CRM is studying the possibility to comply with stringent PM regulations by improving the collection efficiency of existing dedusting systems, in order to avoid investments in expensive additional abatement means. The idea is to agglomerate fine dust particles together or onto coarser ones by applying ultrasound to the dust laden waste gas flow, upstream of the dedusting unit.

The recent projects and the new EAF orders indicate a new trend in the furnace design proposing very big electric arc furnaces. Concast, after the first successful installation in 2003 of the 180 t EAF in Icdas, wants to reproduce the really outstanding performances of this EAF with the new 220 t EAF producing 320 t/h. The equipment installed and the furnace design will follow the “Ultra High Chemical Power” EAF indexes.
An analysis on the basic engineering parameters and the extrapolation of its performance are presented.

The kinetic study of the nitrogen dissolution was investigated. An isotope exchange technique is employed as a method for measuring the rate of nitrogen dissolution into the molten steel and the effects of O, S, C, Mn, and B addition on surface reaction have been considered at 1873 K.

The addition of boron to steel introduces the possibility of steel initially completely solidifying and then remelting in the interdendritic regions at very low carbon levels. For all carbon levels, a low melting Fe-B alloy exists as a liquid down to around 1100°C. This liquid is found in steel with as low as 0.0004% boron due to the boron segregation. The persistence of this liquid leads to hot shortness, breakouts, and other casting defects. Pseudo-binary phase diagrams for low boron concentrations have been developed using ThermoCalc software and were confirmed using experimental techniques.

The effect of the so-called “warm” or “ferritic” rolling on the microstructure and recrystallization behavior of LC steels during continuous annealing is reported. The following parameters were investigated; reduction rate in ferrite rolling, coiling temperature; soaking annealing temperature, overageing temperature. Thin gages low carbon steels suitable for replacing conventional cold rolled and annealed steel sheet can be produced.

The phase-field method has emerged as a method of choice for the description of microstructure evolution and phase transitions in metallic materials. Following a general thermodynamic extremal principle a set of evolution equations for the structural variables of the system, the so called phase-fields, are derived. The paper reviews shortly the historical and theoretical background of the multi-phasefield method that is an extension of the classical phase-field method to multi-phase multi-component materials. Examples are given from solidification, solid state transformations and grain growth.