Measurement of bubble characteristics in a molten iron bath at 1600 °C using an electroresistivity probe

Abstract

A two-needle, electroresistivity probe was developed to measure bubble characteristics such as gas holdup, bubble frequency, and bubble rising velocity in a molten iron bath at 1600 °C. The probe’s electrode was made of a 0.5-mm platinum wire coated with ZrO2 cement and an outer coat of alumina as insulator. The life of this probe at 1600 °C was 15 to 20 minutes, making it possible to systematically measure bubble characteristics. The measured values of the bubble characteristics were compared with their respective empirical correlations derived from cold model experiments. Good agreement between the measured values and the empirical correlations was seen for each bubble characteristic. This electroresistivity probe allows us to measure bubble characteristics in actual metallurgical reactors with gas injection at high bath temperatures.