Effect of Melt Superheat and Alloy Size on the Mixing Phenomena in Argon‐Stirred Steel Ladles

Abstract

In the current study, the melting and mixing behavior of the alloy in argon‐stirred steel ladles is simulated based on the turbulent fluid flow. The formation of the solidified steel shells around cold ferroalloy particles is considered and the discrete phase model is adopted to predict the motion of ferroalloy particles. Ferroalloy particles are heated by the surrounding liquid during their travel trajectories and the mixing of dissolved alloy solute is described by the species transport model as the steel shell disappears. User defined functions are used to record the melting time and the trajectory length of each ferroalloy particle, as well as to check the mixing criteria in every cell and predict the local mixing time in the entire computational domain. Mixing time maps which visualize the mixing efficiency are obtained as a novel representation to describe the local mixing time in the entire ladle. The effects of the superheat of the melt and the diameter of alloy particles are investigated. The results show that the higher superheat of the melt and the smaller size of alloy particle facilitate the melting and mixing of the alloy in argon‐stirred steel ladles.

Effect of LCFeCr Alloy Additions on the Non-metallic Inclusion Characteristics in Ti-Containing Ferritic Stainless Steel

“…When an alloy piece is dropped into the melt, a solid steel shell will form outside the alloy due to the temperature difference between the alloy piece and the steel melt. [20,[53][54][55] A reaction zone between the alloy and steel shell will form, and the inclusions from the alloy can move or stay depending on the state of the reaction zone. Previous studies have reported this kind of phenomenon.…”

Modelling of non-metallic inclusions in steel

“…Thus, there is a great incentive to understand the formation mechanism of inclusions, and to develop models for the formation of inclusions in the steel. The research of the current authors focused on non-metallic inclusions in steel nearly thirty years, including the nucleation of inclusions during dexidation of the steel (Zhang and Pluschkell 2003; Zhang 2013; Yang et al 2015; Li et al 2018; Liu and Zhang 2018; Liu, Zhang, Zhang, Duan et al 2018; Liu, Zhang, Zhang, Ren, et al 2018; Zhang Y et al 2018; Duan, Ren, et al 2019; Duan et al 2019c), the motion and removal of inclusions during steel argon stirring process (Yang et al 2013; Guo et al 2017; Zhang et al 2017; Duan, Ren, et al 2018; Duan, Zhang, et al 2018; Ren and Zhang 2018; Duan et al 2019a; Duan, Zhang, et al 2019), RH vacuum degassing (Zhang and Li 2014; Ling, Li, et al 2016; Ling, Guo, et al 2017; Ling, Zhang, and Liu 2017; Duan, Ren, et al 2018; Duan, Zhang, et al 2018; Ling and Zhang 2018a, 2018b, 2019; Ling et al 2018; Liu et al 2019), continuous casting tundish (Zhang et al 2000; Zhang 2005, 2010; Ling and Zhang 2013; Li et al 2016; Ling, Zhang, et al 2016; Ling, Zhang, and Wang 2017; Ren, Zhang, et al 2017) and mould strand (Zhang et al 2006; Zhang et al 2008; Wang et al 2011, 2013; Wang, Zhang, Sridhar, et al 2016; Wang, Zhang, Wang, et al 2016; Ren et al 2018,…”