After tapping from a BOF, EAF or EOF furnace molten steel is refining in a number of steps, known as ladle metallurgy (or secondary steelmaking). They include deoxidation (or decarbonization), addition and trimming (or trimming and adding), machinability enhancement, inclusion modification or calcium treatment. These processes can all be accomplished by mixing different alloys and metals with liquid steel. Injection through core wires or in large quantities can be used. Alloy cored wires (also known as calcium cored wire) offer many advantages compared to traditional methods of alloy addition: precise, stable and safe injection, higher levels of recovery, and a significantly reduced amount of calcium to be injected into the molten steel.
A conventional calcium cored wire consists of metal calcium and iron-aluminum alloy powder encapsulated in a sheath. The sheath of this wire is a low alloy castable steel. This sheath measures 0.4 mm in thickness. Using specially designed nozzles, cored-wires are inserted in the molten iron. Reduce the pressure in the nozzle, and increase the speed to inject the cored metal into the steel.
The advantage of using a solid cored wire is that it can penetrate the slag layer and enter the molten steel without burning or oxidizing, thus saving energy in the process. This wire also reduces the amount of slag added to the molten steel, which makes the steel more pure and improves its casting ability. This method can also be used to alter and change the type of inclusions in molten iron, control its content, or reduce smelting times.
In the past, calcium treatment was mainly carried out in a steel mill by injecting or spraying a calcium-iron alloy solution into the steel molten through a large nozzle. Not only is this inefficient, but it's also bad for the environment and equipment inside the smelter. Recent years, to overcome these difficulties, a novel method was devised. This method combines injection of concentrated calcium solution and the use solid cored calcium wire. This method has shown to be highly effective for achieving the desired results in terms of metalurgical processes.
Hi-Cal® - our cored wire - has exceptional metallurgical performances. It is significantly superior to conventional CaSi, CaFe and AlCaFe cored wires, resulting in a strong reduction of the quantity of injected calcium needed, leading to a substantial cost savings on the Calcium treatment. A key element in the success of your manufacturing is ensuring profitability.
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