Title: Carbon concentration tracked by numerical simulation in vacuum tank degasser during decarburisation treatment

Authors: J.F. Domgin, P. Gardin, D. Huin, H. Saint-Raymond, F. Stouvenot

Addresses: Heat Transfer, Electromagnetism and Fluid Dynamics Department, Irsid, Arcelor R&D, Voie Romaine, BP 30320, 57283 Maizieres-Les-Metz, France. ' Heat Transfer, Electromagnetism and Fluid Dynamics Department, Irsid, Arcelor R&D, Voie Romaine, BP 30320, 57283 Maizieres-Les-Metz, France. ' Physical Chemistry and Surface Department, Irsid, Arcelor R&D, Voie Romaine, BP 30320, 57283 Maizieres-Les-Metz, France. ' Physical Chemistry and Surface Department, Irsid, Arcelor R&D, Voie Romaine, BP 30320, 57283 Maizieres-Les-Metz, France. ' Steelmaking Department, Secondary Metallurgy Section, Irsid, Arcelor R&D, Voie Romaine, BP 30320, 57283 Maizieres-Les-Metz, France '

Abstract: Two-phase flows in gas stirred steel bath and their effects on the carbon concentration distribution in the ladle during a decarburisation vacuum treatment are analysed. For this purpose, a numerical tool based on the coupling between the CFD Fluent software and kinetic model developed at IRSID has been used. The CFD Fluent software, equipped with a Lagrangian approach, provides a local description of the ladle hydrodynamics (molten steel flow and turbulence). The kinetic model is based on the physical description of the different reaction sites in the vacuum tank degasser. It is used to determine the evolution of the global carbon concentration in ladle. The coupling gives a complete mapping of the carbon concentration in the ladle according to time treatment. Numerical results applied to a water model configuration reveal good agreement in terms of velocity and turbulence profiles with experimental data provided from laser devices. In industrial configuration, the effect of the bath surface pressure and of the gas flow rate is analysed in terms of generated hydrodynamics and carbon distribution in the ladle.

Keywords: gas-liquid two-phase flow; ladle hydrodynamics; numerical simulation; low carbon steel; decarburisation kinetics; vacuum tank degasser.

DOI: 10.1504/PCFD.2004.003783

Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, An International Journal, 2004 Vol.4 No.1, pp.20 - 28

Published online: 24 Dec 2003 *

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