Research Projects

Phosphorus is a harmful element in steelmaking, affecting its cleanliness and causing issues with the blast furnace route. Indian steel makers are increasingly producing API grades, which require stringent P control due to high P content in their raw materials. The depletion of high-grade ores further increases production costs. To reduce refining burdens, hot metal pretreatment techniques are being used to treat hot metal containing 0.10-0.20 wt.% P with 70-80% efficiency. However, new flux compositions are needed to achieve satisfactory DeP in hot metal. Austenitic stainless steels are used in strategic sectors like nuclear and transportation, often Ti stabilized for protection against high temperature corrosion. Mold fluxes are critical during continuous casting of these steels, but conventional CaO-SiO2 based fluxes are not suitable for casting high Ti steels due to breakout prevention alarms and poor slab surface quality. New mold flux compositions for casting high Ti steels without compromising cast quality need to be developed and commercialized. Red mud, an important waste from the aluminum industry, is a major environmental concern due to its size and causticity. The proposed project aims to utilize treated waste from the aluminum industry (red mud) as potential DeP fluxes during the pre-metal treatment stage and design a mold flux composition for casting Ti stabilized stainless steel using waste residues. This proposal aligns with the growing need for recycling and utilizing industrial waste for commercially viable processes.