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This paper presents a study on the effectiveness of two turbulence models, the large eddy simulation (LES) model and the k-ε turbulence model, in predicting mixing time within a ladle furnace using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. The CFD model was developed based on a downscaled water ladle from an industrial ladle. Corresponding experiments were conducted to provide insights into the flow field, which were used for the validation of CFD simulations. The correlation between the flow structure and turbulence kinetic energy in relation to mixing time was investigated. Flow field results indicated that both turbulence models aligned well with time-averaged velocity data from the experiments. However, the LES model not only offered a closer match in magnitude but also provided a more detailed representation of turbulence eddies. With respect to predicting mixing time, increased flow rates resulted in extended mixing times in both turbulence models. However, the LES model consistently projected longer mixing times due to its capability to capture a more intricate distribution of turbulence eddies. 

Ladle metallurgy serves as a crucial component of the steelmaking industry, where it plays a pivotal role in manipulating the molten steel to exercise precise control over its composition and properties. Turbulence in ladle metallurgy influences various important aspects of the steelmaking process, including mixing and distribution of additives, alongside the transport and removal of inclusions within the ladle. Consequently, gaining a clear understanding of the stirred flow field holds the potential of optimizing ladle design, improving control strategies, and enhancing the overall efficiency and steel quality. In this project, an advanced Particle-Tracking-Velocimetry system known as “Shake-the-Box” is implemented on a cylindrical water ladle model while compressed air injections through two circular plugs positioned at the bottom of the model are employed to actively stir the flow. To mitigate the particle images distortion caused by the cylindrical plexi-glass walls, the method of refractive matching is utilized with an outer polygon tank filled with a sodium iodide solution. The volumetric flow measurement is achieved on a 6 × 6 × 2 cm domain between the two plugs inside the cylindrical container while the flow rate of gas injection is set from 0.1 to 0.4 L per minute. The volumetric flow field result suggests double gas injection at low flow rate (0.1 L per minute) produce the least disturbed flow while highly disturbed and turbulent flow can be created at higher flow rate of gas injection. 

Industrial fusion of microalloying elements in steelmaking is imperative in defining and optimizing certain steel properties due to their strengthening and significant grain refinements effects at minute quantities. Copper, vanadium, and columbium are explored in this investigation to monitor their respective dissolution processes in a ladle metallurgy furnace (LMF), with concise parametric studies on effects of number of plugs and variations in argon gas flow rates for stirring. To track particle disintegration in the molten bath inside, intricate numerical processing was carried out with the use of mathematical models and to simulate the mixing process; turbulent multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models were combined with a user-defined function. The numerical findings highlight the connection between mixing time and gas blowing since the quantity of stirring plugs employed and the gas flow rates directly affect mixing effectiveness. The amount of particles to be injected and their total injection time were validated using industrial measurement; an average difference of 9.9% was achieved. In order to establish the need for an exceptionally high flow rate and inevitably reduce resource waste, extreme charging of flow rates for gas stirring were compared to lesser gas flow rates in both dual- and single-plug ladles. The results show that a single-plug ladle with a flow rate of 0.85 m3/min and a dual-plug ladle with a total flow rate of 1.13 m3/min have the same mixing time of 5.6 min, which was the shortest among all scenarios.