Basic Oxygen Process
Basic Oxygen Process
s t e e l uni versi t y
Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Simulation, version 1.36 User Guide 
1  Introduction and Disclaimer ..............................................................................3 
2  About this Version...........................................................................................3 
3  Introduction to Basic Oxygen Steelmaking.........................................................3 
4  Simulation Objectives ......................................................................................4 
5  Plant Layout and Description ............................................................................4 
6  Simulation Options ..........................................................................................5 
6.1  Simulation Mode............................................................................................................5 
6.1.1  STANDALONE MODE.....................................................................................5 
6.1.2  LINKED MODE.................................................................................................5 
6.2  User Levels....................................................................................................................5 
6.2.1  University Student Level ..................................................................................5 
6.2.2  Steel Industry Works Technical Level .............................................................5 
6.3  Simulation Speed......................................................................................................... 6 
6.4  Target Steel Grade....................................................................................................... 6 
7  Planning your Schedule ...................................................................................6 
7.1  Composition...................................................................................................................7 
7.2  Temperature..................................................................................................................7 
7.2.1  Calculation of Liquidus Temperature.............................................................. 8 
7.3  Stages of the Oxygen Blowing Process ...................................................................... 8 
7.3.1  Silicon Oxidation Period.................................................................................. 8 
7.3.2  Full Decarburization Period............................................................................. 8 
7.3.3  Carbon Diffusion Period.................................................................................. 9 
8  User Interface..................................................................................................9 
8.1  Controls During Simulation.........................................................................................10 
8.1.1  Make Additions (Key A)..................................................................................10 
8.1.2  View Steel Composition vs. Time (Key C).....................................................10 
8.1.3  View Event Log (Key E) ................................................................................. 11 
8.1.4  View Melting Path (Key p).............................................................................. 11 
8.1.5  View or Request Chemical Analysis (Key R) ................................................ 11 
8.1.6  View Slag Composition vs. Time (Key S)...................................................... 11 
8.1.7  Close Dialog Box(Key X)................................................................................ 12 
8.2  Simulation Results....................................................................................................... 12 
9  Underlying Scientific Relationships ................................................................. 12 
9.1  Calculating Additions................................................................................................... 12 
9.1.1  Elemental Additions........................................................................................ 13 
9.1.2  Pickup of Other Elements .............................................................................. 13 
9.1.3  Mixing Times................................................................................................... 14 
9.2  Important Reactions .................................................................................................... 14 
9.2.1  Phosphorus Partition Ratio............................................................................ 15 
9.2.2  Dephosphorization Kinetics During Post-Blow Stir....................................... 15 
9.2.3  Sulfur Partition Ratio...................................................................................... 16 
9.2.4  Manganese Partition Ratio............................................................................. 16 
10  Writing Heat and Mass Balances ..................................................................... 16 
10.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................. 16 
10.2 Mass Balance.............................................................................................................. 17 
10.3 Heat Balance............................................................................................................... 17 
10.3.1  Thermodynamic Functions and Units:........................................................... 17 
10.3.2  Principles for the Establishment of Heat Balance.........................................18 
10.3.3  Example of Application: Steel Heating by Aluminothermy........................... 20 
11  Charge Calculation ........................................................................................ 21 
11.1 Choice of Balance Equations...................................................................................... 21 
11.2 Principle of Using the Simplex Method to Solve the Balance Equations ................. 22 
11.3 How to Write the Balance Equations......................................................................... 23 
11.3.1  Fe Balance..................................................................................................... 23 
11.3.2  O Balance...................................................................................................... 23 
11.3.3  Gas Balance.................................................................................................. 23 
11.3.4  Balance of Slag Elements Other than Fe..................................................... 23 
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11.3.5  Basicity Equation........................................................................................... 23 
11.3.6  Energy Balance............................................................................................. 24 
11.4 Numerical Application................................................................................................. 24 
12  Bibliography .................................................................................................25 
 
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1  Introduction and Disclaimer 
This document has been prepared as a user guide to the basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS) 
simulation, available at http://www.steeluniversity.org/. The interactive simulation has 
been designed as an educational and training tool for both students of ferrous metallurgy 
and for steel industry employees. 
The  information  contained  both  in  this  document  and  within  the  associated  website  is 
provided  in  good  faith  but  no  warranty,  representation,  statement  or  undertaking  is  given 
either  regarding  such  information  or  regarding  any  information  in  any  other  website 
connected  with  this  website  through  any  hypertext  or  other  links  (including  any  warranty, 
representation,  statement  or  undertaking  that  any  information  or  the  use  of  any  such 
information  either  in  this  website  or  any  other  website  complies  with  any  local  or  national 
laws or the requirements of any regulatory or statutory bodies) and warranty, representation, 
statement  or undertaking whatsoever  that  may  be  implied by  statute,  custom or  otherwise is 
hereby expressly excluded. The use of any information in this document is entirely at the risk 
of  the  user.  Under  no  circumstances  shall  the  World  Steel  Association  or  their  partners  be 
liable  for  any  costs,  losses,  expenses  or  damages  (whether  direct  or  indirect,  consequential, 
special, economic or financial including any losses of profits) whatsoever that may be incurred 
through the use of any information contained in this document. 
Nothing contained in this document shall be deemed to be either any advice of a technical or 
financial nature to act or not to act in any way. 
2  About this Version 
Changes since version 1.0 
-  It  is  now  possible  for  registered  users  to  load  simulation  results  from  the  Blast 
Furnace Simulation. 
3  Introduction to Basic Oxygen Steelmaking 
Basic  oxygen  steelmaking  (BOS)  is  the  most  widely  used  process  for  producing  crude  steel 
from  molten pig  iron (hot metal).  The  process  involves  blowing  oxygen through  hot  metal  to 
reduce  its  carbon  content  by  oxidation.  There  exist  many  different  types  of  furnaces,  also 
called  converters  since  they  are  used  to  convert  hot  metal  to  steel,  and  these  are  generally 
divided into top-blowing, bottom-blowing and mixed blowing. 
Top-blowing through a vertical lance was invented in 1952-53 at Linz and Donawitz in Austria 
and  the  process  is  known  as  LD  (Linz  Donawitz),  or  BOP  (Basic  Oxygen  Process).  Bottom-
blowing processes use, apart from oxygen, hydrocarbon gas (propane or  natural gas) or fuel-
oil  hydrocarbon  that  cools  the  refractory  in  the  tuyere  zone.  These  corresponding  processes 
are  known  as  OBM  (Oxygen  Bottom-blowing  Maxhtte),  Q-BOP  (Quick  Basic  Oxygen 
Process)  and  LWS  (Loire-Wendel-Sidelor).  One  of  their  advantages  is  a  very  efficient  metal-
slag stirring throughout the oxygen blow. 
Mixed blowing developed in the late 1970s is the latest step. A limited blowing of neutral gas 
(argon or nitrogen) or oxygen through the vessel bottom of top-blown converters provides an 
efficient  stirring.  The  corresponding  processes  are  known  as  LBE  (Lance  Bubbling 
Equilibrium),  LET  (Lance  Equilibrium  Tuyeres),  K-BOP  (Kawasaki  Basic  Oxygen  Process), 
K-OBM  (Kawasaki  Oxygen  Bottom-blowing  Maxhtte)  etc.  and  these  facilities  now  equips 
most of the top-blown converters. 
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Hot metal desulfurization is generally carried out prior to the hot metal being charged into the 
furnace.  Different  fluxes  are  used  for  different  levels  of  sulfur;  for  example  lime,  calcium 
carbide and magnesium. 
Hot metal dephosphorization was developed in Japan in the early 1980s. In this pretreatment 
operation,  most  of  the  hot  metal  P  is  removed  using  oxidizing  fluxes  (mixtures  of  lime  and 
iron  ore)  in  the  hot  metal  ladle  prior  to  charging  in  the  converter.  This  treatment  has  so  far 
not been applied at all outside of Japan. 
4  Simulation Objectives 
The  aim  of  the  simulation  is  to  take  charge  of  a  Basic  Oxygen  Furnace  (BOF),  treat  the  hot 
metal by making necessary additions and blowing of oxygen, and tap the heat into the ladle at 
the specified time, composition and temperature. 
You should also aim to minimize the cost of the whole operation. 
5  Plant Layout and Description 
 
Figure 5-1: Screenshot showing the plant layout used in the simulation. 
The plant in the simulation is laid out as shown in Figure 5-1. At the start of the simulation, an 
animation  shows  how  scrap  metal  and  additives  like  lime  and  dolomite  (according  to  the 
user's choices) are first charged into the furnace. After the solid material has been charged the 
hot  metal  is  tapped  from  the  transport  ladle  into  the  furnace.  The  simulation  ends  with  a 
summary screen when the steel has been tapped into the ladle. 
Scrap & fluxes 
Hot metal 
charging ladle 
Converter 
Ladle 
Oxygen lance 
Slag pot 
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6  Simulation Options 
6.1  Simulation Mode 
The simulation can be run in one of either two modes: 
  Standalone mode 
  Linked mode 
6.1.1  STANDALONE MODE 
In this mode you will be able to select your user level, the grade of steel and other parameters. 
6.1.2  LINKED MODE 
Use the drop-down menu to view and select the available batches (Batch ID); the details will 
be displayed below (see Figure 6-1). To access this feature you must be registered and logged 
into the site. 
 
 
 
Figure 6-1 Screenshot showing data loaded from previous process stage 
 
6.2  User Levels 
The simulation has been developed for use by two different user groups: 
  University students of metallurgy, materials science and other engineering disciplines 
  Steel industry works technical 
6.2.1  UNIVERSITY STUDENT LEVEL 
At this level the user will be expected to approach the problem scientifically, using the relevant 
thermodynamic and kinetic theories to make decisions on the various processing options. For 
example,  the  user  should  perform  a  full  heat  and  mass  balance  calculation  to  determine  the 
amount of scrap and slag additions and the necessary total oxygen volume. 
At this level the unmelted solids, e.g. scrap and iron ore, will be visible to the user. 
6.2.2  STEEL INDUSTRY WORKS TECHNICAL LEVEL 
At this level the user will also be expected to approach the problem scientifically. However, the 
user  will  have  to  complete  the  simulation  with  a  limited  number  of  aids.  For  example,  the 
unmelted solids will not be visible at this level. 
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6.3  Simulation Speed 
The simulation can be run at a range of different speeds between 1 and 32. The rate can be 
changed  at  any  time  during  the  simulation.  However,  when  important  events  take  place  the 
simulation will automatically default to 1. 
6.4  Target Steel Grade 
The  simulation  includes  a  number  of  different  steel  grades  to  illustrate  a  range  of  different 
processing options. 
The  general-purpose  construction  steel  grade  (CON)  is  a  relatively  undemanding  grade 
that  requires  minimal  processing,  and  is  therefore  recommended  for  the  novice  user.  Your 
main job is to ensure that the carbon content is between 0.1 and 0.16%. 
The  TiNb  ultra-low  carbon  steel  (ULC),  for  automotive  body  parts,  has  a  carbon 
specification  of  less  than  0.01%C  with  the  aims  to  optimize  formability.  Your  main  priority 
therefore  is  temperature  control  at  the  end  of  the  blow  to  keep  the  temperature  below 
maximum whilst achieving the low target content. 
The  linepipe  steel  (LPS)  for  gas  distribution  is  a  very  demanding  grade  as  the 
combination  of  high  strength  and  high  fracture  toughness  demands  extremely  low  levels  of 
impurities (S, P, H, O and N) and inclusions. Only more experienced users are recommended 
to attempt this grade. 
The  engineering  steel  (ENG)  is  a  heat-treatable  low  alloy  grade  with  a  relatively  high 
carbon content. Choosing the correct starting temperature is imperative to achieve the target 
temperature whilst maintaining the carbon content between 0.30 and 0.45%C. 
Table 6-1: Maximum contents for the four target steel grades available in the simulation / wt-%. 
Element  CON  ULC  LPS  ENG 
C  0.16  0.01  0.08  0.45 
Si  0.25  0.25  0.23  0.40 
Mn  1.5  0.85  1.1  0.90 
P  0.025  0.075  0.008  0.035 
S  0.10  0.05  0.01  0.08 
Cr  0.10  0.05  0.06  1.2 
B  0.0005  0.005  0.005  0.005 
Cu  0.15  0.08  0.06  0.35 
Ni  0.15  0.08  0.05  0.30 
Nb  0.05  0.03  0.018  0 
Ti  0.01  0.035  0.01  0 
V  0.01  0  0.01  0.01 
Mo  0.04  0.01  0.01  0.30 
Ca  0  0  0.005  0 
Table 6-2: Aim tapping temperatures for the four target steel grades / C. 
  Minimum  Maximum 
CON  1630  1660 
ULC  1665  1695 
LPS  1655  1685 
ENG  1655  1685 
 
7  Planning your Schedule 
Before you start the simulation, it is important that you plan ahead. The first thing to do is to 
complete  a  heat  and  mass  balance  calculation  to  determine  the  amounts  of  hot  metal,  scrap, 
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iron ore, slag additions and total oxygen volume required to decarburize the hot metal to the 
desired  carbon  content  and  temperature.  You  then  need  to  think  how  to  achieve  the  aim 
values within the required time. 
Table 7-1: Example Hot Metal and Tapping (Aim) Compositions for the Ultra-Low Carbon steel 
grade. Carbon, silicon and phosphorus compositions must all be decreased, whereas 
manganese can be left as is. Also, the temperature will have to be increased. 
  Hot Metal / wt%  Tapping / wt%  Difference / wt% 
C  4.5  0.01  -4.49 
Si  0.4  0.25  -0.15 
Mn  0.5  0.85  +0.35 
P  0.08  0.075  -0.005 
Temperature  1350C  1680C  +330C 
 
7.1  Composition 
Some additions will have to be made in order to meet the aim composition. Here are the key 
questions you will need to answer 
  Which additive(s) can be used to achieve this? 
  How much additive (in kg) will be required? 
  Will this additive affect other elements too and if so, how much? 
  When should you make the addition? 
  How will the additions affect cost, steel composition and temperature? 
Table 7-2: Compositions and costs of available additives. 
Additive  Composition  Cost per 
tonne 
Hot Metal  4.5%C, 0.5%Mn, 0.4%Si, 0.08%P, 0.02%S + Fe bal.  $185 
Light scrap 
0.05%C, 0.12%Mn, 0.015%P, 0.015%S, 0.06%O, 0.003%Ce, 
0.26%Cr, 0.02%Cu, 0.14%Mo, 0.001%Nb, 0.4%Ni 0.001%Sn, 
0.015%Ti, 0.005%V, 0.009%W + Fe bal. 
$190 
Heavy scrap 
0.05%C, 0.12%Mn, 0.015%P, 0.015%S, 0.06%O, 0.003%Ce, 
0.26%Cr, 0.02%Cu, 0.14%Mo, 0.001%Nb, 0.4%Ni, 0.001%Sn, 
0.015%Ti, 0.005%V, 0.009%W + Fe bal. 
$150 
Iron Ore  99.1%FeO, 0.3%Al
2
O
3
, 0.5%CaO, 0.1%MgO, 0.001%P  $85 
Lime  94.9%CaO, 1.2%Al
2
O
3
, 1.8%MgO, 2.1%SiO
2
  $85 
Dolomite  59.5%CaO, 38.5%MgO, 2%SiO
2
  $85 
 
Table 7-3: Typical recovery rates for elements added (%). 
Element  C  Si  Mn  P  S  Cr  Al  B  Ni 
Recovery rates  95  98  95  98  80  99  90  100  100 
Element  Nb  Ti  V  Mo  Ca  N  H  O  Ar 
Recovery rates  100  90  100  100  15  40  100  100  100 
Element  As  Ce  Co  Cu  Mg  Pb  Sn  W  Zn 
Recovery rates  100  100  100  100  100  100  100  100  100 
 
7.2  Temperature 
In  order  that  the  correct  tapping  temperature  is  achieved,  it  is  important  to  consider  the 
effects of different additions on the steel temperature. 
1.  Under holding conditions, such as when stirring gas has been turned off and there is 
no oxygen injection, the steel cools at around 1 to 2C min
-1
. 
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2.  For most additions, each tonne (1000 kg) added results in an additional temperature 
drop of about 5C. 
3.  Phosphorus  and  silicon  oxidation  is  highly  exothermic  and  produces  about 
26 MJ/tonne  per  0.1%  per  tonne  of  hot  metal  oxidized,  the  equivalent  of  nearly 
3 C/tonne per 0.1%. 
4.  Carbon  oxidation  is  also  exothermic  and  produces  about  13 MJ/tonne  per  0.1% 
oxidized, the equivalent of about 1.4 C/tonne per 0.1%. 
5.  Increasing  the  hot  metal  or  steel  temperature  requires  9.0  or  9.4 MJ/tonne, 
respectively. 
By  carefully  calculating  the  overall  time  from  charging  to  tapping  the  BOF  it  should  be 
possible to estimate the temperature vs. time profile. 
7.2.1  CALCULATION OF LIQUIDUS TEMPERATURE 
It  is  imperative  to  prevent  the  steel  bath  temperature  falling  below  the  liquidus  temperature 
(i.e.  the  temperature  at  which  the  steel  starts  to  solidify).  The  liquidus  temperature,  T
liq
,  is 
very dependent on composition and can be approximated from the following equations: 
For %C < 0.5: 
T
liq
 (C) = 1537 - 73.1%C - 4%Mn - 14%Si - 45%S - 30%P - 1.5%Cr - 2.5%Al - 
3.5%Ni - 4%V - 5%Mo    7-1 
For 0.5 < %C < 4.4: 
T
liq
 (C) = 1531  61.5%C - 4%Mn - 14%Si - 45%S - 30%P - 1.5%Cr - 2.5%Al - 
3.5%Ni - 4%V - 5%Mo    7-2 
For %C > 4.4: 
T
liq
 (C) = 389 %C - 10.5 %Mn + 105 %Si + 140 %S + 128 %P - 506 
7.3  Stages of the Oxygen Blowing Process 
There  are  three  typical  reaction  periods  during  BOP  to  consider;  silicon  oxidation,  full 
decarburization and carbon diffusion. These all have distinctly different reaction patterns. An 
overview can be seen in Figure 7-1. 
7.3.1  SILICON OXIDATION PERIOD 
During the first third (approximately) of the blow most of the Si is oxidized along with some 
Fe.  A  good  practice  is  to  increase  the  FeO  content  and  get  a  good  foaming  slag  at  the  very 
beginning of the blow and then stabilize it by lowering the lance until the foam stops rising. 
It  is  also  during  this  period  that  most  of  the  P  and  Mn  are  oxidized.  The  remainder  of  the 
supplied oxygen reacts with carbon 
7.3.2  FULL DECARBURIZATION PERIOD 
Under normal conditions, all of the supplied oxygen reacts with carbon. However, if the lance 
position is too high, a portion of the oxygen will instead oxidize Fe. On the other hand, when 
the lance is too low, the previously formed FeO (and foaming slag) is reduced and the oxygen 
released reacts with C. 
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Figure 7-1: Reaction rates for oxidation reactions in BOS. 
7.3.3  CARBON DIFFUSION PERIOD 
At the end of the blow when the carbon content is less than 0.8%C, the rate of decarburization 
decreases substantially and is now increasingly limited by the diffusion of carbon in the steel. 
An  approximate  equation  for  decarburization  during  period  is  shown  in  (remaining  oxygen 
will oxidize Fe): 
 
(   )
2
O
C %
15 . 0
98 . 0
C %
2
+
= A
  V
  7-3 
where 
A%C  =  change in carbon content in wt-% 
%C  =  current carbon content in wt-% 
2
O
V   =  oxygen supplied in m
3
/tonne 
8  User Interface 
This  section  describes  the  basic  mechanics  of  running  the  simulation,  e.g.  how  to  move  the 
lance, how to make alloy additions, how to control oxygen flow, etc. 
The  underlying  scientific  relationships  (chemistry,  thermodynamics,  reaction  kinetics,  etc.) 
that  you  will  need  to  use  in  order  to  calculate  alloy  amounts,  process  parameters,  etc.  are 
presented in Section 9. 
The common controls that are used include: 
  Stepper  controls;  used  for  selecting  amounts,  these  have  up  and  down  arrows 
which can be clicked on to increase or decrease the amount, or you can use the up and 
down arrow on your keyboard once the control has been selected. 
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8.1  Controls During Simulation 
Once  the  simulation  begins,  different  sources  of  information  can  be  displayed  and/or 
retrieved  by  pressing  the  relevant  key  given  in  the  menu  at  the  bottom  left  corner  of  the 
screen. For you convenience, these keys are: 
  A: Make Additions 
  C: View Steel Composition v Time 
  E: Event Log 
  P: View Melting Path (%C v Time)  
  R: Review / Request Analysis 
  S: View Slag Composition v Time 
  X: Close dialogue boxes 
8.1.1  MAKE ADDITIONS (KEY A) 
During the hot metal conversion, you can make iron ore, lime and dolomite additions. Each of 
these  additives  has  a  stepper  control  which  is  used  to  choose  the  amount  to  be  added.  By 
default all steppers are initially set to zero. The unit cost of each additive is displayed, together 
with the calculated cost for the selected amount. 
TIP:  Hover  the  cursor  over  the  addition  labels  on  the  left  for 
information about their composition and typical recovery rates. 
 
Figure 8-1: Screenshot illustrating the Addition interface. The boxed information shows the composition 
of Iron Ore used in the simulation. 
Note  that  that  additions  made  do  not  result  in  instantaneous  changes  to  the  steel 
composition, but take a finite time to dissolve. You can expect well-stirred additions made at 
higher  temperatures  to  dissolve  fast  while  additions  at  lower  temperatures  with  little  or  no 
stirring will take many minutes to dissolve. 
8.1.2  VIEW STEEL COMPOSITION VS. TIME (KEY C) 
Pressing  'C'  on  the  keyboard  displays  a  diagram  of  how  the  steel  composition  has  changed 
over  time.  Elements  displayed  in  this  diagram  include  C,  Si,  Mn  and  P.  This  information 
might be vital for determining which additions to make and when. 
At  Works  Technical  level  you  will  not  be  able  to  see  this  information  during  the  simulation. 
However, it will be available at the summary screen so that it can be used as a part of a post-
mortem. 
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8.1.3  VIEW EVENT LOG (KEY E) 
The  event  log  keeps  a  chronological  record  of  all  the  major  processing  steps,  including 
additions. This is useful for keeping track of what you have done so far during the simulation. 
It is also very useful in helping you analyze your results at the end of the simulation, as the log 
will often contain clues as to why you passed or failed the different criteria. 
8.1.4  VIEW MELTING PATH (KEY P) 
The melting path is a construction of information about carbon content, temperature and time 
during  the  simulation  superimposed  on  a  C-Fe  phase  diagram.  Each  dot  represents  one 
minute  while  the  values  of  temperature and carbon  content  can be  read  out  from  the X-  and 
Y-axis. 
 
Figure 8-2: Screenshot of the Melting Path diagram, in which the carbon content and temperature as a 
function of time can be viewed. 
Make  sure  that  the  melting  path  does  not  fall  below  the  liquidus  temperature,  in  which  case 
the heat might become partially or fully solidified. Solidification of the heat results, of course, 
in failure. 
8.1.5  VIEW OR REQUEST CHEMICAL ANALYSIS (KEY R) 
You can view the most recent chemical analysis at any time by pressing key R. There is no cost 
penalty  for  this.  In  most  cases,  the  steel  chemistry  will  have  changed  since  the  last  analysis 
was  made.  To  initiate  a  new  analysis,  press  the  'Take  new  sample'  button.  The  analysis 
costs $120, $40 for the actual analysis and $80 for the sublance consumable part. The results 
take  approximately  3  simulation  minutes  to  arrive,  e.g.  about  22  real-world  seconds  if  the 
simulation rate is set to 8. 
The time at which the sample was taken is displayed near the top of the dialog box. You must 
always remember that the composition may have changed since the sample was taken. 
8.1.6  VIEW SLAG COMPOSITION VS. TIME (KEY S) 
Pressing 'S' on the keyboard displays a diagram of how the slag composition has changed over 
time. Oxides displayed in this diagram include CaO, FeO
x
, MnO, MgO and SiO
2
. Primary use 
of this diagram is to determine which slag additions to make and when. Also, by following the 
FeO
x
  content  in  the  slag,  it  is  possible  to  conclude  how  best  to  choose  the  oxygen  blowing 
pattern. 
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At  Works  Technical  level  you  will  not  be  able  to  see  this  information  during  the  simulation. 
However, it will be available at the summary screen so that it can be used as a part of a post-
mortem. 
8.1.7  CLOSE DIALOG BOX(KEY X) 
Press 'X' closes any of these dialogue boxes. 
8.2  Simulation Results 
As  soon  as  tapping  has  been  completed,  the  simulation  will  end  and  the  results  of  the  heat 
displayed, together with the total operating costs, expressed as $ per tonne. 
 
Figure 8-3: Screenshot of final results screen, in which the five criteria for success are displayed. Click 
on the "Event Log" button to help you analyze your results. 
9  Underlying Scientific Relationships 
This section presents the key underlying scientific theories and relationships that are required 
in order to successfully complete the simulation. In no way is it designed to be comprehensive 
treatments of steelmaking theory and practice  for this, the user is directed to other excellent 
publications. 
9.1  Calculating Additions 
Scrap, slag and iron ore additions are made to the furnace for a variety of reasons 
  To adjust the liquid metal temperature 
  To adjust the liquid metal composition 
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  To change the slag composition and thereby its properties 
9.1.1  ELEMENTAL ADDITIONS 
In the simplest case where a pure element is added, the amount of additive required, m
additive
 
is simply given by: 
 
% 100
%
steel
additive
  m X
m
   A
=   9-1 
where 
X % A   =  required increase in wt-% X (i.e. %X
aim
 - %X
current
) 
m
steel
  =  mass of steel 
 
Example 
Suppose  250,000  kg  of  steel  currently  contains  0.01%  Ni.  How  much  elemental  Ni  must  be 
added to achieve an aim composition is 1.0% Ni?  
  kg 2,475
% 100
kg 000 , 250 )% 01 . 0 0 . 1 (
additive
  =
 
= m   9-2 
9.1.2  PICKUP OF OTHER ELEMENTS 
When adding scrap it is also important to be aware of, and if necessary calculate, the effect of 
elements other than iron on the overall steel composition. The new content of a given element 
is calculated by Equation 9-3: 
(   )
steel scrap
steel steel scrap scrap
after steel,
100
  % of rate recovery  %
%
m m
X m X X m
X
+ 
   +  
=   9-3 
where 
i
X %   =  content of element i in wt-% 
m
slag
  =  mass of slag in kg 
m
steel
  =  mass of steel in kg 
 
Example 
Calculate the new content of carbon when 10,000 kg of Heavy Scrap is added to 250,000 kg 
of Hot Metal. 
Hot Metal contains 4.5%C (Table 7-2), Heavy Scrap contains 0.05%C (Table 7-2) and carbon 
has got a 95% recovery rate (Table 7-3). 
 
(   )
  C C % 33 . 4
kg 250,000 10,000kg % 100
% 5 . 4 250,000 5% 9 % 05 . 0 kg 10,000
%
after steel,
  =
+ 
   +  
=  
Evidently adding large amounts of scrap noticeably reduces the carbon content. However, it is 
not possible to dilute the hot metal to the required carbon content only by adding scrap. Such 
a large scrap addition would cause the whole melt to solidify in the furnace. 
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9.1.3  MIXING TIMES 
Note  that  that  additions  made  do  not  result  in  instantaneous  changes  to  the  steel 
composition,  but  take  a  finite  time  to  dissolve.  In  the  simulation,  be  sure  to  allow  sufficient 
time for additions to melt and dissolve by observing the following trends: 
  Scrap additions dissolve faster than slag or iron ore additions 
  Blowing  of  oxygen  accelerates  the  dissolution  process  since  the  oxidation  reactions 
that take place adds heat to the system 
You  can  expect  well-stirred  additions  made  at  higher  temperatures  to  dissolve  faster  than 
additions made at lower temperatures and/or with less stirring. 
9.2  Important Reactions 
The  hot  metal  charge  is  refined  by  rapid  oxidation  reactions  on  contact  with  the  injected 
oxygen  with  the  other  elements  present  under  conditions  far  removed  from  thermodynamic 
equilibrium. The three most important reactions are: 
 
(g) CO O  [C]
2
= +
  9-4 
 
(g) CO O] [ [C]    +
  9-5 
 
(g) CO O  (g) CO
2 2
  +
  9-6 
Post-combustion of CO into CO
2
 (Equation 9-6) is only partial, i.e. only a part of the present 
CO  will  oxidize  into  CO
2
.  These  gaseous  reaction  products  (CO  and  CO
2
)  are  evacuated 
through the exhaust hood. The ratio CO
2
/(CO+CO
2
) is called Post-Combustion Ratio (PCR). 
Other important reactions that the simulation takes into account include: 
 
2 2
SiO O   [Si]   = +   9-7 
 
5 2 2
O P O
5
2
2[P]   = +   9-8 
  MnO O
2
1
[Mn]
2
 = +   9-9 
  FeO O
2
1
[Fe]
2
 = +   9-10 
 
3 2 2
O Fe O
2
3
2[Fe]   = +   9-11 
These oxides combine with previously charged oxides, e.g. lime and dolomite, to form a liquid 
slag  which  floats  on  the  surface  of  the  metal  bath.  The  composition  of  the  slag  is  of  utmost 
importance since it controls many different properties, such as: 
  Sulfur partition ratio, L
S
 
  Phosphorus partition ratio, L
P
 
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  Manganese partition ratio, L
Mn
 
  Liquidus temperature of the slag 
Each  of  these  ratios  indicate  how  the  element  will  be  distributed  between  the  slag  and  the 
steel, i.e. L
P
 = 1 indicates that the level of phosphorus in the steel, [%P], is equal to the level in 
the slag, (%P). 
9.2.1  PHOSPHORUS PARTITION RATIO 
Dephosphorization  during  the  latter  part  of  the  basic  oxygen  steelmaking  process  is  very 
important  because  the  conditions  are  favorable  compared  to  other  processes  within  primary 
and  secondary  steelmaking.  It  is  therefore  critical  to  maintain  a  slag  composition  that 
improves the phosphorus removal. 
Figure 9-1  shows  how the phosphorus  partition  ratio varies  with  different  slag compositions. 
Maintaining  a  high  ratio  is  quite  difficult  since  it  exists  only  in  a  very  narrow  composition 
range. Additionally, a temperature increase of 50 C leads to a decrease of L
P
 with a factor of 
1.6 at a basicity ratio (CaO/SiO
2
) of 3. 
 
steel
slag
P
[%P]
(%P)
  = L  (at equilibrium)  9-12 
 
Figure 9-1: L
P
 in the system CaO-SiO
2
-FeO-2%P
2
O
5
-1.5%Al
2
O
3
-3%MnO-5%MgO at 1650 C 
9.2.2  DEPHOSPHORIZATION KINETICS DURING POST-BLOW STIR 
The rate at which the steel is dephosphorized during the post-blow stirring with e.g. nitrogen 
or argon is controlled by 
  |   |   |   |
eq
P
eq
%P P % %P P %
P %
  
  =    =
V
A
A
Q D
V
A
k
dt
d
c
  |   9-13 
where 
k
c
  =  mass transfer coefficient of P in molten steel 
A  =  cross sectional area at the slag-metal interface (m
2
) 
V  =  steel volume (m
3
) 
%P  =  P content in the steel at time t 
%P
eq
  =  equilibrium P content at time t 
|  =  empirical coefficient (~ 500 m
-1/2
)  
D
p
  =  P diffusion coefficient in liquid steel (m
2
 s
-1
) 
Q  =  volumetric gas flow-rate across the interface (m
3
 s
-1
) 
 
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9.2.3  SULFUR PARTITION RATIO 
Although desulfurization is not a priority in BOS, there will still be a limited removal of S due 
to  slag/metal  interface  reactions.  Figure  9-2  shows  how  the  sulfur  partition  ratio  varies  with 
slag composition. Please note that in the domain of liquid slags, L
S
 is practically temperature 
independent. 
 
steel
slag
S
[%S]
(%S)
  = L  (at equilibrium)  9-14 
 
Figure 9-2: L
S
 in the system CaO-SiO
2
-FeO-2%P
2
O
5
-1.5%Al
2
O
3
-3%MnO-5%MgO at 1650 C 
9.2.4  MANGANESE PARTITION RATIO 
Most of the manganese present in the hot metal will be oxidized during the first part of oxygen 
blowing. Any remaining manganese may also be picked up by the slag or reverted back to the 
steel due to oxidization/reduction reactions at the slag/metal interface. 
The  manganese  partition  ratio  is  slightly  temperature  dependant.  An  increased  temperature 
with 50 C leads to a decrease of L
Mn
 with a factor of ~ 1.25. 
 
steel
slag
Mn
[%Mn]
(%Mn)
  = L  (at equilibrium)  9-15 
 
Figure 9-3: L
Mn
 in the system CaO-SiO
2
-FeO-2%P
2
O
5
-1.5%Al
2
O
3
-3%MnO-5%MgO at 1650 C 
10  Writing Heat and Mass Balances 
10.1  Introduction 
Mass and heat balances are basic tools for: 
  charge computation 
  adjustment of the composition of certain entities (slag, etc.) 
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  adjustment of steel temperature 
  diagnostic to evaluate materials and heat losses 
10.2  Mass Balance 
In  a batch  reactor,  i.e.  where  vessel  is emptied  in between  heats,  the  mass balance  compares 
materials  inputs  and  outputs  on  the  basis  of  their  measured  weights  and  analyses.  The 
difference  between  the  two  terms,  if  any,  can  be  attributed  to  uncertainties  on  these 
parameters, or to a poor identification of some of the inputs (refractory wear, slag carry-over, 
etc.) or outputs (fumes, dusts, etc.): 
 
 
) losses ( output input + =   10-1 
One can consider: 
  global balances 
  balance for certain entities (gas, slag, etc.) 
  elementary balances (Fe, O
2
, CaO, etc.) 
For instance, the balance for element X is written: 
  ) losses ( %
100
1
%
100
1
 
  +  = 
  j j i i
  S
j
S E
i
E
  X Q X Q   10-2 
Depending on the context, this equation can be used for: 
  estimating loss terms 
  evaluating the amount 
i
E
Q  or 
j
S
Q  of an input or output 
  evaluating the composition 
i
E
X %  or 
j
S
X % of an input or output 
Establishing accurate mass balances is always the crucial first step to guarantee the validity of 
the energy balance. 
10.3  Heat Balance 
10.3.1 THERMODYNAMIC FUNCTIONS AND UNITS: 
The  thermodynamic  function  measuring  heat  exchanges  is  enthalpy  H.  For  a  given  material, 
the  enthalpy  change  as  a  function of  temperature,  in  the  absence of  phase  transformation,  is 
expressed from the heat capacity C
P
: 
  T C H H
  T
T
  p T T
d
2
1
1 2
   = 
  }
  10-3 
The SI enthalpy unit is the Joule (J). Other practical units are: 
  calorie (cal) : 1 cal = 4.184 J 
  thermie (th) : 1 th = 10
6
 cal 
  kilowatt-hour (kWh) : 1 kWh = 3.6 MJ = 0.86 th 
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A digest of basic data for Iron & Steelmaking applications, expressed as enthalpy variations of 
various materials with temperature, phase transformations and chemical reactions is given in 
the tables below. 
10.3.2 PRINCIPLES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HEAT BALANCE 
A  practical  method  for  expressing the  heat balance  consists  of  collecting the  transformations 
individually  for  each  relevant  chemical  element,  and  summing-up  at  the  end.  For  this 
calculation,  the  second  principle  of  the  first  law  of  thermodynamics  is  used:  the  heat  of 
reaction  depends  only  on  the  initial  and  final  states,  and  not  on  the  intermediate  states 
through which the system may pass. It is thus sufficient to express the enthalpy of chemical 
transformations  at  an  arbitrary  reference  temperature  (for  instance  1600 C  for  a  full  charge 
calculation,  or  the  initial  steel  temperature  for  a  simple  temperature  adjustment  treatment) 
and  to  express  the  enthalpy  variations  of  reactants  (respectively  reaction  products)  between 
their initial (respectively final) states and this reference temperature. 
For instance, the process sketched below can be used: 
  0
2 1
  = + A + A + A   loss heat H H H
  R
  10-4 
 
Figure 10-1: Calculation scheme for a heat balance. 
The data in Tables 9.1 to 9.4 are used to compute the terms AH
1
, AH
2
 and AH
R
. The values of 
AH
R
  are  given  for  reactants  and  reaction  products  at  1600 C.  They  are  as  a  first 
approximation  independent  of  temperature  over  a  domain  of  several  hundred  degrees.  Note 
that  these  terms  are  positive  for  endothermic  reactions,  and  negative  for  exothermic 
reactions. 
Depending on the application, this heat balance, coupled with the relevant materials balances, 
can be used for: 
  charge diagnostic (e.g. evaluation of heat losses) 
  charge calculation (calculation of amounts of materials to be charged to obtain liquid 
steel at a desired temperature) 
  temperature  adjustment  calculation  (steel  temperature  variation  for  addition  and 
reaction  of  exothermic  or  endothermic  materials).  Note  that  the  term  AH
2
  evaluated 
from  equation  (4),  represents  the  enthalpy  variation  of  the  output  materials  (liquid 
steel,  slag  and  possibly  gas  evolved  during  the  operation)  for  the  temperature 
difference AT
steel
 = T
f 
- T
i
. The steel temperature change, using C
p
 values in Table 9.1, 
is then : 
Heat losses 
Reactions between 
dissolved elements at 
reference temperature 
Input materials at initial 
temperature 
HR = sum of 
enthalpies of 
reactions 
H2 = sum of enthalpies 
of heating steel + slag + 
gas +...
Output 
materials at 
final 
temperature 
H1 = sum of enthalpies of 
decomposition + heating + 
dissolution
steeluniversity  Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Simulation User Manual 
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slag steel
2
steel
04 . 2 82 . 0   Q Q
H
T
+
A
= A   10-5 
where 
AH2  =  sum is of heating enthalpies in MJ 
Q
steel
  =  mass of steel in tonnes 
Q
slag
  =  mass of slag in tonnes 
 
Table 10-1: Enthalpy values for materials as a function of temperature. 
 
H (1400 C) - H (25 C) 
/ MJ kg
-1
 
C
p
 at 1400 C 
/ kJ K
-1
 kg
-1
 
Hot metal (liquid at 1400 C)  1.30 to 1.37  0.87 
 
H (1600 C)  H (25 C) 
/ MJ kg
-1
 
C
p
 at 1600 C 
/ kJ K
-1
 kg
-1
) 
Low-alloyed steel (liq at 1600 C)  1.35  0.82 
Refining slag (liq at 1600 C)  2.14  2.04 
Iron ore Fe
2
O
3
 (=> Fe
liq
 + O)  4.43   
CaO  1.50  1.03 
H (1600 C) - H (25 C)  C
P
 at 1600 C 
 
/ MJ kg
-1
  / MJ m
-
  / kJ K
-1
 kg
-1
  / kJ K
-1
 m
-
 
Ar  0.82  1.46  0.53  0.93 
CO  1.86  2.33  1.28  1.61 
CO
2
  1.90  3.78  1.36  2.71 
N
2
  1.84  2.30  1.28  0.95 
O
2
  1.70  2.43  1.17  1.68 
 
Table 10-2: Enthalpy of oxidation reactions for various elements. 
Element X to 
Oxide XnOm 
Heating from 
25 to 1600 C + 
dissolution 
Cp element X at 
1600 C 
Oxidation X at 
1600 C by 
dissolved O 
Oxidation X at 
1600 C by O2 
gas at 25 C 
Amount O2 
  / MJ kg
-1
  / kJ K
-1
 kg
-1
  / MJ kg
-1
  / MJ kg
-1
  / kg  / m
3
 
C in CO  4.56
*
 to 6.0
**
  2.025  -1.93
*
 to -3.37
**
  -9.4
*
 to -10.84
**
  1.33  0.93 
C in CO2 
4.56
*
 to 6.0
**
  2.025  -15.35
*
 to -16.79
**
 
-30.35
*
 to -
31.79
**
 
2.67  1.87 
Al in Al2O3  - 0.17  1.175  - 22.32  - 27.32  0.89  0.62 
Cr in Cr2O3  1.37  0.95  - 7.76  - 10.36  0.46  0.32 
Fe in "FeO" liq  1.35  0.82  - 2.49  - 4.10  0.29  0.20 
Fe in Fe2O3  1.35  0.82  - 4.06  - 6.48  0.43  0.30 
Mn in MnO  1.53  0.835  - 5.34  - 6.97  0.29  0.20 
P in C3P
***
  - 0.14  0.61  - 23.8  - 31.05  1.29  0.90 
Si in C2S
***
  - 1.43  0.91  - 24.4  - 29.35  1.14  0.80 
(
*
) in liquid steel 
(
**
) in hot metal 
(
***
) to form 3 CaO-P
2
O
5
 and 2 CaO-SiO
2
 with necessary CaO taken at 1600 C 
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Table 10-3: Reactions of oxygen dissolution in liquid steel at 1600 C (MJ/kg O
2
). 
From O
2
 gas 
at 25 C 
From FeO
x
 in slag 
at 1600 C 
From very stable oxides 
at 1600 C 
- 5.62  8.7  18 
 
Table 10-4: Enthalpy of decomposition of ferroalloys at 25C (MJ/kg alloy). 
High C 
Ferro-Cr 
(64%Cr 
5%C) 
Refined 
Ferro-Cr 
(73%Cr 
0.5%C) 
High C 
Ferro-Mn 
(78%Mn 
7%C) 
Refined 
Ferro-Mn 
(80%Mn 
1.5%C) 
Ferro-
Silicon 
(75%Si) 
Ferro-
Silicon 
(50%Si) 
Silico-
Manganese 
(35%Si) 
0.11  - 0.025  0.10  0.075  0.37  0.70  0.71 
 
10.3.3 EXAMPLE OF APPLICATION: STEEL HEATING BY ALUMINOTHERMY 
Take  the  calculation  of  the  change  in  steel  temperature  as  an  example  of  a  heat  and  mass 
balance. Initially at 1620 C, what will the steel temperature be after the addition of 1 kg Al (+ 
O
2
 gas) per tonne of steel? 
Applying the heat balance shown in Equation 10-4 provides the necessary parameters. 
The materials balance indicates that 0.89 kg O
2
 are necessary per kg Al, and that 1.89 kg Al
2
O
3
 
are formed (see Table 10-2). 
1.  Calculation of AH
1
 : - 5.13 MJ including: 
a.  Heating and dissolution of 1 kg Al: 
i.  - 0.17 MJ  (heating at 1600 C + dissolution, see Table 10-2) 
ii.  + 1.175.10
-3
20  (heating from 1600 to 1620 C) 
b.  Heating and dissolution of 0.89 kg O
2
 : 
c.  - 5.620.89 MJ   (heating at 1600 C + dissolution, see Table 10-3) 
d.  +1.17.10
-3
200.89  (heating from 1600 to 1620 C) 
2.  Calculation of AH
R
 : -22.32 MJ  (see Table 10-2) 
3.  Thus, AH
2
 = - (AH
1
+AH
R
) = 27.45 MJ 
The corresponding temperature change for 1 tonne of steel, taking into account a typical slag 
weight of 20 kg/tonne (including formed Al
2
O
3
) and neglecting heat losses is: 
  C 31.9
020 . 0 04 . 2 82 . 0
45 . 27
steel
   =
 +
= AT  
If the reaction takes place using dissolved oxygen instead of gaseous oxygen, it is necessary to 
subtract  from  AH
1
  the  enthalpy  of  dissolution  of  oxygen,  i.e.  (-5.620.89  MJ/kg  Al).  The 
temperature change is then: 
  C 1 . 6 2
020 . 0 04 . 2 82 . 0
89 . 0 62 . 5 45 . 27
steel
   =
 +
   
= AT  
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If the reaction takes place using oxygen resulting from the reduction of iron oxides in the slag, 
it  is  necessary  to  add  to  this  last  value  of  AH
1
  the  enthalpy  of  decomposition  of  FeO
x
,  i.e. 
(8.70.89 MJ/kg Al). In this case, the temperature change would be: 
  C 1 . 17
020 . 0 04 . 2 82 . 0
89 . 0 7 . 8 89 . 0 62 . 5 45 . 27
steel
   =
 +
     
= AT    
11  Charge Calculation 
11.1  Choice of Balance Equations 
The  reaction  products  between  hot  metal  and  oxygen  enter  either  the  slag  (Fe,  Si,  Mn,  P,  Cr 
etc.) or the gas (C as CO and CO2) phase. The distribution of elements between liquid metal, 
slag  and  gas  depends  on  the  amount  of  blown  oxygen  and  on  the  conditions  of  contact 
between hot metal and oxygen. The blowing conditions will influence:  
  Gas composition; post-combustion ratio PCR=CO
2
/(CO+CO
2
) where CO and CO
2
 are 
volumetric fractions. 
  Oxidation  degree  of  Fe  in  the  slag  Fe
3+
/(Fe
2+
  +  Fe
3+
).  In  top  blowing,  this  ratio  is 
about 0.3 which corresponds to a mass ratio O
linked
 to Fe/Fe
oxidized
 = 0.33. 
In  addition,  it  is  necessary  to  impose  a  constraint  on  the  amount  of  oxidized  Fe,  usually 
through  a  fixed  value  of  the  slag  iron  content.  For  stainless  steels,  oxidation  of  Cr  is 
considered, usually fixed through the oxygen decarburization yield. 
In  this  simplified  system,  it  is  clear  that  for  a  steel  of  given  composition,  and  once  the  three 
discussed parameters are fixed (gas composition, oxidation degree and amount of oxidize Fe), 
4 equations are necessary in order to evaluate the amounts of oxygen, liquid steel, slag and gas 
corresponding to the treatment of a given amount of hot metal (or to produce a given amount 
of steel). These equations are the balances of Fe, O, gas, and slag elements other than Fe (Si, 
Mn and P). It can easily be shown that these equations are independent. 
Any additional constraint will require an additional input variable (or the release of one of the 
previous constraints). This is the case for typical industrial conditions: 
  The  steel  temperature  is  fixed.  This  constraint  requires  charging  an  endothermic 
(scrap, ore, etc.) or exothermic (ferrosilicon, coal, etc.) agent. 
  Burnt lime addition for desired slag properties. This constraint can be expressed as an 
additional  imposition  on  slag  composition  (CaO  content,  or  basicity-ratio  CaO/SiO
2
 
or (CaO+MgO)/(SiO
2
+P
2
O
5
), or imposition of a burnt lime rate equation. 
Fixation  of  the  slag  MgO  content  for  lining  protection.  An  independent  MgO  input  is 
necessary, for instance as dolomitic lime.  
Table 11-1: Input and Output material from the Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Process. 
Input  Hot metal 
Weight fixed (or unknown) (P
Fte
), composition and temperature 
fixed 
  Scrap or Ore  Weight unknown (P
Fer
 or P
M
), composition and temperature fixed 
  Burnt lime  Weight unknown (P
Chx
), composition and temperature fixed 
  Oxygen  Weight unknown (P
O
), composition and temperature fixed 
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Output  Liquid steel 
Weight unknown (or fixed) (P
A
), composition and temperature 
fixed 
  Slag 
Weight unknown (P
L
), temperature fixed 
Iron oxide and oxidation degree fixed (=> %Fe
L
, (%O
Fe
)
L
) 
Complete composition will be computed from elementary 
balances (Si, P, etc.) 
  Gas 
Weight unknown (P
G
) 
Average temperature and post-combustion ratio (PCR) fixed 
 
Thus, a typical charge with the minimum amount of required materials has 6 unknowns and 
requires 6 balance equations: 
  Fe balance 
  O balance 
  Gas balance 
  Balance of slag elements other than Fe 
  Basicity equation balance 
  Energy balance 
11.2  Principle of Using the Simplex Method to Solve the Balance 
Equations 
In  general,  more  materials  than  strictly  necessary  are  available  to  make-up  the  charge 
(various  scrap  qualities,  ferroalloys,  etc.).  A  practical  way  to  compute  the  optimal  charge 
(minimal cost for a given steel grade) is to use the Simplex Algorithm which is a minimization 
of  the  objective  function  charge  cost  z=f(c,P),  a  linear  equation  in  terms  of  weights  of  the 
various materials: 
 
j
j
j
  P c z    =
  11-1 
Where 
P
j
  =  weights  of  the  various  concerned  materials  (hot  metal,  scraps,  etc.,  slag, 
gas) 
c
j
  =  cost including costs linked to their use, and possibly disposal costs (slag) or 
valorization (gas) 
 
The  variables  P
j
  are  submitted  to  the  balances  constraints,  as  well  as  other  possible 
constraints of materials availability, analytical limits, etc.: 
  {   }   m i b P a
  i j
n
j
ij
,..., 1 , ,
1
  = > = s 
=
  11-2 
Among the materials availability constraints, we may impose maximum or minimum weights 
of  certain  materials  (e.g.  provision  of  a  minimal  amount  of  ore  for  final  temperature 
adjustment),  or  of  certain  materials  assemblies  (e.g.  maximal  capacity  in  weight  and  volume 
of  the  scrap  boxes),  impose  the  weight  of  certain  materials  (e.g.  solid  iron,  internal  scrap). 
steeluniversity  Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Simulation User Manual 
 2013 World Steel Association    23 
Among  analytical  limits  constraints,  we  may  impose  a  maximal  steel  Cu  (or  other  tramp 
elements) content, the slag MgO content for lining protection, etc. 
The  possibility,  with  the  Simplex  Method,  to  impose  arbitrarily  the  weight  of  certain 
materials,  offers  the  advantage  of  using  the  same  calculation  module  for  charge  calculation 
(the  weight  of  liquid  steel  is  fixed  and  that  of  hot  metal  and  other  charge  materials  are 
unknown),  and  for  heat  diagnostic  calculations  (the  charged  materials  are  known  and  the 
theoretical steel weight is computed, along with actual materials and heat losses). 
11.3  How to Write the Balance Equations 
The  equations  are  written  here  for  the  standard  charge  with  minimal  number  of  materials. 
The transposition to a higher number of available materials is direct. 
11.3.1 FE BALANCE 
|   |   |   |
L L A A M M Fer Fer Fte Fte
Fe % Fe % Fe % Fe % Fe %   P P P P P    +  =  +  +    11-3 
11.3.2 O BALANCE 
The  amounts  of  oxygen  used  for  the  oxidation  of  the  various  elements  C,  Mn,  P,  Si  are 
computed on the basis of the amounts of these elements oxidized, Q
C
, Q
Mn
, Q
P
 and Q
Si
. 
  |   |
A A Fer Fer Fte Fte C
C % C % C % 01 . 0   P P P Q      +   =   11-4 
(and similarly for Mn, P and Si) 
Taking  into  account  the  amount  of  oxygen  used  for  oxidizing  Fe  computed  from  the  slag 
composition, and the amount of dissolved oxygen in the steel, the oxygen balance is: 
 
A A L M Fe Si P
Mn C M M O
O % 01 . 0 ) O (% 01 . 0
28
32
62
80
55
16
12
32
) 1 (
12
16
O % 01 . 0
P P Q Q
Q Q PCR PCR P P
  +   +  +  +
 + 
(
   +   =   +
  11-5 
11.3.3 GAS BALANCE 
 
C G
) (
12
44
) 1 (
12
28
Q TCS TCS P   
(
   +   =   11-6 
When using a stirring gas (Ar, N
2
, etc.), it is necessary to add P
Ar
, P
N2
, etc. 
11.3.4 BALANCE OF SLAG ELEMENTS OTHER THAN FE 
 
|   |
L L Fe L
Chx Chx Si P Mn
) O (% Fe % 100 01 . 0
CaO % 01 . 0
28
60
62
142
55
71
P
P Q Q Q
    =
  +  +  + 
  11-7 
11.3.5 BASICITY EQUATION 
If, for instance, the basicity ratio v = %CaO/%SiO
2
 is imposed: 
steeluniversity  Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Simulation User Manual 
 2013 World Steel Association    24 
 
Si Chx Chx
28
60
CaO % 01 . 0   Q v P     =     11-8 
11.3.6 ENERGY BALANCE 
We use Equation 10-4 of section 10.3 Heat Balance, taking 1600 C for reference so that the 
data  of  Tables  10-1  to  -10.4  can  be  used  simply.  Note  that  in  these  tables,  weights  are  in  kg 
and enthalpy terms in MJ or kJ: 
Step 1 
The  charged  materials  are  brought  from  their  initial  state  to  that  of  elements  dissolved  in 
liquid metal at 1600 C (except burnt lime which is simply heated) 
AH1 = 0.00087 (1600-T
Fte
) P
Fte
  (heating hot metal - see Table 10-1-)
 
  +1.35 P
Fer
+4.43 P
M 
(heating and dissoloving scrap and ore - see Table 10-1-) 
  +1.5 P
Chx
  (heating burnt lime - see Table 10-1-) 
  -5.62 P
O 
(heating and dissolving oxygen - see Table 10-3-) 
 
Also  use  data  from  Table  10-4  and  the  first  column  of  Table  10-2  if  ferroalloys  are  being 
charged. 
Step 2 
Enthalpy of reactions between dissolved elements at 1600 C (Table 10-2). 
 
|   |
L L Si P Mn
C 2
Fe % 0296 . 0 4 . 24 8 . 23 34 . 5
79 . 16 ) 1 ( 37 . 3
P Q Q Q
Q PCR PCR H
        
        = A
  11-9 
Step 3 
Steel, slag and gas are brought to their final temperature. 
AH3 = 0.00082 (T
A
-1600) P
A 
(T
steel
 - see Table 10-1) 
  + 0.00204 (T
L
-1600) P
L 
(T
slag
 - see Table 10-1) 
  +[{0.00128 (T
G
-1600)} (1-PCR)+{0.00136 (T
G
-1600)} PCR] Q
C
 
     
(T
gas
 for CO + CO2 - see Table 10-1) 
 
Add the following respective term(s) if argon and/or nitrogen stirring gas are used: 
+{0.82+0.00053 (T
G
-1600)} P
Ar
+{1.84+0.00128 (T
G
-1600)} P
N2 
 
Table 11-2: Starting values for the heat and mass balance. 
Hot metal composition  4.5 %C, 0.5 %Mn, 0.08 %P, 0.4 %Si (that is 94.52 %Fe) at 1350 C. 
Scrap composition  100 %Fe.  No ore. 
Burnt lime  100 %CaO. 
Liquid steel composition  0.05 %C, 0.12 %Mn, 0.01 %P (that is 99.73 %Fe) at 1650 C. 
Slag  %CaO/%SiO
2
=4, oxidized Fe content 18% at 1650 C. 
Gas  PCR=0.08 extracted at an average temperature of 1500 C. 
Heat losses  65 MJ/t steel. 
 
11.4  Numerical Application 
The  first  step  in  making  a  charge  calculation  for  1  tonne  steel  is  to  calculate  the  amounts  of 
oxidized C, Mn, P and Si: 
steeluniversity  Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Simulation User Manual 
 2013 World Steel Association    25 
  Q
C
 = 0.045 P
Fte
-0.5 
  Q
Mn
 = 0.005 P
Fte
-1.2 
  Q
P
 = 0.0008 P
Fte
-0.1 
  Q
Si
 = 0.004 P
Fte
 
Then, all 6 heat and mass balance equations are calculated according to Table 11-3: 
Table 11-3: Heat and Mass balance end equations. 
Fe balance  30 . 997 18 . 0 9452 . 0
L Fer Fte
  =   +    P P P  
O balance  098 . 1 0544 . 0 0718 . 0
L O Fte
  =  + +    P P P  
Gas balance  22 . 1 1098 . 0
G Fte
  =     P P  
Balance of 
slag 
elements 
other than 
Fe 
778 . 1 7606 . 0 0169 . 0
L Chx Fte
  =   +    P P P  
Slag 
basicity 
0 0343 . 0
Chx Fte
  =     P P  
Energy 
balance 
2 . 117 3462 . 0 62 . 5 5 . 1 35 . 1 1287 . 0
L O Chx Fer Fte
   =      +  +     P P P P P  
 
Finally, the masses are calculated: 
  P
Fte
 = 885.3 kg 
  P
Fer
 = 171.6 kg 
  P
Chx
 = 30.4 kg 
  P
O
 = 65.6 kg 
  P
A
 = 1000 kg 
  P
L
 = 57.2 kg 
  P
G
 = 96.0 kg 
12  Bibliography 
-  AISE, The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel, Steelmaking and Refining Volume, 
AISE, 1998, ISBN 0-930767-02-0. 
-  Turkdogan, ET, Fundamentals of Steelmaking, The Institute of Materials, 1996, ISBN 1 
86125 004 5.