Mathematical Modeling of the Ejected Droplet Size Distribution in the Vicinity of a Gas–Liquid Impingement Zone

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Authors

Organisational units

External Organisational units

  • K1-MET GmbH; Stahlstraße 14; Linz, 4020, Austria
  • University of Oulu

Abstract

The controlled splashing of metal droplets plays a decisive role in the kinetics of the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) process. In this work, a mathematical model was developed for predicting the size distribution of spherical droplets ejected at an impingement zone. Harmonic oscillators are used to describe the ejection sites, and the upper limit for the droplet population is calculated through a force balance. The model was validated against literature data from high-temperature crucible experiments involving different supply pressures and lance heights as well as both single-hole and multihole lances. The predicted size distribution of the metal droplets was found to be in good agreement with the droplet size distributions measured from outside the crucible. The model was also applied for predicting the size distribution parameters of the Rosin–Rammler–Sperling (RRS) size distribution function. The model developed is computationally light and is suitable to be used as a part of offline and online simulation tools for the BOF process.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3083–3094
Number of pages12
JournalMetallurgical and materials transactions. B, Process metallurgy and materials processing science
Volume53.2022
Issue numberOctober
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 16 Aug 2022