Viscosity models for molten slags

By Marko Kekkonen, Haile Oghbasilasie and Seppo Louhenkilpi

BOF slag is generated at a rate of 60 to 100 kg per tonne of steel. The BOF-slag contains oxides arising from some oxidation reactions (SiO2, MnO, FeO, V2O5, P2O5 and TiO2), added fluxes (CaO, MgO) and refractory wear (MgO). Typical composition of the BOF-slag is shown in Table 11.

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https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/3640/isbn9789526046037.pdf

From XRD of your sample, you can get the composition.

Hello,

Actually, I think that here XRD will not be very useful for what you need (do it anyways if you can, as it will give you other information) as slags are usually highly amorphous materials. Therefore, you'll only see a big hump in your XRD pattern, but you'll be unable to extract any information regarding composition of the non-crystalline fraction. However, you'll be able to characterize any crystalline phases in your slag, but I'm almost certain that they'll be in minor amounts.

The easiest way to do what you need is to perform an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) test on your slag. I recommend to use the borate fused beads sample preparation, as it reduces matrix effects. 

If you're unable to access an XRF machine easily, you can always go back to the old school method of chemical analysis. ASTM standard C114 describes procedures to quantify in an analytical way different cations (as oxides) in cement (you can extend its applicability to slag). 

I hope this could help a bit!

Franco