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Calcium cored wire injection for stable casting: An insight into fundamentals
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Conference Paper · September 2019

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Invited Lecture CAMP-ISIJ Vol.32 (2019) No.2-489
Int.-10

Calcium cored wire injection for stable casting: An insight into

fundamentals and economics
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India
Binay Kumar, G. G. Roy

1. Introduction

The major inclusions for untreated aluminium killed steel are alumina that are solid at the
steelmaking temperature and cause nozzle clogging. In ladle furnace, calcium (Ca) addition modifies
the solid alumina inclusions to liquid calcium aluminates that easily coalesce and float up to the top
slag to avoid the problem of clogging.1,2) Irregular, harmful sulphide inclusions are also converted to
tiny spherical oxy-sulphides that reduces anisotropy as well as increases the cutting speed of the cast
material. Besides, such tailoring of size, shape and morphology of inclusion by calcium treatment,
improves the fatigue life under dynamic leading in applications like rail, gears, crankshafts etc.3)
The overall reaction for calcium treatment of aluminium killed steel can be given by equation
(1) and subsequently the stable casting conditions may also be examined by estimating the “modified
Ca/Al” ratio using equation (2). This ratio is calculated by considering the calcium contribution for
oxide inclusions only.

CaO    Al    S   CaS    Al2O3  (1)

Ca Ca  ( S  2)
 (2)
Al Al

Where Ca, Al and S are the atomic percentage of Ca, Al, and S, respectively and the numeric 2 in the
numerator indicates the solubility of sulphur in calcium aluminate.
For a certain value of this ratio the calcium aluminates are liquid and can be correlated with the
stable casting. Extensive studies have been carried out on inclusion evolution and effect of sulphur
content after Ca-treatment in steel bath. Tshilombo4) showed that higher Ca/O mass ratio of the
inclusions after Ca-treatment resulted in higher CaS content. Rachers et al.,2) inferred that calcium
addition in high sulphur melts is not efficient as it reacts with sulphur to form solid CaS instead of
modifying the solid Al2O3 to liquid calcium aluminates. Geldenhuis et al.5) studied the minimization of
Ca injection in low carbon steels and noted that the CaS levels in the inclusions were normally more
than the equilibrium prediction, probably indicating a kinetic trend. Verma et al.6) found that alumina
inclusions were best modified by Ca when sulphur content is low in the steel melt. To maximize the
benefits of Ca-treatment, it is essential that the Ca addition should be of correct quantity such that
modified Ca/Al ratio may be maintained at certain number that ensures formation of liquid calcium
aluminate.
It is very difficult to retain the Ca in steel after injection as it has high vapour pressure, form
vapour and go away from the system without adequately participating in the reaction. Therefore, from
economic point of view, it is important to select optimum operating parameters to maximise Ca
recovery. Calcium is more popularly injected in the form of cored wire, where the location of melting
of the wire and the release of the calcium powder is a critical issue. If it is released just at the bottom
of the ladle, the recovery of calcium is supposed to be maximum. Premature melting of wire before
reaching the bottom of the ladle, or not melting of wire even after reaching the bottom, might lead to
less recovery of calcium in the bath.
In industrial practice, operator is mainly interested in the calcium level in the bath and he adjust
the operating parameters and length of wire injection to achieve a particular bath calcium, which usually
vary widely in the industry. Therefore, there are two issues; firstly one need to know where the wire is
melting and what are the operating parameters that ensures melting of the wire at the ladle bottom to
achieve maximum calcium recovery. Secondly, calculating the wire addition based on achieving a
modified Ca/Al ratio that ensures formation of liquid calcium aluminate.

Gour Gopal Roy (Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engg., IIT Kharagpur, WB, 721302, India)
 CAMP-ISIJ Vol.32 (2019) No.2-490

2. Calculation of distance traversed by the wire

The model used 7) is based on a moving boundary transient one dimensional heat conduction
problem in radial direction with respect to a moving co-ordinate attached to the wire.

Fig. 1. Schematic of the transverse section of a cored wire injected into melt in presence of a top slag
layer7)
The wire does not start melting just after entering the bath. A steel shell forms on the wire just
after it enters the bath because of localized cooling (the flux entering the wire (F1) being much higher
than that reaching the wire surface from the liquid (F2)). In case the wire penetrates through a slag layer
over the steel bath, a slag shell forms followed by steel shell and continue to grow as long as F1>F2.
Fig. 1 shows the schematics of shell growth over the wire. The model also considers a contact resistance
between the slag shell and the casing surface. With progress of time, temperature gradient into the wire
decreases resulting in decrease in F1. Subsequently, when F2 exceeds F1, the shell melts, casing melts
and finally the powder is released. Depending on the time of wire melting the powder could be released
either as preheated solid powder or liquid powder. Obviously the formation of solid shell delays the
melting process and wire traverse longer distance before melting. The calculation shows that distance
traversed by the wire is maximized by an optimum speed of the wire, lower bath superheat, low liquidus
grade of steel.
2.1 Calculation of distance traversed by wire under industrial condition
Distance traversed by the wire under wide range of operating parameters (wire speed and bath
superheat) in an integrated steel plant are calculated using the above model, and plotted as shown in
Fig. 2.
 CAMP-ISIJ Vol.32 (2019) No.2-491

Fig. 2. Predicted distance traversed by the wire against wire speed under wide range of bath superheat
at industrial conditions: (a) for CaSi powder injection, ii) for CaFe powder injection
It is found that in most of the industrial heats studied, either the wire does not melt even after
reaching the bottom, or it melts prematurely before reaching the bottom. There are only few heats when
the wire melts just at the bottom. Calcium recovery estimated from the steel samples collected before
and after calcium injection, is correlated with the distance traversed by the wire as shown in the Fig. 3
and indeed it shows that the recovery is maximum when the wire melts just at the bottom of the ladle.

Fig. 3. Recovery versus distance traversed by wire: (a) CaSi, (b) CaFe
3. Recommendation

With the understanding of wire melting inside the ladle and calcium recovery as a function of
wire speed and bath superheat, for each combination of operating parameters amount of wire to be
injected was recommended based on modified Ca/Al ratio that ensures liquid calcium aluminate and
stable casting (Fig. 4). In another study, we demonstrated 30% saving in the length of cored wire
injection in steel melt. 8)
 CAMP-ISIJ Vol.32 (2019) No.2-492

Fig. 4. Recommendation for the amount of wire injection based on calcium recovery and required
Ca/Al ratio for stable casting9)
4. Conclusion
 Unstable casting occurs due to low calcium recovery and inappropriate calcium level in the
ladle.
 The location of wire melting can be calculated using a mathematical model. The predicted
distance traversed by the wire has been correlated with the estimated calcium recovery from
the plant data.
 Calcium recovery becomes maximum when the wire melts just at the bottom of the ladle.
 Operating parameters of wire injection for 30% wire saving has been recommended for an
integrated steel plant
 Stable casting has also been mapped against the operating parameters of wire injection for
another steel plant.

REFERENCES

1. L. Holappa, M. Hämäläinen, M. Liukkonen and M. Lind: Ironmak. Steelmak., 30 (2003), 111.

2. K.G. Rackers and B.G. Thomas: Proceedings of 78th Steelmaking Conference, Iron and Steel
Society, Warrendale, 78 (1995), 723.
3. L.E. Holappa: Int. Met. Rev., 27 (1982), 53.
4. K. Tshilombo: Int. J. of Miner. Metall. Mater., 17 (2010), 28.
5. J.M.A. Geldenhuis and P.C. Pistorius: Ironmak. Steelmak., 27 (2000), 442.
6. N. Verma, P.C. Pistorius, R.J. Fruehan, M. Potter, M. Lind and S.R. Story: Metall. Mater.
Trans. B, 42 (2011), 720.
7. S. Sanyal, S. Chandra, S. Kumar and G. G. Roy: ISIJ Int., 44 (2004), 1157.
8. S. Basak, R.K. Dhal and G.G Roy: Ironmak. Steelmak., 37 (2010), 161.
9. B. Kumar, S. Mishra, M.B.V. Rao and G. G. Roy: Ironmak. Steelmak., 46 (2017), 454.

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