Investigation on the Fluid Flow and Mixing Phenomena in a Ruhrstahl-Heraeus (RH) Steel Degasser Using Physical Modeling

In this article, the water model was established to investigate the fluid flow and mixing phenomena during the Ruhrstahl-Heraeus refining process. The mixing time was measured by detecting the conductivity. The velocity, turbulent energy and its dissipation rate were measured using a particle-image velocimetry. There were several findings in the current study. The jet from the downleg penetrated to the bottom of the ladle, collided with the right wall of the ladle, and then went upward and sloped left to enter the upleg, generating a recirculation eddy below the upleg. The turbulent fluctuation velocities at different directions were different so that the k-epsilon turbulent model is invalid to accurately study the fluid flow during ladle refining process. The mixing time was usually three to four times that of the recirculation time, and the mixing was different at different locations. When the mixing time is reported, the location where the mixing time is measured should be clearly mentioned. The mixing time was dependent on the stirring power by t (mix) similar to epsilon(-0.42).