Method for producing a steel melt containing up to 30% manganese

A method for producing a steel melt comprising up to 30% Mn content, and up to 5% Si, up to 1.5% C, up to 22% Al, up to 25% Cr, up to 30% Ni, as well as up to 5% of each of Ti, V, Nb, Cu, Sn, Zr, Mo and W, as well as up to 1% of each of N and P, with balance iron as well as unavoidable steel-accompanying elements, with the steps of:

• providing and using a heatable vessel with a heating power of more than 200 kW per ton of produced melt or a Biot-number smaller than three,
• charging the heatable vessel with a charge selected from a liquid iron melt or substitute materials carrying solid iron or a combination of liquid iron melt and substitute materials carrying solid iron,
• adding a portion or a total quantity of basic slag formers consisting essentially of CaO, MgO or corresponding dolomites, wherein composition and quantity of the slag formers is defined based on a required Si content and Si/Mn ratio,
• adding a portion or a total quantity of alloy element carriers containing at least one of Mn and Si,
• heating and melting the alloy element carriers after or during charging,
• reducing a produced slag quantity through addition of SiMn or SiFeMn containing less than 10% Si, wherein heat for melting the basic slag formers and the charge is produced by silicon-thermal reduction of iron- or manganese-oxides under formation of SiO2,
• adding silicon-containing charge materials in combination with manganese ore or combined iron/manganese ores,
• adjusting slag viscosity through addition of flux agents containing at least one of Al2O3, SiO2 and CaF2,
• removing the slag and alloying the steel melt with aluminum to a desired Al content.