Slag basicity, FeO, foaming and carryover move through the heat while lab results arrive late. INSUS predicts slag condition from process and quality data the plant already records and puts recommendations in front of operators and metallurgists. Day one is advisory.
01
Slag conditions change throughout the heat.
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Lab results arrive after the process has moved.
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Recommendations stay with the metallurgical team.
The problem
In BOF, EAF and ladle refining, slag removes impurities and shapes steel chemistry. Basicity, FeO, MgO saturation, viscosity, foaming and carryover affect metal yield, refractory wear, energy use and quality. Teams still lean on periodic lab analysis, visual assessment and experience, so foaming, slopping or chemistry problems are often seen only after the heat has already moved.
The shift
Operators and metallurgists stay responsible for every process change. What changes is whether slag condition is estimated from live process data before problems become visible.
Today
With INSUS
How it works
This fits OptiStudio as process and quality decision support beside existing furnace controls. Day one is advisory and read-only. Existing control systems stay in charge.
Connect
Read-only links to DCS/SCADA, historian, LIMS and material records covering temperatures, gas flows, oxygen, power input, flux additions, raw-material chemistry, and steel and slag analyses.
Understand
Learn relationships between process conditions, material inputs and slag properties such as basicity, FeO, viscosity and foaming behaviour for this plant's own heats.
Predict
Predict key slag properties and discrete outcomes such as foaming risk, slopping risk or carryover, so teams can anticipate process changes during the heat.
Advise
Surface predictions and recommended process adjustments for operator and metallurgist review. No automatic writes to furnace control on day one.
Verify
Log predictions against actual slag and steel results. Track accuracy openly and refine the furnace-specific model as operating conditions change.
Getting started
For BOF, EAF or ladle refining shops that already hold process historian and LIMS data. Delivered through OptiStudio as slag prediction and operator decision support. Expert Services can help with data assessment and validation. Advisory first. Closed-loop control is only a later question after validation and plant approval.
Related for steel
Slag prediction sits beside yield and emissions work on the same steelmaking operation.
Slag chemistry and behaviour change through the heat while lab results arrive late. This use case predicts slag condition from process and LIMS data so operators and metallurgists can review adjustments earlier.
BOF, EAF and ladle refining, depending on available plant data and the slag objectives defined for that furnace.
DCS/SCADA and historian signals, temperatures, gas flows, oxygen, power input, flux additions, raw-material chemistry, and historical steel and slag laboratory analyses. No new sensors by default.
No. Day one is advisory. Operators and metallurgists validate predictions and recommendations against actual process outcomes.
Not on day one. Any later path toward selected control actions, such as flux or oxygen adjustments, requires validated model performance, safety constraints and deliberate plant approval. Existing control systems remain in charge until then.
Through OptiStudio as process and quality decision support. Expert Services can support data assessment, integration and validation with your metallurgical team.
Models are calibrated to each furnace and plant history. Prediction quality depends on data completeness and how current lab and process inputs are. Outcomes are measured against your own baseline, not promised industry percentages.
Steel · Predictive slag management
Use the process and quality data you already record to see slag risk earlier in the heat. Operators and metallurgists keep the decision.
