Abstract
The desulfurization process is of essential importance for producing clean steel. Desulfurization agents such as CaO particles are usually injected into the reactor of the process together with carrier gas.
Three types of gas injection systems are employed in the current metals refining processes: bottom gas injection, lateral gas injection, and top lance gas injection. In the desulfurization process, gas is usually injected into the molten iron bath in the horizontal direction or downwards.
In this study particular attention is paid to horizontal gas injection through a multi-hole nozzle attached to the top lance. The inner diameter of the nozzle is changed over a wide range. Two types of bubble formation patterns are observed depending on the gas flow rate: synchronized and non-synchronized bubble formation patterns. The frequency of bubble formation at each hole is measured with a high-speed camera. A previously proposed empirical equation for the frequency of bubble formation is modified to take the inner diameter of the nozzle correctly into consideration.
