Deoxidation of steel melts by short-circuiting an electrochemical cell has been demonstrated. A one-end closed yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) tube, whose inner wall. is coated with a porous molybdenum-YSZ cermet, is inserted into the steel melt. A reducing gas is passed through the tube, and a short circuit is established between the cermet and the melt. The deoxidation process has been analyzed and mathematically modeled by dividing the external short-circuit current into regions characterized by total resistance control and mass transport control. The kinetics are enhanced by increasing the oxygen mass-transfer coefficient in the melt (increasing melt stirring) and decreasing the total short-circuited cell resistance.