Modeling flows and mixing in steelmaking ladles designed for single- and dual-plug bubbling operations

Through solutions of appropriate forms of the Navier-Stokes equation, the intermixing of fluid within gas-stirred ladles, with asymmetric single and multiporous plugs, can be modeled quite satisfactorily. In this study, mixing behavior and mixing mechanisms are analyzed as a function of porous plug location, tracer injection point, and ladle monitoring point. It is shown that off-centered bubbling gives the most consistent results in terms of minimizing mixing times, since angular momentum intermixes fluid across the width of a ladle. Comparisons between mathematical and experimental data are presented. Formerly Postdoctoral Fellow, McGill Metals Processing Center, McGill University