Industrial tests of steel filtering process

The concerned paper presents results of wide scope of liquid steel filtering tests by means of ceramic filters, including laboratory, model and industrial testing in the conditions of conventional (ingot) and continuous steel casting. Multi-hole (sieve) ceramic filters made of mullite and corundum, of the structure adjusted to the type of conducted experiment were used for testing. Selection of ceramic material for filter construction accounted for the conditions of filter operations including: high temperature (liquid steel temperature), filtering duration determined by mass of the filtered steel, hydrodynamics of steel flow through filter holes an and wettablity of filter ceramics by non-metallic inclusions. In order to assess the effectiveness of liquid steel filtering in reference to unfiltered steel, the following criteria have been adopted:-change in surface share of non-metallic inclusions,-change in the quantity of non-metallic inclusions and dimensions thereof,-change in total oxygen content (summary).The obtained results of tests confirm high effectiveness of liquid steel filtering by means of ceramic filters and may constitute a basis for development of a new technology of steel refining by means of filtration.