An Extended Model for Slag Eye Size in Ladle Metallurgy

The slag eye is the term for the region where slag is pushed to the periphery of a steel ladle by the action of inert gas bubbling. The formation of the eye has been the subject of some investigations in the recent past. In modern ladle metallurgy practice, the eye and its central spout portion raised above the bath level are some of the few regions where molten steel is directly exposed to the ambient environment. These are sites for reactions like Oxygen and Nitrogen pick up. Furthermore, the slag metal interface at the periphery of the eye region may break up into slag droplets, often referred to as 'slag emulsification'. Such droplet generation may increase the interfacial area for slag-metal reactions, but also may result in undesirable effects like slag entrainment. Thus, the overall influence of eye formation on the end quality of steels is important.