Improvement of chromium yield of stainless steelmaking in an EAF by using off-gas analysing system

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Steel is produced globally through iron ore reduction and recycling steel scrap. Integrated producers use iron ore, coal, and limestone, employing coke ovens and blast furnaces (BF) to create pig iron, which is then refined into liquid steel using basic oxygen furnaces (BOF). Non-integrated producers, or minimills, melt and refine iron-containing scrap in smaller electric arc furnace (EAF) facilities. In Germany, steel production reached approximately 45.8 million tons in 2008, with the BF/BOF route accounting for about 69% and the EAF route for 31% of total crude steel output. In the EU-27, the EAF route represented roughly 40% of steel production in the same year, while globally, it accounted for around 31%. Production of stainless and heat-resistant steels surged by 48% from 2001 to 2006 before a slight decline in 2007 and 2008. Chromium-based stainless steel is produced exclusively via the EAF route. A duplex process for stainless steelmaking involves an EAF and a vacuum oxygen decarburization (VOD) unit. EAF charges include various external and internal steel scraps. The EAF melts these materials to produce liquid steel, which is then processed in the VOD to reduce carbon concentration. The ladle furnace further adjusts the temperature and chemical composition before the liquid steel moves to secondary metallurgy processes, such as wire feeding.