Theoretical Analysis of Bubble Nucleation in Molten Steel Supersaturated with Nitrogen or Hydrogen

Abstract

The nucleation of bubbles in molten steel supersaturated with nitrogen or hydrogen was studied based on the theory of classical solidification nucleation. The mathematical models of critical radii for homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation processes were derived. The results show that these critical radii are identical, but the volume of the bubble formed via the heterogeneous nucleation is only part of the spherical volume of the bubble formed via the homogeneous nucleation. Thus, the bubbles easily undergo heterogeneous nucleation on the surface of inclusions with poor wettability in molten steel. The effects of melt depth, nitrogen- or hydrogen-pretreatment pressure, and vacuum-treatment pressure on the critical-nucleation radius were studied based on the models derived. The results show that when the molten liquid is pretreated using nitrogen or hydrogen at 1 bar and, subsequently, treated at a vacuum pressure of 10−3 bar and a temperature of 1873 K (1600 °C), the bubbles nucleate spontaneously if the melt depth is below 0.39 m. Moreover, when the melt depths are 0.39 and 1.09 m, the critical-nucleation radii are 0 and 100 μm, respectively. When the melt depth is above 1.09 m, the critical-nucleation radius is greater than 100 μm. The critical melt depth for spontaneous nucleation and formation of different sizes of bubble nuclei increases when the molten steel is treated with nitrogen or hydrogen at a higher pretreatment pressure. However, the effects of the vacuum-treatment pressure on the critical melt depth for spontaneous nucleation and formation of different sizes of bubble nuclei are negligible. The experiments performed in this study helped in confirming part of the results of the theoretical analysis.