Effect of the Slag Former on the Metal Melting and Radionuclides Distribution in an Electric Arc Furnace

The characteristics of the metal melting and radionuclide distribution of the radioactive has been investigated in a lab-scale arc furnace. The slag former based on the constituents of silica, calcium oxide, aluminum oxide, borate and calcium fluoride additions was used for melting of the stainless and carbon steel. In the melting of the stainless steel, the amount of slag formation increased with an increase of the concentration of the slag former. But the effects of the slag basicity on the amount of stag formation showed a local maximum value of the slag formation with an increase of the basicity index in the melting of the stainless steel as well as in the melting of the carbon steel. With an increase of the amount of slag former addition, the trends of the cobalt distribution into the ingot and the stag depended on the kind of slag former used in the melting of the stainless steel while the effect of the slag basicity on the distribution of the cobalt was not clarified in the melting of carbon steel. Tn the melting of the carbon steel, the strontium was captured at up to $50\%$ into the slag phase. Cesium was completely eliminated from the melt of the stainless steel as well as the carbon steel and distributed to the dust phase.