4. Conclusions. The future of secondary metallurgy

The various secondary metallurgy processes described in the preceding paragraphs are currently used to carry out the essential operations required to obtain the characteristics of the final product:

• Analytical quality of liquid metal: by grading and controlling certain non-metals (see table ), which are more or less undesirable (C, H, N, O, P, S);

• control of the quantity, size and composition of inclusions;

• thermal adjustment, by controlling losses and cooling (by adding scrap) or heating the metal using electrical energy (arc ladles) or chemical energy (aluminothermy).