Exhaust Gas Analysis for Vacuum Degassing of Steel

Important results from the project

The purpose of this project has been to investigate the possibility of monitoring the sulfur / nitrogen / hydrogen levels in the steel in real time during purification. The project has shown that measurement methods such as Mass Spectrometry and LIBS are relevant for real-time analysis of exhaust gases from vacuum purification processes in the steel industry.

Expected long term effects

With continued development, it is realistic to develop an industrially relevant analysis method for real-time monitoring of sulfur / nitrogen / hydrogen levels in steel during purification processes. In that case, such a system would provide better knowledge of the critical purification process, conditions for actively controlling, for example, process time and argon flow, ensuring that the S / N / H levels are even and predictable melting after melt, and minimize the risk of ending the purge with a steel that needs further chemical adjustment to achieve its final performance.

Approach and implementation

The project has been a theoretical and practical prestudy in which some different methods of measuring gas content have been tested in real process in a steel plant. The project has been a collaboration between four steel industries and three research institutes, as well as Jernkontoret. The process of one of the steelworks has had a technical focus, but the relevance to the other steelworks processes has been considered. This project execution has worked well.