The Application of Two Phase Flow Simulation to the Development of Direct Iron Ore Smelting Reduction Process

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to numerically simulate the fluid flow phenomena and the corresponding stirring efficiency in the iron bath induced by bottom blowing for the direct iron ore smelting reduction process. The processing conditions under consideration include gas flow rate, tuyere number, tuyere diameter. To verify the accuracy of the simulation model, the calculated results are also compared with the existing experimental observation from a water model.The numerical simulation tools employed in this study are a commercial package named PHOENICS and several generically developed modules to incorporate with PHOENICS for the specific needs of this study. For PHOENICS, the Scalar Equation Method (SEM) model is chosen to handle the two phase flow problems. For SEM model, it employs a function; h, to represent the extent of mixing between gas and liquid. A post-processing module to show the front-view of h distribution is developed to compare with the photograph taken from a 0.6 scale water model. Another post-processing module is also developed to calculate the mixing time, which is a direct index of stirring efficiency, based on the velocity profile simulated by PHOENICS. A shorter mixing time represents a better stirring efficiency. With the calculated mixing times under various processing conditions, the effects of individual processing condition on the stirring efficiency can be evaluated.