A novel dual plugs gas blowing mode for efficient ladle metallurgy

ABSTRACT

A novel gas blowing mode with different flowrates for two plugs of metallurgical ladle is explored and studied through a sophisticated water model. The results show that this mode can efficiently decrease the mixing time and the total area of the slag eye for most cases, as compared with the conventional mode with same flowrates for two plugs. Generally, a relatively close angle between the porous plugs and a small radial position are beneficial to a decrease in the mixing time of bath, while a relatively far plug radial position leads to a smaller slag eye. In addition, tracers fed from the middle of the dual plugs are proven to be very beneficial to the mixing of the ladle. The slag layer will prolong the mixing time due to its consumption on the stirring energy compared with the situation without slag.

KEYWORDS:

• Ladle metallurgy
• gas blowing mode
• mixing
• slag eye
• stirring energy
• dual plugs
• gas flowrate
• water model

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51874033, U1860111) and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No. 2182038).