Systematic investigation on the influence of H2 and N2 on the oxidation of steel

Systematic investigation on the influence of H2 and N2 on the oxidation of steel

Brief description of the problem/assignment

Oxidation is a crucial factor to ensure an efficient production of high-quality flat steel. The atmospheric composition throughout the whole process of rolling plays an essential part in scale formation and consequently in surface quality and material yield. In the Arvedi ESP technology, slab reheating is performed under atmospheric conditions with an induction heater powered with pure electric energy. Other plant configurations use natural gas-fired tunnel furnaces with a clear tendency to utilize H2 as a heating agent resulting in higher H2O contents in the combustion gas atmosphere.

In the course of this thesis, high-temperature oxidation phenomena are investigated under controlled atmospheres and temperature conditions via simultaneous thermal analysis. The oxidation parameters are identical to those from industry. Based on the obtained results, this work shall contribute to a deeper understanding of the influence of H2 enriched combustion atmospheres and N2 enriched atmospheres on the oxidation of steel under industrial conditions.

Steps of the offered master thesis:

  • Literature review (oxidation of steel, reheating processes)
  • Laboratory melts for 2 steel grades (low carbon steel and structural steel)
    • Different contents of alloying and tramp elements
  • Oxidation experiments with varying atmospheric conditions and temperatures
  • Evaluation of experiments, including metallography
  • Comparison of different industrial heating processes using experimental results
  • Discussion of the results

Note: The preferred language is English

Industry Partner

Advisors

Christian Bernhard

Ao.Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.mont.
Vice-Head of Institute - Secondary Metallurgy and Casting

Georg Gaiser

Dipl.-Ing.
PhD-candidate - Thermal Analysis and Thermodynamics

Peter Presoly

Dipl.-Ing. Dr.mont.
Post Doc - Thermal Analysis and Thermodynamics
2022-07-13T09:09:41+02:00
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