Extractive Metallurgy Division -Optical Temperature Scale and Emissivities of Liquid Iron-Copper-Nickel Alloys

THIS investigation was undertaken as a prerequisite to the study of sulphur activities in the liquid system Fe-Cu-Ni, a continuation of the work of Sherman, Elvander, and Chipman,¹ using the same equipment and the same experimental technique. Temperature measurements are made with a disappearing filament optical pyrometer, sighting through a prism onto the surface of the melt which is heated by induction. To obtain true temperatures by this means, a calibration is necessary, since, in the absence of true black-body conditions, the observed temperature is always lower than the true temperature. This calibration is actually an emissivity correction, since the emissivity is a function of both temperature and melt composition. The original furnace was used with a deeper metal bath to provide sufficient depth of immersion for the thermocouple which was inserted through the sampling hole. The atmosphere was a 50-50 mixture or argon and hydrogen passing through the furnace at a rate of 1000 ml per min, and preheated by means of a molybdenum resistance coil. It was assumed that the rapid gas flow effectively eliminated any error which might have resulted from the presence of metallic vapor. The charge in each case consisted of about 300 g of metal, contained in a high purity, dense alumina crucible. At each melt composition, readings of the optical pyrometer and of a thermocouple immersed in the molten metal were taken simultaneously. Calibration curves of optical vs. true temperature were then made for each melt composition investigated. Thermocouples were made of 0.010 in. platinum and platinum-10 pct rhodium. They were checked against the melting point of chemically pure copper. Silica protection tubes with an outer diameter of approximately 1/8 in. were used. The depth of immersion of the tip in the molten metal was approximately 1 14 in. The life of these small thermocouples was relatively short, varying from approximately 1 min at 1550°C to 10 min or longer at 1300°C. Melts containing iron corroded the protection tubes more than those without iron present. Measurements taken while heating checked those taken while cooling, indicating the absence of a temperature gradient between the molten metal and the thermocouple. Results The temperature range of the. measurements on copper-free metals extended from the melting point to 1600°C. For copper the upper limit was 1380°C, and the data were extrapolated linearly for comparison with observations on the other metals and alloys at 1535°C. Examples of typical calibration curves for various melt compositions are shown in Fig. 1. These curves, besides providing a calibration system for the given experimental conditions, also give a basis for the calculation of true emissivities at the effective wavelength of the pyrometer, 0.65 micron. The starting point of the calculations is the value of the emissivity of iron at its melting point. Taking the melting point of electrolytic iron under hydrogen as 1535°C, and using the corresponding emissivity value of 0.43, as determined by Dastur and Gokcen,² the emissivities can be determined as functions of composition (and temperature, if desired). The relationship used is the Wien equation: ln(Ea)=C2/?(1/T1-1/Ta where E is the emissivity; a, the transmissivity of the optical system; C,, the fundamental constant, 14,380 micron-degrees; A, the wave length of light used (0.65 micron); Tt, the true temperature, OK; and T., the apparent temperature, OK. At the melting point of iron the observed temperature was 1358"; this gives 0.62 for the transmissivity, which compares with 0.65 in the similar system used by Dastur and Gokcen. The emissivities of all the compositions investigated were determined at 1535°C, after obtaining from each calibration curve the corresponding temperature. These results