Mathematical Modeling of VOD Oxygen Nozzle Jets

This study has focused on numerically exploring the oxygen flow in the convergent-divergent De Laval nozzle. The De Laval nozzle has been commonly used as oxygen outlet at the lance tip in the vacuum oxygen decarburization (VOD) process. The nozzle geometry used in an active VOD plant was investigated by isentropic nozzle theory as well as by numerical modeling. Since an optimal nozzle design is only valid for a certain ambient pressure, one VOD nozzle will be less efficient for a large part of the pressure cycle. Different ambient pressures were used in the calculations that were based on the De Laval nozzle theory. Flow patterns of the oxygen jet under different ambient pressures were studied and the flow information at different positions from the nozzle was analyzed. In addition, the study compared the effects of different ambient temperatures on jet velocity and dynamic pressure. The predictions revealed that the modeling results obtained with the CFD modeling showed incorrect flow expansion, which agreed well with the results from the De Laval theory. Moreover, a little under-expansion is somewhat helpful to improve the dynamic pressure. The jet dynamic pressure and its width for the specific nozzle geometry have also been studied. It has been observed that an altering ambient pressure can influence the jet momentum and its width. In addition, a high ambient temperature has a positive effect on the improvement of the jet dynamic pressure.