摘要
A mathematical model was established to predict the carbon content of ultralow carbon steel in the Ruhrstahl-Heraeus （RH） process. The model was solved using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method and assumed that the volume of steel partaking in the reaction depends on the decarburization mechanism. After analyzing the decarburization process using the proposed model, the following conclusions were drawn. First, the initial carbon and oxygen contents in the RH degasser should be stabilized in the range of （200-350） × 10^-6 and （500-700） × 10^-6, respectively. Second, in the initial stage, the pressure should be reduced as quickly as possible. Third, oxygen blowing should begin as early as possible when the forced decarburization is needed and the minimum oxygen flow rate should be 0.1923 m3/（t rain）. Finally, expanding the diameter of the snorkel tube from 480 to 600 mm clearly enhances the decarburization rate.
A mathematical model was established to predict the carbon content of ultralow carbon steel in the Ruhrstahl-Heraeus （RH） process. The model was solved using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method and assumed that the volume of steel partaking in the reaction depends on the decarburization mechanism. After analyzing the decarburization process using the proposed model, the following conclusions were drawn. First, the initial carbon and oxygen contents in the RH degasser should be stabilized in the range of （200-350） × 10^-6 and （500-700） × 10^-6, respectively. Second, in the initial stage, the pressure should be reduced as quickly as possible. Third, oxygen blowing should begin as early as possible when the forced decarburization is needed and the minimum oxygen flow rate should be 0.1923 m3/（t rain）. Finally, expanding the diameter of the snorkel tube from 480 to 600 mm clearly enhances the decarburization rate.
基金
The authors would like to acknowledge the National Natural Science Foundation of China （51574063）, Funda- mental Research Funds for the Central Universities （N150204012, N152306001）, and Program for Liaoning Excellent Talents in University （LJQ2015056）.
