Basic open-hearth process

That process of producing steel from pig and scrap iron, in which the first step is to remove the phosphorus and some of the sulphur as well as the silicon, manganese, and carbon. This is accomplished by charging the furnace with calcined lime, which unites with the excess phosphorus and holds it in the slag. The rest of the process is similar to the acid open-hearth process. To prevent the slag from attacking the lining, the furnace is covered with dolomitic limestone. Such furnaces are termed basic lined, and the process has become known as the basic open-hearth process because of this lining.