Changes of multiphase flow patterns during steel tapping with simultaneous argon bottom stirring in the ladle

Changes of unsteady multiphase fluid flow patterns of liquid steel during electric arc furnace-ladle tapping operations, with simultaneous argon bottom injection, are simulated using interfacial tracking computing techniques. The impinging steel jet interacts with the argon bubbling plume, suffering mutual bending effects, and imparting non-symmetric flows of liquid steel during the whole ladle filling time. At low bath levels, radial recirculating flows are generated and at high bath levels, these flows are substituted by vertical long flows generated by the permanent interaction between the impinging jet and the argon plume. Turbulence intensity increases as the bath level rises. Low bath levels are suitable for pre-melting and preheating ferroalloy particles. High bath levels of steel in the ladle, close to total ladle filling, are the most suitable conditions for thermal and chemical homogenizations. Argon gas forms an intermittent blanket over the air–liquid steel mix due to its higher density than air during the whole ladle filling time.