Process for making steel

Abstract

A versatile steelmaking method and apparatus therefor including both electric-arc furnace and basic-oxygen furnace capabilities. Iron and steel scrap is charged to an open top metallurgical vessel and there preheated, if desired, with a flame, such as fuel-oxygen or fuel-air flame. Thereafter an electrode-bearing vessel roof may be placed upon the open top vessel and the steel charged therein further heated and melted to a desired degree by means of electrically generated heat in the electrodes. The vessel and heated charge may then be advanced to an oxygen blowing station where molten iron and basic slag-making additives may be charged to the vessel. A removable vessel extension is placed upon the top vessel and the total charge refined into steel by means of a high velocity stream of high purity oxygen passing from an oxygen lance into the charge. The steel thus prepared may then be further processed in conventional fashion into billets, slabs and the like, or may be subjected to vacuum degassing and charged to a continuous casting machine. In one embodiment a versatile steelmaking process having both electric-arc furnace and basic-oxygen furnace capabilities and apparatus therefor is provided having a plurality of processing stations including charging, melting and refining station. Those stations may be employed simultaneously in varying sequences, e.g., either in series, in parallel, or in both for preparing a desired steel product.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.