Bubble bursting phenomenon in Gas/Metal/Slag systems

Abstract

Iron droplets can be ejected into the surrounding atmosphere or entrained into the slag phase when gas bubbles pass through the metal surface or the metal/slag interface. The phenomena occurring during passage of single bubbles through the free surface and the interface were investigated by using the in-situ X-ray transmission technique. The mass of droplets ejected into the atmosphere attained a maximum value at a certain bubble size, which depended on the surface tension of the iron melt. Bubble bursting on the free surface of iron melt ejected numerous fine iron droplets called “film droplets” and a few much larger jet droplets. Two different groups of iron droplets were also observed as entrained in the slag due to bubble passage through the iron/slag interface, although the physical phenomena are to some extent different from bubble bursting to the gas phase.