Study of Thermodynamic for Low-Reactive CaO-BaO-Al2O3-SiO2-CaF2-Li2O Mold Flux Based on the Model of Ion and Molecular Coexistence Theory

Abstract

A thermodynamic model was proposed to calculate the activity of components in low-reactive CaO-BaO-Al2O3-SiO2-CaF2-Li2O mold flux, which was chosen to improve the castability of high Al steel, based on the ion and molecular coexistence theory. The model was indirectly validated, and the effects of the mass ratio of Al2O3/SiO2, contents of CaF2 and Li2O on the reactivity of components were discussed. The results reveal that the reactivity of mold flux attenuated with the increase in the mass ratio of Al2O3/SiO2. The decrease in reactivity was insignificant as the mass ratio was over 3.5. The steel–slag reaction experiment confirmed that the reactivity of mold flux is weakened when the content of SiO2 below 8 wt%. The reactivity of mold flux increased nearly linearly with the increase in CaF2 content, indicating that the proportion of CaF2 should be kept to a minimum in the flux. In addition, the compositional regions involving around 6 wt% Li2O should be avoided to develop low-reactive mold flux.