Analysis and control of hydrogen content during steelmaking

ended

The objective of the research project is to enhance the control of the hydrogen content during the different steps of liquid steelmaking, to reliably achieve low target hydrogen contents in the final product under reduced energy and resource consumption. For this purpose, detailed investigations on hydrogen pick-up and removal throughout the key processes of liquid steelmaking, i.e. secondary metallurgy and continuous casting, will be performed. They will be accompanied by dedicated measurement campaigns of the hydrogen content dissolved in liquid steel and the transfer into the as cast material based on novel in-situ measurement technologies. The results of these investigations will be used to derive correlations of hydrogen content evolution with the process conditions during the different treatment steps with focus on ladle treatment as well as casting via the tundish. On this basis dynamic process models for the relevant mechanisms and metallurgical reactions of hydrogen pick-up and removal will be set up. The models will be used in combination with optimised in situ measurements to monitor and predict the evolution of the hydrogen content dissolved in liquid steel throughout the complete process chain. A combination of model-based advisory system, in situ measurement strategies and dynamic control of process parameters will be developed to apply optimal operational practices for the quality-dependent demands, for a reliable achievement of the target hydrogen content in the final product under minimum energy and resource consumption. The complete system will be tested and validated under industrial conditions in plant trials and established for operational practice for the production of different steel grade groups.