Effect of Substituting CaO with BaO and CaO/Al2O3 Ratio on the Viscosity of CaO–BaO–Al2O3–CaF2–Li2O Mold Flux System

Abstract

The effect of substituting CaO with BaO and CaO/Al2O3 ratio on the viscosity of CaO–BaO–Al2O3–CaF2–Li2O mold flux system was studied by rotational viscosity method. The results showed that the viscosity increased with increasing BaO as a substitute for CaO, while the viscosity decreased with the increase in CaO/Al2O3 ratio. The viscous activation energy of the slags is from 92.1 kJ·mol−1 to 133.4 kJ·mol−1. Either the Arhenius or the Weymann–Frenkel equation can be applied to establish the viscosity prediction model. In this paper, the Weymann–Frenkel equation and a new optical basicity with regard to Al2O3 as an acidic oxide were applied to the modified NPL model for predicting the viscosity of CaO–BaO–Al2O3–CaF2–Li2O mold flux system. The estimated viscosity is in good agreement with the measured viscosity.