Analysis of the Effect of Fluxing Additives in the Production of Titanium Slags in Laboratory Conditions

Abstract

The article theoretically justified and experimentally confirmed the possibility of implementing the process of the electric melting of Satbayevskiy ilmenite concentrates with new fluxing additives based on oxides and nitrides of aluminium, calcium, and boron. They also include boron carbonitride CNV that will expand the raw material base of Kazakhstan titanium production by involving local substandard material in the process, as well as the technical and economic performance of electric melting. In order to conduct experiments in the area of extremum, the ilmenite concentrate from the Satbayev deposit was taken. Furthermore, the optimum conditions of the electric melting of Satbayevski ilmenite concentrates (such as the process temperature of 1550-1600 °C, the reducing agent consumption of 8-10% of the concentrate mass, and the duration of 90 min), using new fluxing additives, were selected. As a result of the experiment (performed at a temperature of 1600 °C), it has been found that the introduction of 3 to 6% of fluxes in the charge of electric melting promotes the reduction of iron oxides from 45 to 80% and achievement of the extraction of titanium oxide in slag of up to 83.5-90.1%. The addition of 6% boron oxide and carbonitride in the charge of electric melting reduces the melting temperature of the charge to ~1400-1450 °C and the melting time to 90 min. It also creates conditions for a quieter electric melting mode