Elkem Metals Company

Stephen Johnson

Steven Oxman

Jerald Smith

The process calculates the amount of silica and oxidizing agent to use in a refining process for metallurgical-grade silicon. The calculation for silica takes into account (1) the aluminum content of the previous batch of refined silicon; (2) the calcium content of the previous batch of refined silicon; (3) the trend in the aluminum content of the unrefined silicon; and (4) the age of the ladle used for refining. The process then calculates the amount of silica based on a predetermined minimum amount of silica to add, a predetermined maximum amount of silica to add and the amount of silica added to the previous batch of refined silicon. The calculation for oxidizing agent is based on (1) the aluminum content of the previous batch of refilled silicon; (2) the calcium content of the previous batch of refined silicon; and (3) the age of the ladle. The process then calculates the amount of oxidizing agent to add based on a maximum amount of oxidizing agent to add and the amount of oxiziding agent added to the the previous batch of refined silicon. By following this process, an increase in the amount of chemical-grade silicon is obtained.

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Beaver, PA, United States of America

Stephen Johnson