Abstract
The EU28 total lime demand in 2017 was estimated at about 20 million tons, out of which about 40% are consumed in the iron and steel industry. Steel remains the major consumer after environment and construction. The lime industry is quite mature and consolidated in developed countries, with enough reserves and production to serve regional markets while being fragmented in developing nations where steel producers rely on local sourcing. There is relatively very little trade for lime worldwide. Lime has a critical role at different steps of the steelmaking process, and especially to make a good slag facilitating the removal of sulphur and phosphorus, and for providing a safer platform to withstand high intensity arc plasma in the electric arc furnace (EAF), and violent reactions in the basic oxygen furnace (BOF). Lime quality and quantity has a direct effect on slag quality, which affects metallurgical results, refractory life, liquid metal yield, and productivity, and therefore the total cost of the steel production. In this paper, we present the importance of careful selection in the limestone and calcination process, which influences critical lime quality characteristics. We shall further elaborate on the impact of lime characteristics in the optimization of the steelmaking process, metallurgical benefits, overall cost impact, potential savings, and environmental benefits.
Highlights
Despite the development of many new industries using lime, the steel industry today remains the major consumer, consuming almost half of the annual lime production
Lime quality that is adapted to the use in steel industry is a very important subject to allow the market demand to be met in the longer term
LimeInquality variation notquality only leads to excess dosing andbe deterioration of the chemical-physical and petrography to control the calcination including adapted gradation and fuel use to allow the for conditions, but it disturbs the control of the refining process
Summary
Lime is an essential and critical raw material for steelmaking. The science of lime product interaction with the various fluxing components during sintering, melting, and ladle refining has become the basis for understanding the old phrase “Make the slag and the steel will make itself”. The lime selection process plays a very important role in defining the productivity, quality, and cleanliness from sintering stage to steel melting, and the secondary metallurgy process (Table 3). Lime characteristics and process control are critical to cleanliness, such as: Removing sulphur at the hot metal desulphurization station; Phosphorous removal in the BOF; Foamy slag preventing nitrogen and hydrogen pickup during melting in the EAF; Avoiding over-oxidation of steel during steel melting in EAF and BOF; De-oxidation and desulphurization practices in the secondary metallurgy treatment
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