Tribute paid to metallurgists

The international metallurgy community paid tribute recently in Montreal to two Canadian scientists for their contribution to the steel refining process.

Guy Savard and Bob Lee, now retired Canadian Liquid Air employees, developed the idea in the early 1960s of a concentric pipe injector that would protect the nozzle and the oxygen stream from the molten metal (inside of the steel-making vessel) by surrounding them with a coolant fluid. Typically, injectors would melt in the 1,800C metal bath when introduced through the bottom of the vessel. With the new injector, steel could be refined 20% faster, in larger quantities and with less toxic fumes. The new injectors took some years to catch on and replace the more costly topblown oxygen injection systems.