MgO Solubility in Steelmaking Slags

A predominantly liquid and MgO-saturated slag is preferred in EAF and BOF steelmaking. Fully liquid slag provides a better environment for faster mass transfer due to lower bulk viscosities and larger liquid slag volume and these help dephosphorization and desulfurization. Also, an MgO-saturated slag would be preferable in order to increase the lifetime of furnace refractory lining by reducing the extent of dissolution. This article will demonstrate the factors that would influence MgO saturation, which includes FeO, CaO, P₂O₅, and Al₂O₃ contents and temperature. In addition, this paper comments on the applicability and accuracy of FactSage prediction, which are compared to laboratory experiments. The results indicate that FactSage may underestimate MgO solubility by up to 2.5 wt pct at higher basicities while there is reasonable agreement with current measurements at lower basicities.