Mathematical Modeling of Furnace Drainage While Tapping Slag and Metal Through a Single Tap-Hole

Abstract

Furnace tapping is a critical operation on pyrometallurgical furnaces known for unpredictable performance in many cases. A reduced order mathematical model capable of predicting tapping rates of both slag and metal is presented. The model accounts for separate liquid phases and particle bed resistance to flow. The model is compared for consistency against results from both a water-model experiment and computational fluid dynamics simulations. The model is applied to study drainage from a typical ferro-manganese furnace. The model results show that particle bed conditions in the immediate vicinity of the tap-hole strongly influence tapping rates and that the slag/metal interface deformation due to suction pressure near to the tap-hole is significant and must be accounted for in such models.