Abstract
Gas-induced liquid-phase mixing in shallow vessels is important to primary and secondary steel-refining processes and governs the quality of the steel. In the present work, we have investigated the dynamics of meandering bubble plumes and their role in liquid-phase mixing in shallow vessel that corresponds to 1:6 scaled-down model of ladle used in the secondary steel-refining process. The effects of multiple meandering bubble plumes and their interactions on the liquid-phase velocity distribution, recirculatory flow, plume oscillation frequencies, and turbulent kinetic energy are analyzed for different bottom injection configurations using particle image velocimetry measurements. The role of meandering bubble plumes and their interactions in the liquid-phase mixing is analyzed using planar laser-induced fluorescence measurements. ~60% reduction in the mixing time was found with differential flow scheme. Present findings help to understand the contributions of differential flow and bubble plumes interactions to liquid-phase mixing in shallow vessels.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e17800 |
| Journal | AIChE Journal |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2022 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- PIV
- PLIF
- bubble plumes
- dynamics
- gas–liquid flow
- ladle
- mixing
- steel refining