Thermodynamic modeling of the processes of interaction of calcium, magnesium, aluminum and boron with oxygen in metallic melts

A method for calculation of the diagrams of steel deoxidation and modification by calcium, magnesium, aluminum and boron was developed. The coordinates of the liquidus surfaces of the oxide systems B2O3-Al2O3-MgO, B2O3-Al2O3-CaO, B2O3-MgO-CaO were found at 1873 K. The energy parameters were determined for the theory of subregular ionic solutions of the studied oxide systems. The coordinates of the solubility surfaces for the systems Fe-Mg-Al-B-O, Fe-Ca-Al-B-O, Fe-Mg-Ca-Al-B-O were calculated. The effect of the total pressure on solubility of magnesium and calcium in liquid iron was studied. The activity of the components of the metallic melt was calculated using the first-order interaction parameters (Wagner's theory). The activities of the components of solid solutions (oxides and spinels) were equated with their molar fractions. It was shown that during extensive refining of metal from the oxygen, only a small fraction of boron oxidizes and these oxides form fraction of the oxide melts. The major non-metallic oxide inclusions were magnesia spinel, calcium bialuminate and liquid oxide formations. The “free” boron was dissolved in liquid metal in amounts which were in equilibrium with oxide phases.