ladle refining furnace

Steelmaking system

Product Details

The SMG GROUP technical team masters a mature ladle refining process and is capable of independently providing high-quality ladle refining solutions.

A ladle refining furnace is equipment that combines the heating and refining functions of a steelmaking furnace. It is used to refine molten steel produced in primary furnaces (electric arc furnaces, open-hearth furnaces, or basic oxygen furnaces), while also regulating steel temperature and providing process buffering—making it an essential metallurgical device for continuous casting and continuous rolling. The ladle furnace is one of the main pieces of equipment for secondary refining.

The primary functions of a ladle refining furnace are as follows:

1. Heating and heat preservation of molten steel. By using arc heating, the molten steel gains additional thermal energy, which not only allows alloy additions and composition adjustments during ladle refining but also facilitates the addition of slag-forming materials, promoting deep desulfurization and deoxidation. Moreover, it ensures that the molten steel reaches the required tapping temperature for continuous casting, thereby improving billet quality.

2. Argon stirring. Argon gas is blown into the molten steel through porous bricks installed at the bottom of the ladle, providing a certain degree of stirring.

3. Vacuum degassing. After the ladle is suspended in a vacuum chamber, a steam jet pump is used for vacuum degassing; simultaneously, argon gas is injected from the ladle bottom to stir the molten steel, effectively removing hydrogen and nitrogen content while further reducing oxygen and sulfur levels, thus yielding molten steel with higher purity and superior material properties.

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