Proposal of a Novel Agitation Method using Swirl Motion of Molten Metal Jet

Abstract

When a liquid was injected into a cylindrical bath of the same liquid through a centered bottom nozzle, a liquid jet was formed above the nozzle. The jet did not always rise straight upward, but exhibited a swirl motion under a certain condition. The bath was strongly agitated in the presence of the swirl motion. A molten metal jet also can be generated using a potential energy difference between two vessels containing the molten metal. The occurrence of the swirl motion is therefore useful for the development of a novel refining process. As a first step of this research series, the critical condition for the occurrence of the swirl motion, the swirl period and the amplitude were investigated in this study. Empirical equations for the period and amplitude were proposed.