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A kinetic model (effective equilibrium reaction zone model) was developed to simulate the decarburization reaction in the Ruhrstahl Heraeus (RH) degassing process. The model assumes that the chemical reactions reach equilibrium in the designated effective reaction volumes near the reaction interfaces. After the RH degassing process was divided into various reaction zones, the effective reaction volumes of each reaction zone were expressed as a function of the process conditions based on the physical descriptions of the reaction mechanisms. The influence of the chemical reaction between the RH slag and the RH steel to the decarburization phenomena was considered for the first time. The calculated C and O profiles by the present model are in good agreement with the industrial operation data for various steel compositions and process conditions. RH slag can serve as an oxygen reservoir to supply O during the RH decarburization process, which induces the observed deviation of the C and O contents from their ideal stoichiometric trajectory. The present model provides an efficient tool to understand the RH degassing process.

IN-HO JUNG and MARIE-ALINE VAN ENDEThe CALPHAD-type computational thermodynamic databases have been developed since 1970. Several commercial computational thermodynamic software equipped with comprehensive and accurate thermodynamic databases and fast Gibbs energy minimization routine are widely used in the design of new materials and the optimization of materials processing. In this study, the FactSage software, which is the most frequently accessed software in high temperature materials processing, is briefly overviewed. The current databases and on-going directions of the thermodynamic database development are discussed. Application examples of FactSage thermodynamics databases to steel processing from the iron ore sintering process to the final metallic coating process are presented. Lastly, the most recent and future application of the FactSage thermodynamic databases to virtual steelmaking process simulations for the so-called industry 4.0 (smart factory) is highlighted.

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