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Ferromolybdenum: Molybdic Oxide Smelted with Coke and Lime into Molten Steel in an Electric Arc Furnace (Brigham, US 4,160,661)
Technical molybdic oxide is fed in cans, with coke and lime, into a bath of molten steel in a 3000 kVA arc furnace. The electrodes stay in the slag, and the coke is trimmed after every charge unit so the metal keeps under 0.1 % carbon. Ferrosilicon and lime strip the slag, and the metal is shotted in running water.
Result: from 5000 lb oxide, 3110 lb shot and pig of 54.1 % molybdenum, 0.06 % carbon, 43.1 % iron (Heat 4), using 1.94 kWh per lb of molybdenum.
Source: Brigham, Sirianni and Garner, US patent 4,160,661 (1979), Example 2, Heat 4. Not given: how the shot was heated while drying overnight. Picture drawn by Youblob.
Advanced
1 day
Instructions
1
1
Melt the steel
Melt the steel
In a three-phase 3000 kVA arc furnace with 8 in graphite electrodes, lined with magnesia brick and rammed basic refractory (about 60 % MgO), 5 ft 6 in across and 26 in deep below the tap hole, melt 812 lb steel plate with 80 lb burnt lime under full power. Lead the fume to a bag house.
Materials for this step:
Mild Steel Plate812 lbsTools needed:
Quicklime
Electric Arc Furnace
Graphite Electrode
Bag House2
2
Make up the charge units
Make up the charge units
While it melts, weigh out five charge units, each 1000 lb molybdic oxide (in cans of 37 lb oxide in a 2 lb steel can), 250 lb coke and 320 lb lime. For Heat 4 that was 5000 lb oxide, 1150 lb coke, 1600 lb lime and 1488 lb steel in plate and cans. Ours: metallurgical coke for the dried breeze coke.
Materials for this step:
Technical Molybdic Oxide5000 lbsMild Steel Plate1488 lbsTools needed:
Metallurgical CokeQuicklime
Industrial Platform Scale3
3
Smelt in the bath
Smelt in the bath
When the bath is molten at about 1450 °C, add one can of oxide with equal shovels of coke and lime every 2 minutes, about 1 hour per unit. Use the 205 V tap so the electrodes dip only into the slag; hold the bath at most 1760 °C. About 1 kWh per lb of oxide.
Tools needed:
Flat ShovelElectric Arc Furnace4
4
Keep the carbon down
Keep the carbon down
After every charge unit, dip a steel spoon into the bath and analyse the carbon (about 15 minutes); cut the coke so the metal stays below 0.1 % carbon.
Tools needed:
Metallurgical Coke5
5
Strip the slag and tap
Strip the slag and tap
Add 200 lb ferrosilicon and 560 lb lime to strip the slag. Tip the furnace into a preheated 5000 lb ladle: the first ladle is mostly slag, the second mostly metal. Back-pour the slag into slag pots.
Tools needed:
FerrosiliconQuicklime
Foundry Ladle6
6
Shot the metal
Shot the metal
Pour the metal from the ladle into a second unlined 5000 lb ladle filled with running water from a 2 1/4 in fire hose, about 3000 lb a minute, from about 4 ft up; 2000 lb shots in 10 to 15 minutes. Dry the shot overnight at about 300 °F in 40 gallon drums. Ours: a drying oven.
Tools needed:
Foundry Ladle
Water
Drying OvenMaterials
2- 1488 lbsPlaceholder
- 5000 lbsPlaceholder
Tools Required
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