Desulfurization Reaction according to Ladle Slag Recycling Method in Shaft-Type EAF Operation

The residual heat and high CaO content present in the slag remaining in the ladle after the completion of continuous casting in the electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking process have been utilized to reduce power consumption and lime usage in the ladle furnace (LF) process. However, if the timing of such processes does not align with the LF and continuous casting operations, the recycling rate will decrease. To increase the slag recycling rate, the effect of ladle slag recycling methods, specifically pouring ladle slag into the slag pot in advance for subsequent recycling, on LF operations was analyzed. The slag liquefaction rate was calculated using the thermodynamic program Factsage 8.3 for ladle molten slag recycling methods. By applying each of the 10 heats operations for the ladle slag recycling methods, the desulfurization ability and LF operation performance were compared. It was found that when slag was immediately recycled into the ladle after continuous casting was completed, power consumption decreased by 0.3 MWh, LF operation time was shortened by 1.2 minutes, and the desulfurization rate increased by 5.8%.