Numerical simulation on the melting kinetics of steel scrap in iron-carbon bath

Steel scrap melting kinetics is a key factor that affects the scrap ratio and temperature trajectory of Basic Oxygen Furnace steelmaking process and the productivity and energy utilization of Electric Arc Furnace steelmaking process. In this paper, the interface between steel scrap and melt is analyzed and a novel theoretical model of steel scrap melting in iron-carbon bath is established. Moreover, the effects of bath temperature, bath carbon content, preheating temperature and characteristic length of steel scrap on the melting rate of steel scrap, mass transfer coefficient of carbon, heat transfer coefficient and interface carbon concentration were investigated. The results show that the ultimate steady melting rate increases from −2.04 × 10−4 to −3.32 × 10−3 m/s with the increases of bath temperature from 1793 K to 1873 K, the ultimate steady heat and mass transfer coefficient first increase and subsequently decrease, are in the range of 1.04 × 105 to 2.86 × 105 W/m2/K and 0 to 2.89 × 10−4 m/s, respectively. As the bath carbon content increase from 1.0 wt% to 4.0 wt%, the ultimate steady melting rate increases from −8.85 × 10−5 to −3.23 × 10−4 m/s, the ultimate steady heat transfer coefficient first increases and subsequently decreases, is in the range of 7.59 × 104 to 1.01 × 105 W/m2/K. Furthermore, the ultimate steady mass transfer coefficient and the ultimate steady interface carbon content gradually decreases from 1.40 × 10−4 to 5.21 × 10−5 m/s and from 0.73 to 0.69 wt%, respectively. With the increase of preheating temperature and characteristic length of steel scrap, the ultimate steady melting rate, heat transfer coefficient between steel scrap and melt, mass transfer coefficient and interface carbon concentration remain almost constant, about −8.85 × 10−5 m/s, 8.40 × 104 W/m2/K, 1.40 × 10−4 m/s and 0.70 wt%, respectively.