The VOD plant is mainly used for the production of stainless steel. The plant is basically designed as a tank degassing plant which is additionally equipped with an oxygen blowing lance and other related equipment. Due to the reduced CO partial pressure under vacuum conditions, decarburisation of high-alloyed steel grades to very low carbon contents is possible.

Metallurgical and operational tasks:

	Vacuum operation possible with varying initial carbon contents
	High flexibility to use lower cost high carbon alloying materials
	Low chromium oxidation losses
	High rate of chromium recovery by slag metallurgy
	Chemical heating of liquid steel
	Low final dissolved gas contents
	Improved steel cleanliness with
	Achievement of exact compositional values within narrow tolerances