undertaking a programme of development.
For success, seven principles needed to be attained:
Grant Cullen from Capital Refractories
Ltd explains how the company has its
gas diffuser technology for the induction
furnace products in use throughout the
world following its initial trials just over
two years ago.
C apital Refractories made a Patent Application
encompassing the system’s technology. Over 1,000
gas diffuser units have now been supplied and are in use,
from these a mass of information has been accumulated
that clearly demonstrates the wide ranging benefits which
can be attained by application of this technology.
Gas diffusers, or as they are more commonly known,
‘porous plugs’ have been in use for more than 25
years, originally being developed for use in steel ladles
operated in electric arc furnace and basic oxygen vessel
steelmaking. They are an integral part of the process
route for secondary steelmaking.
Vacuum tank ladle degassing and temperature
homogenising in steel ladles eliminated many of the
problems associated with variable temperatures during
multi-ladle continuous casting sequences. Over the
years, these characteristics, both metallurgical and
practical, have been established and well documented.
The principal advantages identified are temperature and
compositional homogenisation, degassing and cleaner
steel.
Gas diffuser availability
Gas diffusers have been available for foundry ladle
applications but have never made the impact seen in the
tonnage steel industries, or more recently in reverbratory
aluminium melting and holding furnaces.
‘Classical’ steelmaking methods such as the electric
arc which has two distinct melt phases in which oxidation
where deleterious gases like hydrogen and nitrogen
can be removed during the carbon/oxygen reaction and
reduction where oxygen and those oxidation products
can be removed.
Induction furnace melting does not promote these
reactions, whilst hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen can be
absorbed by the melt from the atmosphere. This pickup
can be inhibited by processes that have been developed
to shroud or blanket the melt, making use of the fact
that inert argon gas is denser than air by blowing argon
gas onto the melt, or dripping liquid argon, as has been
described by the SPAL process.
Whilst significant progress has been made using these
methods to improve metal quality, neither of these
methods of delivering argon can address other issues that
include melt homogenisation, reduction in gas content
of that already in the charge materials such as oxide
films on scrap, or promote the removal of non-metallic
inclusions from the melt to the slag.
Capital Refractories, as a major supplier of induction
furnace linings, believed that the benefits identified
above could be introduced to coreless induction melting,
Permeable ceramic able to resist penetration if in contact
with liquid metal.
Capable of delivering small volumes of purging gas in a
controllable manner.
Compatibility with the Capital Refractories’ range of lining
materials in the sintered state.
Able to operate for the life of the induction furnace lining.
Ease of installation and operation.
Cost effective.
Safe.
From this programme a range of gas diffusers was
developed for use with a range of induction furnaces from
40 to 10,000kgs + capacity. This, together with a proven
mode of installation and operation, addresses all seven
principles.
Installation and case studies
Figs. 1 to 5 of the operation of an induction furnace
melt indicate how the process operates.
Since the process was introduced, significant feedback
has been received from users, those benefits identified
including temperature homgenisation, improvement in
casting quality, reduction in nitrogen content, cleaner
metal and increase lining life.
Further explanation of these identified benefits may be
found in the following customer case studies.
Temperature homogenisation
A UK producer of high nickel alloys (Monel, Inconel,
Incalloy) using a brick lined, five-tonne furnace had severe
erosion associated with excessive temperature on the
furnace barrel approximately 250mm up from the furnace
base. The introduction of argon gas via a gas diffuser
immediately eliminated this problem.
Calculation of the original temperature in this zone
indicated that it was in the order of 2,000°C. This has
enabled the client to have a melt campaign on a lining
of two weeks where previously they were relining every
weekend.
Improvement in casting quality
A Sheffield foundry operating a 300kg induction
furnace melting predominantly 13%Cr/4% nickel alloy
steel suffered a scrap rate due to casting defects
associated with gas in the metal that at times exceeded
20% and in addition caused significant reworking of many
more pieces.
After the introduction of the gas diffuser and argon
purging, scrap castings due to gas defects were
eliminated and reworking was significantly reduced.
It is believed that this improvement (there were no
other changes to practice) was due to reduction in gas
content of nitrogen in the metal.
Reduction in nitrogen content
A UK specialist foundry producing MoCrV high alloy
iron in a 600kg induction furnace experienced high scrap
rates on hydraulic seals castings, almost all castings
being scrapped when nitrogen levels exceeded 0.04%.
Prior to introducing the argon purge in the furnace, the
average nitrogen was 0.041%.
Argon was introduced during meltdown and right
up until tapping. After the first week of argon purging
average nitrogen was 0.033%. Lower nitrogen
returns were subsequently recycled back to
the furnace, the figure then falling to 0.022%.
There have been significant cost savings
from the massive reduction in scrap rate and
also in not having to remelt accumulated own
arisings and degass in an AOD.

Cleaner metal
A US foundry specialising in NiHard and
NiResist irons together with a wide range
of steel alloys for wear parts applications
has reported a significant reduction in non-
metallic inclusions since introducing the gas
purging process to its induction furnace. The
first indication of this came via the furnace
operatives who reported that the volume of
slag appeared to be greater on melts treated
with argon. Subsequent metallographic
examination confirmed cleaner metal.
A Dutch foundry manufacturing castings
for the North Sea oil industry was an early
proponent of the gas diffuser system after
trials showed improvements in impact
strength of steel thus treated due to
reduction in inclusion count.

Increase in lining life

An increase in lining life was an
unexpected gain from the development of
the process, although it was anticipated that
homogenising temperature (as previously
described) would have a positive effect on the
condition of the lining. A significant number
of clients now report increase in lining life
since introducing the process.
A lost wax foundry in east Lancashire
melting grade 316 stainless steel averaged 80
melts on a lining although the company had
to reline after reaching around this number
of melts due to slag build up on the furnace
sides which progressively reduced capacity.
Subsequent to introducing the gas diffuser,
the lining was so clean during the first
campaign that it was wrecked at 120 melts,
although upon examination it was discovered
that the lining could have comfortably run
a further week. The foundry now averages
140 heats per campaign and reports superior
casting surface-finish after shot blasting
compared with previous casts.
Again, the amount of slag rising to the melt
surface and being removed is greater than
prior to introducing the purging process.
A stainless foundry near Milwaukee in the
US reported that its first campaign achieved
156 melts compared to 70-80 previously,
the company now being in the process of
converting a further nine furnaces to the gas
diffuser system.
Capital Refractories Ltd; tel:
(+44) 1246 811163; fax: (+44) 1246 819573;
e-mail: info@capital-refractories.com
www.capital-refractories.com