Numerical Simulation for Collision and Growth of Inclusions in Ladles Stirred with Different Porous Plug Configurations

A mathematical model has been developed to predict the collision and aggregation among inclusions in the ladle with different porous plug configurations. The numerical results showed that the porous plug configuration has a profound effect on the inclusion removal process in ladle. The eccentric bottom blowing is better than the central bottom blowing. The terminal inclusion removal efficiency decreases with the increasing porous plugs. The inclusions captured by the top slag accounts for the majority of the removed inclusions, inclusion adhesion to the sidle wall is the minor manner, and inclusions adhered to the ladle bottom wall can be negligible. In order to avoid newly generated large inclusions to be remained in the liquid steel after about 16 min of treatment, it is necessary to prolong the treating time on the condition of one porous plug configuration.