Abstract
The bubbly flow and mixing conditions for gas stirring in a 50t ladle were investigated by using physical modelling and mathematical modelling. In the physical modelling, the effect of the porous plugs’ configurations on the tracer homogenization was studied by using a saturated NaCl solution to predict the mixing time and a color dye to show the mixing pattern. In the mathematical modelling, the Euler–Lagrange model and species transport model were used to predict the flow pattern and tracer homogenization, respectively. The results show that, for a ±5% homogenization degree, the mixing time with dual plugs using a radial angle of 180° is shortest. In addition, the mixing time using a radial angle of 135° decreases the most with an increased flow rate. The flow pattern and mixing conditions predicted by mathematical modelling agree well with the result of the physical modelling. For a ±1% homogenization degree, the influence of the tracer’s natural convection on its homogenization pattern cannot be neglected. This is especially true for a ‘soft bubbling’ case using a low gas flow rate. Overall, it is recommended that large radial angles in the range of 135°~180° are chosen for gas stirring in the present study when using dual porous plugs.
Highlights
The homogenization of temperature and alloys are of great importance in metallurgical processes, such as ladle, tundish, and continuous casting
The mixing pattern has a large influence on the alloying time
Comparing the conditions under various flow rates, the flow pattern predicted by the mathematical modelling agrees interface, and thereafter recirculates along the wall
Summary
The homogenization of temperature and alloys are of great importance in metallurgical processes, such as ladle, tundish, and continuous casting. For the alloy homogenization in the physical experiment, the mixing time and flow pattern in the ladle was affected by plug numbers, plugs’ positions in the radial direction, and dual plugs’ angles, and these were studied the most [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]. Luo et al [19] studied the inclusion behavior and mixing phenomena with different arrangements of tuyeres Their result showed that a radial position of 0.6R and a radial angle of 135◦ was the optimal dual configuration to improve the inclusion removal and mixing efficiency. Liu et al [13] studied the effects of radial locations and separation angles of single and dual plugs on the mixing time. The optimal radial angle of porous plugs is discussed
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
