Modeling Study of Slag Emulsification During Ladle Change-Over Using a Dissipative Ladle Shroud

摘要

The aim research work is to study a new ladle shroud concept and design to assist in the reduction of slag emulsification in the tundish during ladle change-over operations. For this, a tundish analogue water model is designed and constructed based on Froude similarity criterion; a deeper analysis of the flow behavior is undertaken by mathematical simulation. Tap water and silicon oil are employed to simulate molten steel and slag. The modeling results show that using a conventional ladle shroud, the water is delivered with an excessive amount of turbulent kinetic energy which is dissipated inside the tundish bath, generating strong mixing flow patterns and entrapping a massive amount of oil. Furthermore, during this transient operation the conventional shroud induces oil dragging into the bath at zones next to the entry volume, producing continuous oil emulsification. In contrast, the proposed ladle shroud dissipates the turbulent kinetic energy before the water enters the tundish model, promoting less intense mixing patterns. Also, the dragging zone disappears; thus, the amount of oil emulsification is reduced significantly. Consequently, if the turbulent kinetic energy is dissipated before the steel enters the tundish, it will be possible to reduce the slag emulsification and the slag opening area.