In the UK, apart from special quality steels (such as stainless steel), all flat products, and long products over a certain size, are rolled from steel made by the BOS process.
The BOS vessel is first tilted to allow materials to be tipped into it (charged). Scrap steel is first charged into the vessel, followed by hot metal (liquid iron) from the blast furnace. A water-cooled lance is lowered into the vessel through which very pure oxygen is blown at high pressure. The oxygen, through a process known as oxidation, combines with the carbon, and with other unwanted elements, separating them from the metal, leaving steel. Lime-based fluxes (materials that help the chemical process) are charged, and they combine with the "impurities" to form slag. The main gas formed as a by-product of the oxidation process is carbon-monoxide, and this is sometimes collected for use as a fuel elsewhere in the works.
A careful balance between the amounts of hot metal and scrap charged into the converter is maintained as a means of controlling the temperature and to ensure that steel of the required specification is produced. After a sample has been taken to check that the chemical content of the steel is correct, the vessel is again tilted to allow the molten steel to flow out. This is known as tapping. The steel is tapped into a ladle, in which secondary steelmaking frequently takes place. During tapping small quantities of other metals and fluxes are often added to control the state of oxidation and to meet customer requirements for particular grades of steel.
Finally the vessel is turned upside down and the slag tipped out into a container. Steelmaking slag is sometimes recycled to make road building materials.
The modern BOS vessel makes up to 350 tonnes of steel at a time, and the whole process takes about 40 minutes.
Image 1 © Corus