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22.1 Introduction
The contribution of oxygen to the development and pro-
duction of steel has been of great importance support-
ing the ever-increasing production of steel. Prior to the
introduction of the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) in the
1950s, nonpuried oxygen (as a constituent of air) played
a crucial role in steel rening for Bessemer and open
hearth processes. The availability of tonnage oxygen
has arguably been one of the biggest factors inuenc-
ing steel productivity, quality, and development of new
steel types. Industrial oxygen is an integral raw material
used in nearly all steelmaking rening reactions in both
integrated and min ...