Simulation on Decarburization and Inclusion Removal Process in the Ruhrstahl–Heraeus (RH) Process with Ladle Bottom Blowing

Abstract

To enhance the refining efficiency of the Ruhrstahl–Heraeus (RH) process, the ladle bottom blowing was employed in RH degasser and a numerical method was employed to investigate the decarburization and inclusion removal in RH with ladle bottom blowing. The results showed that the decarburization rate in RH with ladle bottom blowing is greater than that in traditional RH. The larger mass fraction of carbon at the recirculation zone under up snorkel disappears because of the gas bubbles from ladle bottom blowing in an RH degasser. For RH with ladle bottom blowing, the decarburization at argon bubble surface accounts for the majority of the removed carbon, and it is approximately two times greater than that in the inner site of the vacuum chamber. Besides, the inclusion removal rate in RH with ladle bottom blowing is greater than that in traditional RH, and the maximum inclusion characteristic radius is much less in RH with ladle bottom blowing than that in traditional RH. Besides, the accumulation of inclusions in ladle between sidewall and up snorkel and the recirculation zone under up snorkel, which can be found in traditional RH, disappears in RH with ladle bottom blowing. For RH with ladle bottom blowing, the average number density of inclusions decreases more drastically than that in traditional RH and the average terminal number density of inclusions is much smaller than that in traditional RH.