The role of National Metallurgical Laboratory in the research and development of ferro alloy industry in India

An overall appraisal of Ferro-alloy industry in India in relation to indigenous raw materials has been given in this paper. Any research and development work on the family of ferro-alloys has to be directed to ensure requisite purity of the alloy in relation to undesired impurity contents, consistent with adequate yield and acceptable production economics. These desiderata have been considered in this paper on the basis of indigenous ore values; the latter's metallurgical characteristics have been referred to in relation to ore beneficiation and pyro-metallurgical Laboratory. The development of modern alloy, tool, special and stainless steels including high temperature creep-resistant alloys rely primarily on the ' back room' Ferro-alloys which have to introduce the requisite alloying elements to yield the final product confirming to rigid specifications. Considered in this background, the role of research and development in Ferro-alloy technology represents challenging fields which the National Metallurgical Laboratory is today actively engaged upon. An outline is given in the paper of research investigations relating to the production of low carbon Ferro-chrome from indigenous chrome ore, and on pyro-metallurgical treatment of vanadium bearing magnetites to yield Ferro-vanadium, on ilmenite to produce Ferro-titanium, etc. References have been made to extensive development work undertaken at the National Metallurgical Laboratory on alumino-thermic techniques to produce a full range of carbon free ferro-alloys with a premium on their high purity from indigenous ores including their solid state gaseous treatments. Laboratory scale investigations are now being implemented in the National Metallurgical Laboratory's pilot plants including projected operations of electric smelting in a pilot submerged arc electric furnace to yield over a ton of the ferro-alloy per day. These trials in the pilot electric furnace are expected to yield valuable data for full industrial scale implementation of the techniques under development at the National Metallurgical Laboratory, whose role in the establishment and growth of ferro-alloy industry in India during our successive Five Year Plans, places high premium on ingenuity in scientific research and its applications. (Dr. B.R. Nijhawan, Director, National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur