ASTM Method for Inclusion Analysis of Prepared Green Steel

In the present situation, steel-making industries have turned their attention towards producing quality steel, through more feasible routes. One of the routes is the production of green steel, which is a kind of steel produced through a process which reduces the emission of carbon dioxide. Steel produced through traditional methods relies heavily on fossil fuel and coal, emitting large amounts of CO2, resulting in 6 – 7 % of global greenhouse gas emissions. Eventually, steel production using blast furnaces requires coking coal, which has limited reserves in India. An alternative approach to this is the utilization of DRI which consumes either non-coking coal or Hydrogen for its reduction, which significantly reduces carbon emission. To produce clean steel, it is necessary to undergo a complete assessment of the Non-Metallic Inclusions (NMI). Often, Types, sizes and distribution of Non-Metallic Inclusions play a major role in the steel properties. The present study has been performed to investigate the inclusion rating of steel produced from hydrogen-based DRI (HDRI) during steel making in an Induction Furnace (IF) and carbon-based DRI to understand the cleanness of steel as per ASTM E-45 standard. The kinetics of inclusion formation during steel making in induction furnaces has been studied using Classical Nucleation Theory. Thermodynamic modelling of different types of inclusion formation was carried out using the Fact Sage software package and it has been validated experimentally with the inclusion classifier of the SEM/EDS analyzer.