Project overview

The Advanced Steels Research Centre (ASRC) is looking for an enthusiastic individual to work on a steelmaking project as part of the ADAPT-EAF (Accelerating the Development of Automotive and Packaging steel Technology for EAF production) Prosperity Partnership, which will investigate nitrogen behaviour in electric arc furnaces (EAF). The partnership is delivered in collaboration with industry partner Tata Steel UK, which has committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by transitioning to scrap-based EAF production of high-quality flat products. This project aims to create fundamental knowledge of nitrogen's behaviour under future green steelmaking scenarios to support steel industry decarbonisation.

Additional information

Steel is an irreplaceable material in our modern life, yet the industry accounts for 9% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. A range of low-emission steel manufacturing processes is therefore being developed, with EAF steelmaking emerging as a key pathway. However, one of the key technical challenges in scrap-based EAF steelmaking (where scrap is the primary metallic charge) is cost-effectively achieving the desired nitrogen content in the final steel.

Some high-quality steels demand good formability and toughness, along with good surface quality, which necessitates controlling nitrogen to very low levels (~20-30 ppm). This is achieved by the current BF-BOF steelmaking route because of its excellent nitrogen removal capability. However, alternative metallic charges with low or no carbon content (e.g., scrap, carbon-free direct reduced iron, remelted direct reduced iron) are expected to adversely impact the thermodynamics and kinetics of N2 in proposed future green steelmaking routes.

Therefore, to enable CO2-free scrap-based EAF steelmaking, this PhD project will thoroughly investigate the nitrogen absorption and desorption mechanisms of alternate metallic charges with varying conditions of composition, temperature, and pressure. A mathematical model based on experimental data and fundamentals will be developed to predict nitrogen in melt with various conditions, validated by industrial-scale data.

The research will be carried out at ASRC's world-leading research facilities, offering high-temperature experiments and advanced characterisation and modelling. This PhD studentship also offers a unique opportunity to work with the leading scientists at Tata Steel UK.

Essential criteria

• 2:1 or higher Bachelor's or Master's degree in a science and technology field (e.g., metallurgy, chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, materials science and engineering, and manufacturing)
• A passion and enthusiasm to challenge the status quo and apply research to the creation of critical knowledge and its industrial applications