Evaluation of Auxiliary Slag Skimming Process Based on LES-VOF-DPM Coupled Model

Abstract

A mathematical model was developed to simulate gas-metal-slag three-phase flow during the surging auxiliary slag skimming process. The flow in the ladle is computed using the large eddy simulation (LES). The Eulerian volume of fluid (VOF) model is used for tracking the interface of gas-metal-slag, and the Lagrangian discrete phase model (DPM) is used for describing the bubble plumes’ movement. The procedure of bubble coming out of the liquid and getting into the air is modeled using a user-defined function. Results show that when the lance position is too close to the back wall of the ladle or the injection volume is too large, it will increase the erosion of the back wall. The mean velocity of the splashing zone is much greater than that of the slag removal zone, and the velocity fluctuation is large, which is easy to cause splashing. In addition, the large injection volume will aggravate the occurrence of splashing and slag entrapment, resulting in excessive iron loss and severe liquid surface fluctuation, which is not conducive to improving the efficiency of slag removal.