Silicon Carbon Balls: Reshaping Steelmaking Efficiency With Cost-Saving & Low-Carbon Advantages

    Silicon carbide spheres offer multiple functions including heating, deoxidation, and carbonization, and are economically cost-effective to produce.

    This product is a pelletized material made from silicon, silicon dioxide, and carbon. It can replace some of the ferrosilicon and carbonizing agents, allowing the heating, deoxidation, and carbonization processes to be completed in one step. When added to molten steel, it does not cause blow-off, produces no open flame, and has a high raw material utilization rate. It effectively improves upon the problems of burn-off and environmental pollution associated with traditional processes using various powdered deoxidizers and carbonizing agents. Due to their own gravity, the silicon carbide spheres sink into the molten steel and gradually rise from the bottom of the furnace, generating carbon monoxide gas, which stirs the molten steel and significantly improves steel quality. Simultaneously, the production of silicon carbide spheres enables the resource utilization of large amounts of industrial waste, turning waste into treasure and significantly reducing steel production costs.

Main Uses and Value
    Silicon carbide balls are primarily used in diffusion deoxidation processes during the smelting of ordinary carbon steel. They shorten deoxidation time, save energy, and are affordably priced. This improves steelmaking efficiency, reduces raw material loss, lowers environmental pollution, and improves working conditions. Furthermore, their carbon-enhancing effect is significant for improving the overall efficiency of electric arc furnace steelmaking.

    As a new type of alloy for converters, silicon carbide balls can replace ferrosilicon, silicon carbide, and carbon enhancers, reducing the amount of deoxidizer used. They are suitable for deoxidation alloying processes in converter smelting. Using this product results in stable smelting performance; the chemical composition, mechanical properties, and internal quality control of the produced steel are superior to those of traditional processes. It can further optimize steel quality, improve product quality and performance, reduce the amount of alloy raw materials added, lower steelmaking costs, and increase economic benefits for enterprises.

Background
    For a long time, the types of alloys used in converter smelting have not been effectively adjusted, resulting in a relatively simple structure of traditional alloy varieties. For example, Q195 and Q235 steel grades use a smelting process of MnSi+FeSi+SiAicaBa+SiCic+Carbonizer, while HRB335 and HRB400 steel grades use a process of MnSi+FeSi+Aisi+Carbonizer. However, the supply of traditional ferrosilicon and silicon manganese alloys is becoming increasingly tight, and market prices are rising continuously, leading to a continuous increase in the cost of converter steelmaking and compressing the profit margin of steel products. Furthermore, the recovery rate of traditional alloys is greatly affected by converter operating conditions; factors such as tapping volume, final temperature, and slag discharge can cause significant fluctuations in the alloy composition of the finished steel, resulting in insufficient stability of the chemical composition of the smelted steel grades and a low pass rate for internal control indicators of the finished products. Against this backdrop, silicon carbide spheres have emerged and been widely applied.

Material Composition and Characteristics

    The core component of silicon carbide spheres is SiC particles. These particles are generated by the reduction reaction of SiO₂ and C, and their diameter is typically in the micrometer range, with shapes ranging from round to irregular. In addition, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyurethane and other polymer materials are added to the silicon carbide balls, which can enhance the flexibility and durability of the silicon carbide balls.