Quantification of Liquid Holdup in the Dropping Zone of a Blast Furnace—A Cold Model Study

Abstract

A two-dimensional cold model study, replicating an ironmaking blast furnace dropping zone, was carried out to estimate quantitatively the local dynamic, static, and total liquid holdups in the presence of lateral gas flow. Plastic beads were used as nonwetting packing material, and aqueous barium chloride solution was used to model the liquid flow. The X-ray visualization technique was used to image the entire packed bed followed by preliminary image processing operations in order to obtain the various types of liquid holdup values quantitatively at various locations in the bed. Liquid holdups were estimated at various liquid flow rates. Liquid holdup results have been obtained at local and total bed level and are discussed both in qualitative and quantitative ways. Substantial liquid holdup was found above the raceway zone. Liquid holdup in a few regions in the bed was an order of magnitude higher than average at a particular flow rate. This may have important implications with respect to blast furnace modeling/chemistry.