Numerical simulation of three-dimensional fluid flow and mixing process in gas-stirred ladles

Abstract

A numerical study was performed for the three-dimensional turbulent fluid flow and mixing characteristics in gas-stirred ladles with a code developed by present authors. The effects of gas flow rate, positions of nozzle and tracer, and inclined wall on the flow pattern and mixing were investigated in the present work. It is shown that eccentric blowing increases the azimuthal velocity, thus reducing the mixing time, and the mixing time is sensitive to the alloy/tracer adding position especially for center blowing. For the ladle with inclined wall, it has shorter mixing time compared with the cylindrical one. The predicted results were compared with the experimental data, which showed good quantitative agreements.