Rate of dissolution of solid iron in a carbon-saturated liquid iron alloy with evolution of CO.

Abstract

Studies have been made on the rates of dissolution of stationary or rotated cylindrical iron specimens containing various amounts of oxygen into molten carbon-saturated iron alloys. The explored temperature range was from 1200°C to 1 450°C. The highest oxygen concentration of the specimen was 1.14%. The dissolution rate was determined from the rate of decrease in diameter of the cylinder.In the case of stationary dissolution, oxygen in the iron specimen, that is, the evolution of CO was found to have a marked effect on the dissolution rate. This phenomenon is shown to be analogous to the mass transfer at a gas evolving electrode. At high oxygen contents of the specimen, a phenomenon analogous to nucleate-film boiling of liquid over a hot solid surface was observed. The highest dissolution rate which was observed at 1 400°C for iron containing 0.96% oxygen is 590 times as large as the lowest rate observed at 1200°C for aluminum-killed iron.In the case of rotational dissolution of iron specimens containing oxygen, at lower rpm the rate is controlled mainly by the extent of CO evolution. At higher rpm, the effect of rotation becomes predominant.