Patent ID: 8043401

Claim:
A method for the reduction of a high chromium-content slag ( 7 ) on a steel melt ( 6 ) during the production of stainless steel in an electric-arc furnace ( 1 ), according to which method press-molded bodies such as pellets or briquettes ( 8 ), the constituents of which react with the metal oxides of the slag ( 7 ) with a reducing action, are charged additionally into the slag ( 7 ), where the pellets or briquettes ( 8 ) charged into the electric-arc furnace ( 1 ) consist of a defined mixture of a ballast material, carbon or carbon plus silicon as reducing agent, and a binder, and where the pellets or briquettes ( 8 ) float in the melt near the melt/slag boundary so as not to be submerged and react chemically under the slag layer with the metal oxides of slag ( 7 ), especially with a chromium oxide present therein, with a reducing action, where the resulting reaction gases ( 16 ) support the foaming of the slag, wherein the ballast material is comprised primarily of the elements iron and chromium which form the stainless steel, and in that fine, low-alloy scrap with a density of approximately 7 ton/m 3 , finely shredded, provides the iron for the ballast material.