Fluid Flow, Dissolution, and Mixing Phenomena in a Multibottom Tuyere‐Stirred Gas‐Oxygen Refining Furnace

Abstract

A three‐dimensional mathematical model on fluid flow, ferrochrome dissolution and mixing phenomena in a nitrogen‐stirred GOR furnace was established. The multiphase fluid flow was simulated using the standard k‐ε model, the volume of fluid (VOF) model and the Lagrangian discrete phase model (DPM). Interfaces between fluids were tracked by the VOF model and nitrogen bubbles were treated as discrete phase particles. The melt time of ferrochrome particles and the local mixing time were calculated using the user‐defined function. Effects of gas flow rate and bottom tuyere configuration on the fluid flow and the melting and mixing of ferrochrome were investigated. The results showed that the average turbulent kinetic energy and its dissipation rate first increased and then decreased with the increasing gas flow rate, while the melting time and mixing time first decreased and then increased. The shortest melting and mixing time with the condition of seven bottom tuyeres were reached when the gas flow rate was 6.5 Nm3 min‐1, which were 40.5 s and 94.6 s, respectively. The mixing time decreased from 190.0 to 104.5 s when the three bottom tuyeres configuration changed to the seven bottom tuyeres configuration with the gas flow rate of 3.9 Nm3 min‐1.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.