Thermochemical computations in carbothermic and metallothermic ferroalloy processes

Computational thermochemistry has been increasingly used in both metallurgical science and industry. Recent developments in this area made the performance of complex reaction calculations much easier and more accurate. In the present study, some introductory examples on ferroalloy production processes carried out by both carbothermic and metallothermic methods are given by using "Equilib" module of the FactSage 6.0 thermochemistry software. In the case examples, the interactions and effects of both oxygen and CaO on phosphorus and silicon removals during the second refining stage of crude ferronickel, the optimum quantity of intermediate Fe-Si-Cr alloy needed to reduce the molten rich slag in the Perrin process, the effect of temperature on the carbothermic reduction of SiMn production, and the effect of raw materials on the metallothermic production of FeMo were simulated and the results are tabulated and/or presented as graphs.