In steelmaking, every second counts. When the bottom stirring system suddenly fails due to blocked tuyeres, production can’t simply stop — the cost and risk are too high. That’s when the Argon Lance becomes the unsung hero. Acting as an emergency lance, it allows operators to quickly restore gas stirring, maintain steel quality, and keep the process running safely and efficiently.
How Does the Argon Lance Work?
Role of Argon Stirring In Steelmaking
In steelmaking, argon stirring plays a crucial role during the secondary refining stage. The process serves several key objectives:
- Homogenization: Ensures uniform temperature and chemical composition throughout the molten steel.
- Gas Removal: Eliminates dissolved gases such as hydrogen (H₂), nitrogen (N₂), and oxygen (O₂).
- Slag-Metal Reaction Enhancement: Promotes better reactions between molten steel and the slag layer.
- Quality Improvement: Reduces gas-related defects and nonmetallic inclusions, leading to higher-quality steel.
Basic Principle
During argon stirring, argon gas (Ar) is injected into the molten steel either through an argon lance or porous plugs located at the bottom of the ladle furnace.
As the argon bubbles rise through the molten bath, they generate strong circulating flow patterns that stir the steel. This circulation equalizes both temperature and chemical composition. Meanwhile, the rising bubbles capture dissolved gases and impurities, transporting them to the surface. At the surface, these impurities are absorbed into the slag layer and removed from the steel.
Common Argon Stirring Methods in Steelmaking
Top Blowing
- Use an argon lance to inject gas from above the molten metal surface.
- The lance is typically made of heat-resistant ceramic or cooled metal.
- Simple installation, suitable for small and medium furnaces.
- Limitation: less uniform stirring, lower gas removal efficiency compared to bottom blowing.
Bottom Blowing
- Argon is injected through porous plugs installed at the bottom of the ladle furnace.
- Gas passes through the molten bath, creating intensive and uniform circulation.
- Highly effective for homogenization and degassing.
- Widely used in LF, AOD, VOD.
Combined Blowing (Top and Bottom)
- Combines argon injection from the bottom with oxygen or mixed gas injection from the top.
- Provides both physical stirring and controlled chemical reactions ( e.g. decarburization, desulfurization).
- Improves refining efficiency and reduces process time.
When is The Argon Lance Used?
- When the tuyere system at the bottom of the furnace is blocked by slag or solidified metal.
- When emergency stirring is needed to prevent thermal and compositional stratification.
- When the production process cannot be stopped to repair the main system.
Benefits of Using The Argon Lance
- Maintains stable steel quality in case of incidents.
- Helps save time and costs, avoiding unscheduled furnaces shutdowns.
- Increases safety for the metallurgical process.
- Reduces the risk of blockages and material loss.
Why is the Argon Stirring Lance Used As an Emergency Lance in Steelmaking?
In steelmaking, an Argon Stirring Lance is mainly used as a backup or emergency solution when the main gas-stirring system cannot operate properly.
By using the Argon Lance, operators can quickly restore argon flow and reestablish proper stirring - preventing heat loss, segregation, and defects in the final steel. It’s a simple, reliable solution that keeps production running smoothly even under pressure, minimizing costly shutdowns and ensuring the consistent quality of the steel produced. This critical function makes it an indispensable tool for maintaining operational efficiency and safety in the demanding environment of a steelmaking plant.
Why Should You Choose Daiwa Argon Stirring Lance?
The Daiwa Argon Stirring Lance is built to make the steel refining process more efficient, safe, and reliable. With durable materials and precise engineering, it helps steelmakers achieve better results with less downtime.
Strong and Durable Design
Each lance is made from a heat-resistant steel tube with a refractory coating and precision nozzle that injects argon gas directly into molten steel.
- Protective shell: calorized steel casting to provide initial resistance to thermal shock and ensure protection during transportation and storage.
- Refractory coating: rich alumina content refractory coating goes through a proper drying process to withstand high temperature, stress, thermal shock, and wear resistance from the slag.
- Core steel pipe: a calorized lance pipe produced by Daiwa Lance International Co., LTD is used as the core pipe to anti-corrosion.Versatile and Efficient
The Daiwa Argon Stirring Lance can inject both argon and oxygen gases during refining, improving mixing efficiency and helping to produce cleaner, higher-quality steel.
Reliable and Safe
- Designed for stable and smooth operation, the lance performs well even under extreme furnace conditions, ensuring consistent gas flow and safe use.
- Custom Made and Ready When You Need It
- Daiwa offers customized designs to match each customer’s process. With quick production and delivery, we’re ready to supply even in urgent situations.
In short, the Daiwa Argon Stirring Lance offers durability, flexibility, and dependable performance — the ideal choice for efficient and high-quality steel refining.
Conclusion
Argon Lance serves as a reliable emergency solution in steelmaking, ensuring continuous operation and maintaining steel quality even when the primary stirring system fails. Its robust design and ability to quickly restore gas flow make it an indispensable tool for preventing production delays and maintaining safety in high pressure environments.
For optimal performance and superior reliability, we highly recommend the Daiwa Argon Stirring Lance. Manufactured by Daiwa Lance International Co., LTD, this product is not only capable of blowing both oxygen and argon gas into the refining furnace during the steel refining process but also stands out for its high-temperature resistant materials, durable in harsh environments. Its optimized design ensures fast and safe operation, while the ability to manufacture according to customer requirements and quickly supply in emergency situations makes the Daiwa Argon Stirring Lance a top choice for maintaining operational efficiency and safety.
