The Application of Oxygen Probes to a PS Copper Converter

Oxygen pressure measurements were carried out by immersing a disposable oxygen probe into converter slag, white metal or blister copper which had been poured into a ladle from a commercial PS copper converter after the completion of the slag or copper making stage. Measured oxygen pressures were all normalized at a constant temperature depending on the molten phase so as to investigate the reproducibility of the measurements, the oxidation degree of each phase and so on. The following results were obtained in this study. (1) A stable electromotive force of the oxygen probe was obtained in about 15 s after the immersion of the probe by shaking it in each molten phase. (2) The reproducibility of the measurements was good in each of the phases. However, the reproducibility for white metal was slightly inferior to those for converter slag and blister copper, probably because white metal is more easily oxidized by air than the others. (3) Each of the molten phases produced in the converter was completely poured into several ladles, and then the oxygen probe was applied to each of the ladles. Since there was no significant difference in oxygen pressure among the ladles, the oxidation degree of each phase can be deemed uniform in each phase. (4) However the oxygen pressure of converter slag was a little lower than that of white metal, and the converter slag was not in real equilibrium with the white metal even after the completion of the slag making stage. (5) Part of the blister copper near the tuyeres was excessively oxidized at the final blowing in the copper making stage to the extent that Cu2O (s) was formed.