Abstract:
To systematically investigate the thermodynamic behavior of key elements in molten steel during the bottom-blown CO
2 process for refining SWRH72A cord steel, clarify the control mechanism of CO
2 injection on elemental content, and thereby optimize the refining process for precise composition control, this study takes Aosent Special Steel's SWRH72A steel as the test subject. Through a series of high-temperature hot tests, the reaction behavior of key elements under different CO
2 injection parameters was systematically compared. Experimental results indicate that pure CO
2 injection exhibits the most pronounced effect on carbon removal. Under continuous pure CO
2 injection for 120 min, the carbon mass fraction decreases from 0.57% to 0.30%. Mixed injection tests further demonstrate that a mixture ratio of 30%CO
2 (volume fraction) + 70%Ar (volume fraction) can stably control carbon content within the process internal control requirements. At a flow rate of 20 mL/min for 120 min, the Si mass fraction decreases from 0.105% to 0.042%. The oxidation rate of Si showed a positive correlation with CO
2 flow rate and its proportion in the mixed gas, with the greatest Si removal occurring under pure CO
2 conditions. Mn removal efficiency increases with higher CO
2 injection flow rates. Under pure CO
2 at 20 mL/min for 120 min, Mn mass fraction decreases from 0.37% to 0.19%. To meet stringent internal control requirements for Mn content in cord steel, an optimized process using a lower injection flow rate of 10 mL/min is recommended. Furthermore, the reaction between Al and CO
2 is extremely rapid. Due to its low initial content, Al is completely removed within 10 min after injection initiation, with its mass fraction dropping to 0. The 120 min injection test further confirmed that the Al mass fraction decreases to 0, achieving deep removal. Through systematic high-temperature hot-state experiments, this study elucidates the thermodynamic reaction mechanisms of bottom-blown CO
2 with four key elements(C, Si, Mn, and Al)during the refining process of SWRH72A cord steel. The findings provide theoretical support for applying CO
2 in precise control of molten steel composition during refining, offering significant reference value for enhancing the quality of high-end cord steel products and developing new green smelting technologies.