The phosphorus and manganese partition ratios between BaO-BaF₂-MnO fluxes and Fe-Mn-C_satd. alloys were measured at temperatures ranging from 1473 to 1573K in a CO atmosphere.
The phosphorus partition ratio increases with increasing BaO content of the fluxes. This ratio for the BaO-BaF₂-MnO system is smaller than that for the BaO-BaF₂ system because of the strong interaction between manganese and phosphorus in molten iron. The temperature dependence of the phosphorus partition ratio was found to decrease with increasing temperature. The effect of manganese on the phosphorus content of carbon saturated iron melts is also discussed.
The manganese partition ratio increases with increasing BaO content of the fluxes and with decreasing temperature. The manganese oxide in fluxes is likely to behave as an acidic oxide for the BaO-BaF₂ system where BaO acts as a strongly basic oxide.