxygen in BOM process: is adverse
effect on refractory lining which leads to frequent repairmen and replacement of
refractory lining / that means failure of bottom occurs .

1. Oxygen reacts with molten fe to form liquid feo which is highy exothermic in
nature due to which localised heating /rise in temperature occurs at the tuyers tip
area and it damges the lining
2. Due to formation of liquid feo which is corrosive in nature (it encourages the
formation of low m.p compounds)
Development to encounter these issue a novel design of tuyers was inveted . in which
two co-axial stainless steel pipes, embedded in the magnesite bottom . from these co-
axial pipes oxygen was blown through the middle piple and in between the annular
space between outer and inner pipe gaseosus hydrocarbon is introduced like mainly
propane gas . so when the hydrocarbon comes out and come in contact with the
molten bath is discomposed in to hydrogen and carbon which is an highly
endothermic process. Due to this near by area becomes cooler and iot protects the
tuyersw and refractory lining . this is called thermal shielding . some local reduction
of feo by carbon and hydrogen provides additional protection resulting in decresed
lining wear by corrosion /erosion phenomenon . this is cahemicval shielding

Lws – IN FRANCE
Here liquid hydrocarbon was employed at the end of the blowing, nitrogen is bubbled
through the tuyers for few minutes for final bath homogenisation and better approach to
reaction equilibrium.
Limitation of top blowing (LD converter steel making ) and features/advantages of bath
agitated steel making process

Limitation: bath remains inhomogeneous in terms of bath temperature and chemical

composition due inadequate bath stairing or agitation .
Bath agitated process where bottom gas purging is done at one side of the converter of may
be combination of top and both gas purging. So advantage is very high like bath becomes
homogenise in terms of chemistry and temperature.
For bottom blowing many systems are there like : through tuyers, canned elements ,
porous plugs fitted at the bottom .
 Modified top blow converter

Top blown converter

Bottom blow converter

LD –AC

Here simultaneous blow of

lime powder and Oxygen is
done using concentric lance
To deal with high
phosphorous content in
Limitation : technical hot metal
problems / environmental
problems due to lime fines
LD steel making
To deal with high
Oxygen is blow through phosphorous in hot metal
lance /iron

(1.5-2 wt % )P