Equilibria between liquid Mn-Si alloys and MnO-SiO2-CaO-MgO slags

The activity of silicon in manganese-silicon melts was determined at 1500°C. The results are in general agreement with the thermodynamic data of the iron-silicon system. Equilibria between manganese-silicon melts and slags containing MnO, SiO₂, CaO, and MgO were studied at 1400 and 1500°C in silica and magnesia crucibles. An empirical relationship easy to use in practice was derived, expressing the manganese and silicon distribution ratio between slag and metal as a function of the slag basicity. This relationship describes equilibria pertinent to the silicothermic reduction of manganese oxide and the production of silicomanganese. The present knowledge of the activities in the slag and metal phase is adequate to explain the experimental results. The presence of up to about 10 pct CaF₂ in the slag makes it possible to maintain a higher slag basicity and therefore a lower activity of silica, resulting in lower silicon contents in the metal. Iron contents of up to about 20 pct in the metal cause a slight increase in the silicon content of the metal under otherwise similar conditions. The effect of 1 to 2 pct carbon in the metal on the equilibrium was roughly estimated and found to be almost negligible.