Dynamic wetting of CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-MgO liquid oxide on MgAl2O4 spinel

Dynamic wetting of CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-MgO liquid oxide on MgAl2O4 spinel Inclusion type and content in steel is critical in steelmaking, affecting both productivity through clogging, and downstream physical properties of the steel. They are normally removed from steel by reacting with a slag (liquid oxide) phase. For efficient inclusion removal, the inclusions must attach/bond with this liquid phase. The strength of the attachment can be in part characterized by the wettability of the liquid oxide on the inclusions. In this study, the dynamic wetting of liquid oxides of the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-MgO system on a solid spinel (MgAl2O4) substrate with low porosity of 1.9 pct was measured at 1773 K (1500 °C) using a modified sessile drop technique. The dynamic contact angle between the liquid and solid spinel was determined for different CaO/Al2O3 mass percent ratios ranging from 0.98 to 1.55. Characteristic curves of wettability (θ) vs time showed a rapid decrease in wetting in the first 10 seconds tending to a plateau value at extended times. A mathematical model for spreading behavior of liquid oxides by Choi and Lee was adopted and shown to provide a reasonable representation of the spreading behavior with time. The chemical interaction at the interface between spinel (MgAl2O4) and slag was analyzed by carrying out detaile