651-4219-00L The Mineralogy of Steelmaking / Steel Plant Visit
| Semester | Spring Semester 2021 |
| Lecturers | C. Liebske |
| Periodicity | two-yearly recurring course |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Comment | Number of participants limited to 22. |
| Abstract | Iron is utilised by mankind since thousands of years and the present day world wide production of about 1.5 billon tons of steel makes the latter to one of the most important and irreplaceable industrial products. This course will communicate the relevant solid-liquid-vapor reactions along the production route of an integrated steel plant as an example for applied mineralogy. |
| Objective | This course will put emphasis on applied mineralogy and show how concepts, familiar to Earth scientists, are being applied to industrial processes. Integral part of this course is a visit to the UNESCO world cultural heritage site "Völklingen Ironworks" and a factory tour through the steel plant of Dillinger (both Saarland, Germany). The excursion will take place on the third to fourth day with one overnight stay. |
| Content | The course will cover the following topics: - Pre-blast furnace processing of ores, coals and additives - Melting and reduction in the blast furnace - The "Basic Oxygen Furnace": de-carburisation, and the conversion from "hot metal" towards steel - Secondary steelmaking: de-oxidation and non-metallic inclusions - By-products: Chemistry, properties and applications of blast furnace and steelmaking slags - Chemistry and properties of refractory materials - The role of silicate liquids during casting steel - Industry excursion to an active steel producing site |
| Prerequisites / Notice | This four day block-course with lectures between 10-12h and 13-15h will take place from July 12th - 15th 2021. The current situation does not allow for a rigorous planning of excursions and the course is, unfortunately and at present, considered without the plant visit. |