A compound for forming a foamy slag layer for use in an electric arc furnace, is described. The electric arc furnace has a chamber for melting scrap steel and an opening for introducing material into the chamber. The compound has un-calcined dolomite ore having a weight percentage from about 10% to about 60% and carbon having a weight percentage from about 40% to about 90%. The un-caicined dolomite ore and carbon are introduced to the chamber of the electric arc furnace while the scrap steel is being melted to form a foamy slag layer on the surface of the molten steel.

The present invention provides an electric furnace including: a cylindrical furnace wall; a furnace cover that is provided at an upper end of the furnace wall; and a furnace bottom that is provided at a lower end of the furnace wall and includes a deep bottom portion and a shallow bottom portion as a region having a height of 150 mm to 500 mm from a deepest point of the deep bottom portion, in which a slag pouring port into which molten slag or a solidified slag lump is capable of being poured from a slag transport container directly or through a tilting trough is provided, the slag pouring port overlaps the shallow bottom portion in a plan view, and the area ratio of the shallow bottom portion to the furnace bottom in a plan view is 5% to 40%.

A ceramic and a method of forming a ceramic including milling steel slag exhibiting a diameter of 5 mm of less to form powder, sieving the powder to retain the powder having a particle size in the range of 20 to 400 removing free iron from the powder with a magnet, heat treating the powder at a temperature in the range of 700 C. to 1200 C. for a time period in the range of 1 hour to 10 hours and oxidizing retained iron in the powder, compacting the powder at a compression pressure in the range of 20 MPa to 300 MPA, and sintering the powder at a temperature in the range of 700 C. to 1400 C. for a time period in the range of 0.5 hours to 4 hours to provide a ceramic.

A metallurgical furnace including a vessel, in turn having a lower shell for containing the metal bath, the metal bath being composed of molten metal and an overlying layer of slag, wherein the lower shell is tiltingly supported and is provided with a deslagging opening for evacuating the slag and with a tapping opening for tapping the molten metal, and an upper shell removably positioned on the lower shell and provided with at least one inlet opening for feeding, through the same, charge material in the solid state or in the molten state, a closing roof for the upper closing of the vessel, wherein the closing roof is removably positioned on the upper shell and is provided with a passage opening for the passage, through the same, of at least one electrode and at least one charge opening for feeding, through the same, charge material in the solid state, wherein at least one of the inlet openings, the passage opening, the charge opening is closed or can be associated with a closing element of the removable type, and wherein the lower shell has a diameter D and the vessel has an overall height H ranging from 0.70 D to 1.25 D, preferably ranging from 0.70 D to 0.80 D if the furnace is used as an electric arc furnace and from 0.80 D to 1.25 D if the furnace is used as a converter.

A metallurgical furnace including a vessel, in turn having a lower shell for containing the metal bath, the metal bath being composed of molten metal and an overlying layer of slag, wherein the lower shell is tiltingly supported and is provided with a deslagging opening for evacuating the slag and with a tapping opening for tapping the molten metal, and an upper shell removably positioned on the lower shell and provided with at least one inlet opening for feeding, through the same, charge material in the solid state or in the molten state, a closing roof for the upper closing of the vessel, wherein the closing roof is removably positioned on the upper shell and is provided with a passage opening for the passage, through the same, of at least one electrode and at least one charge opening for feeding, through the same, charge material in the solid state, wherein at least one of the inlet openings, the passage opening, the charge opening is closed or can be associated with a closing element of the removable type, and wherein the lower shell has a diameter D and the vessel has an overall height H ranging from 0.70 D to 1.25 D, preferably ranging from 0.70 D to 0.80 D if the furnace is used as an electric arc furnace and from 0.80 D to 1.25 D if the furnace is used as a converter.

A process for manufacturing a slag conditioning agent for steel desulfurization is shown in which a dried slag material Obtained from a secondary steelmaking process is mixed with quicklime particles. The quicklime particles react with moisture in the slag material to dry the slag material and produce a blend of slag material, hydrated lime and any unreacted quicklime. The blend is then sieved to separate out the hydrated lime. The retained dried fraction after sieving is then mixed with an Al.sub.2O.sub.3 mass fraction from which the slag conditioning agent can be collected. The slag conditioning agent has an equivalent mass ratio which is between 0.55 and 1.5.

Solid agglomerated product, such as a briquette (B), which can be used as charge material for an electric arc furnace, comprising at least one by-product fraction (M; M1, M2, M3) deriving from a steel plant and comprising a first part containing ferrous oxide FeO and a second part containing ferric oxide Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, a solid fuel fraction (CR) containing a quantity of carbon (C_fix) and at least one inorganic binder to agglomerate a by-product fraction (M; M1, M2, M3) and the solid fuel fraction (CR) together and give the required mechanical properties to the agglomerate.

A smelting vessel (4) for producing molten metal includes a refractory lined hearth that in use is in contact with molten slag or molten metal in the smelting vessel, and the hearth includes a plurality of heat pipes (2.1) positioned in a refractory lining of at least a part of the hearth for cooling the refractory lining.

A smelting vessel (4) for producing molten metal includes a refractory lined hearth that in use is in contact with molten slag or molten metal in the smelting vessel, and the hearth includes a plurality of heat pipes (2.1) positioned in a refractory lining of at least a part of the hearth for cooling the refractory lining.

The invention relates to fluxing agents for the agglomeration process based on slag from the secondary metallurgy, the use of these fluxing agents in the process of agglomeration in the manufacture of the agglomerate designed for the use as a metallic charge in blast furnaces and a process of production of fluxing agents based on slag from the secondary metallurgy or based on a mixture of slag from the secondary metallurgy with other materials.