Study of Fluid Flow and Mixing Behaviour of a Vacuum Degasser

In recent times the demand of ultra-low carbon steel (ULCS) with improved mechanical properties such as good ductility and good workability has been increased as it is used to produce cold-rolled steel sheets for automobiles. For producing ULCS efficiently, it is necessary to improve the productivity of the vacuum degassers such as RH, DH and tank degasser. Recently, it has been claimed that using a new process, called REDA (revolutionary degassing activator), one can achieve the carbon content below 10?ppm in less time. As such, REDA process has not been studied thoroughly in terms of fluid flow and mass transfer which is a necessary precursor to understand and design this process. Therefore, momentum and mass transfer of the process has been studied by solving momentum and species balance equations along with k?C?? turbulent model in two-dimension (2D) for REDA process. Similarly, computational fluid dynamic studies have been made in 2D for tank and RH degassers to compare them with REDA process. Computational results have been validated with published experimental and theoretical data. It is found that REDA process is the most efficient among all these processes in terms of mixing efficiency. Fluid flow phenomena have been studied in details for REDA process by varying gas flow rate, depth of immersed snorkel in the steel, diameter of the snorkel and change in vacuum pressure. It is found that design of snorkel affects the melt circulation in the bath significantly.     

Behaviour of Hydrogen in Industrial Scale Steel Melts

The behaviour of hydrogen during controlled industrial scale secondary steel making process has been examined in a variety of low alloy steels, sensitive to hydrogen flaking. The study examines the role played by the moisture in input raw materials such as the ferro-alloys, type of carbon additive and fluxes in enhancing the hydrogen content in the ladle furnace. Post alloying, the influence of vacuum degassing parameters such as the vacuum level, vacuum holding time, Ar flow rate, type of porous plug used, slag chemistry and the steel grade was examined. The vacuum degassing process was analysed using a kinetic model, which could justify the trends seen in the vacuum level, holding time and Ar gas flow rate. Finally, the hydrogen pick-up post vacuum degassing through slag cover and the casting tundish was found to be influenced by parameters such as the quality of the tundish spray mass, and casting sequence. The influence of steel grade in hydrogen removal was also examined.     

Removal of hydrogen in the vacuum treatment of steel

The degassing of 09Г2C steel produced in an arc furnace and treated in a ladle–furnace unit at AO Uralskaya Stal is analyzed. The vacuum-treatment parameters that determine the effectiveness of hydrogen removal from the steel are identified: the depth and duration of vacuum treatment; the argon flow rate; the steel temperature; the thickness of the slag layer; and the free board in the vacuum chamber. The hydrogen content changes most significantly when the degassing time is increased to 20 min. Longer treatment is not recommended. The greatest effect of the residual pressure in degassing is observed with simultaneous decrease in the minimum pressure to 2 mbar. Vacuum treatment of the steel is considerably impaired with increase in the residual pressure. Hydrogen removal is improved with increase in the steel temperature to 1600–1620°C, but slows considerably at higher temperatures. The influence of the vacuum-treatment parameters is established quantitatively, and a regression equation is derived for predicting the results of hydrogen removal and selecting the parameter values corresponding to specified hydrogen content in the steel. Vacuum-treatment parameters that permit the economical production of steel with 2.1 ppm are determined: steel heating before vacuum treatment by 100–110°C; vacuum treatment for 20 min at a pressure no higher than 1.5 mbar in the vacuum chamber; argon flow rate 0.05 m³/t. The temperature losses of the metal are determined by the total treatment time, consisting of the active degassing time and the auxiliary time (the preliminary evacuation time), which depends on the capabilities of the equipment and the organization of the process. The minimum residual hydrogen content in the steel for the given equipment (1.6 ppm) is ensured by vacuum treatment for 40 min at a pressure no higher than 1 mbar in the vacuum chamber, with preliminary heating of the steel by 120–125 °C and with an argon flow rate up to 0.072 m³/t.     

天津钢管公司100t RH的设备功能和冶金效果

国内自行设计制造的100 t RH真空循环脱气设备的真空度可达67 Pa以下,真空处理能力为500kg/h以上。生产实践表明,氩气流量越大,钢水循环速度越大,高真空脱气时间越长,钢水脱气效果越明显,所处理的管线钢的氢、氧、碳含量可分别降至1×10^-6、20×10^-6和20×10^-6以下。     

衡管40tVD精炼工艺实践

总结了衡阳钢管厂40tVD的精炼生产实践和精炼效果,从理论上分析了真空处理时间、氩气搅拌流量、钢中氧和硫的含量等对真空脱气、脱氮的影响.同时分析了真空精炼对钢液脱氧及夹杂物控制的影响.结果表明,衡管40tVD炉精炼具有良好的冶金效果.     

100t VD精炼脱气工艺实践

总结了安阳钢铁集团有限责任公司第一炼轧厂100tVD装置在热调试和试生产期间的精炼工艺实践及精炼效果,分析了真空处理时间、氩气搅拌流量、渣量、钢中硫和氧含量等对真空脱氢、脱氮的影响。同时分析了真空精炼对钢液脱氧及夹杂物控制的影响。     

RH真空精炼过程的动态模拟

建立了描述RH真空精炼装置内钢液动态脱碳（脱气）模型。对RH真空精炼时的脱碳、脱氧、脱氮和脱氢过程进行了动态模拟研究，考察了浸渍管直径、循环流量、吹氩量、氧含量和真空度对脱碳和脱气过程的影响。动态脱碳（脱气）模型考虑了反应机理，认为脱碳是通过上升管中Ar气泡表面、真空室中钢液的自由表面和真空室钢液内部脱碳反应生成的CO气泡表面进行的，并且考虑了精炼处理时的抽真空制度。该模型能全面描述RH精炼过程中不同时刻钢液中碳、氧、氮和氢的含量，能较好预测实际过程，可用于RH真空精炼过程的优化和新工艺开发。     

Combined decrease of sulphur,nitrogen, hydrogen and total oxygen in only one secondary steelmaking operation

The development of a matured metallurgical process allows the reduction of the sulphur, nitrogen, hydrogen and total oxygen content to the lowest values in only one secondary metallurgical step during treatment in a ladle tank degassing unit. By careful adjustment of a lime-saturated ladle top slag at the beginning of the vacuum treatment, it is possible to obtain a desulphurization degree of more than 95%. The process of nitrogen removal by a stirring gas can be described with a dynamic model in excellent agreement with plant trials. The nitrogen content after vacuum treatment depends mainly on the nitrogen content before vacuum, the stirring gas quantity and the sulphur content. The achievable hydrogen contents mainly depend on the stirring gas quantity and dehydrogenisation can be described by the same model used for denitrogenisation. By a cleanliness stirring after the vacuum treatment under a nearly SiO₂-free-, lime-alumina slag, saturated with lime, the total-oxygen content can be lowered to less than 20 ppm.     

Cold Model-Based Investigations to Study the Effects of Operational and Nonoperational Parameters on the Ruhrstahl–Heraeus Degassing Process

The circulation rate of steel is known to play a vital role in the superlative performance of the Ruhrstahl–Heraeus (RH) degasser. Numerous experiments were conducted on a physical model for the RH degassing process, which was established at IEHK, RWTH-Aachen University. The model was developed with a scale ratio of 1:3 to study the RH process. This study is conducted to show the effects of operational and nonoperational parameters on the circulation rate of liquid water in the model. The effects of lift gas flow rate, submerged depth of snorkels, water level in vessel, etc. on the circulation rate are studied. The mixing characteristics are studied with the help of current conductivity experiments for different lift gas flow rates and water levels in the vacuum vessel. Finally, the relationship between dimensionless numbers is derived with the help of the experimental data obtained from the cold model.     

精炼时利用小气泡搅拌去除钢液中的氢和夹杂物

通过理论计算研究和分析了钢液气泡直径、吹气量和吹气时间对精炼时去氢和夹杂的影响。氩气经透气砖进入钢液后会形成大量的气泡,小气泡在钢液中能有效地增大脱气面积,有利于减小钢液中的氢含量。夹杂物与气泡的粘附上浮是钢液中去除夹杂物的一种有效方式,气泡越小、夹杂物越大,夹杂物就越容易去除。在钢包精炼过程中,应使用小气泡来达到较好的去氢和去夹杂效果,气泡的最优直径为1～3 mm。     

Behaviors of Denitrogenation in RH-MFB

 According to the analysis related to kinetic mechanism of vacuum denitrogenation and combining with the actual production of RH-MFB (a combination of Ruhstahl-Hausen vacuum degassing process with a multifunctional oxygen lance) at Liansteel, the limit step and model equation of vacuum denitrogenation are determined. Meanwhile, the influencing factors of nitrogen removal from liquid steel in vacuum of RH-MFB are analyzed. The results show that the limit step of vacuum denitrogenation in RH-MFB is the mass transfer of nitrogen in liquid boundary layer and the reaction follows first order kinetics. Keeping the necessary circulation time under the working pressure (67 Pa) is helpful to nitrogen removal from steel. The oxygen content in molten steel has little influence on the removal of nitrogen after deep deoxidation, while the sulphur content in liquid steel is always relatively low and has little effect on denitrogenation. The sharp decrease of carbon content in steel drives the process of denitrogenation reaction so as to exhibit a faster denitrogenation rate. The interfacial chemical reaction and argon blowing play a major role in the nitrogen removal when the carbon content in liquid steel is stable.     

Mathematical Modelling of Molten Steel Flow Process in a Whole RH Degasser during the Vacuum Circulation Refining Process: Application of the Model and Results

A three‐dimensional mathematical model for the molten steel flow during the RH refining process has been applied to the circulatory flow processes in both a practical RH degasser and its water model unit. The model was presented earlier [1] and one of its characteristics is that ladle, snorkels and vacuum vessel are regarded as a whole. Using this model, the fluid flow field and the gas holdups of liquid phases and others have been computed respectively for a 90 t RH degasser and its water model unit with a 1/5 linear scale. The results show that the mathematical model can properly describe the flow pattern of molten steel during the refining process in an RH degasser. Except in the area close to the liquid's free surface and in the zone between the two snorkels in the ladle, a strong mixing of the molten steel occurs, especially in the vacuum vessel. However, there is a boundary layer between the descending liquid stream from the down‐snorkel and its surrounding liquid, which is a typical liquid‐liquid two‐phase flow, and the molten steel in the ladle is not in a perfect mixing state. The lifting gas blown is ascending mostly near the up‐snorkel wall, which is more obvious under the conditions of a practical RH degasser, and the flow pattern of the bubbles and molten steel in the up‐snorkel is closer to an annular flow. The calculated circulation rates for the water model unit at different lifting gas rates are in good agreement with experimentally determined values.     

Mathematical modelling of molten steel flow in a whole degasser during RH refining process

Abstract

A three-dimensional mathematical model for molten steel flow in a whole degasser during the RH (Ruhrstahl–Heraeus) refining process is proposed. The model has been developed considering the physical characteristics of the process, particularly the behaviour of gas–liquid two phase flow in the up snorkel and the momentum exchange between the two phases. The fluid flow fields and gas holdups of liquid phases, among other parameters, in a 90 t RH degasser and a water model unit of one-fifth linear scale have been computed using this mathematical model. The results show that the flow pattern of molten steel in a whole RH degasser can be well represented by the mathematical model. Apart from the area close to the free surface and the zone between the two snorkels in the ladle, the molten steel in an RH degasser, especially in the vacuum vessel, is reasonably fully mixed during the refining process. However, there is a boundary layer between the descending liquid stream from the down snorkel and the surrounding liquid, which is typical liquid–liquid two phase flow, and the molten steel in the ladle is not perfectly mixed. The blown lifting gas ascends mostly near the up snorkel wall, which is more obvious under the conditions of an actual RH degasser, and the flow pattern of bubbles and molten steel in the up snorkel is closer to annular flow. Calculated circulation rates for the water model unit at various lifting gas rates are in good agreement with values determined by means of water modelling experiments.     

100 t单咀真空精炼炉底吹位置的优化

结合钢厂100 t单咀真空精炼炉相关参数,运用数值模拟的方法对脱气时单咀炉内的钢液流场进行了仿真计算,分析单咀炉内钢液流动的基本特征,研究了距底部圆心0.1～0.424 m吹气位置对钢液流场、钢液循环流量和混匀时间的影响。结果表明,原吹氩位置(距底部中心0.424 m),大部分氩气没有进入浸渍管,为避免氩气逸出,吹气孔距圆心应≤0.3 m;随吹气位置至圆心距离增大,钢水混匀时间减小,综合考虑钢液脱气效果和浸渍管寿命,最佳吹气位置应为距底部中心0.25～0.3 m处。     

武钢重轨生产中取消缓冷工艺的探讨

介绍了武钢冶炼重轨钢经过真空脱气后氢含量控制以及钢轨热锯取样白点检验和性能对比情况，借鉴国外钢厂的经验提出了将武钢重轨除氢工艺从成品轨在缓冷坑除氢前移到低氢冶炼和钢水真空处理，并实行连铸坯热堆垛缓冷的工艺路线。     

Degassing of static melts by insoluble purge gases

A model has been developed to describe the degassing of static melts by insoluble purge gases. In this treatment, both the diffusion of dissolved hydrogen through the melt to the purge gas bubbles and the chemical kinetics of the adsorption of hydrogen at the bubble surfaces are considered. The process is modeled as one in which a small diameter column of purge gas bubbles rises in the center of a large diameter cylindrical static melt. Three dimensionless groups appear in the analysis, and they determine the melt gas content as a function of time. The first dimensionless group,β, is defined as the ratio of the diameter of the bubble column to that of the melt. The second,N _D, is the ratio of the kinetic rate of incorporation of hydrogen into the bubble column to the rate of diffusion of hydrogen through the melt to the bubble column. The third, α, is determined by the equilibrium concentration of hydrogen in the melt, and is normally wholly determineda priori. The model has been used to analyze the degassing of liquid aluminum. The degassing rates predicted by this model are shown to be in good agreement with experimental observations in melts of greatly different sizes and using various gas flow rates.     

Reducing energy demand and environmental emissions in secondary steel processing by using modular dry mechanical vacuum pumping systems

Steel production remains an energy-intensive industry in a world where there is an ever-increasing emphasis on lowering energy costs,reducing greenhouse gas emissions,ensuring environmental compliance,and improving production rates.As the growth in demand for speciality steels continues its steady increase,and new market opportunities for ever higher steel performance appear,significant global attention is focused on secondary steel processing,and on the VD,VOD and RH processes.One new technology is able to address all of these issues and concerns together-the integrated ladle tank vacuum degassing station equipped with the new modular mechanical vacuum pumping systems.This paper will examine the economic and environmental benefits, operational characteristics,and recent results provided by such steel degassing installations.     

影响钢中氢含量的原因分析

分析影响经真空脱气处理后钢液中氢含量的因素，提出稳定控制钢中氢含量在较低水平的试验结果和措施。     

Vacuum degassing of chromium-nickel-molybdenum steel at the Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Combine

The Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Combine has conducted a study of the effect of technological factors on the hydrogen content of chromium-nickel-molybdenum steel after vacuum degassing. It was established that the most important factor is the hydrogen content of the steel before the degassing operation. The study also determined the effects of the circulation coefficient, the duration of the degassing operation, and the vacuum used in the treatment. __________ Translated from Metallurg, No. 7, pp. 68–69, July, 2006.     

Distribution of metal droplets in top slags during ladle treatment

Abstract

The investigation focused on the mixing of the metal and slag phases during ladle refining from the point of tapping the EAF to casting. Steel droplet distributions were determined for slag samples taken at different stages in the ladle refining process at two different steel plants in Sweden. The droplet distributions were determined using light optical microscopy and classification according to the standard SS111116. Sample analysis results showed the slag samples taken before vacuum degassing to contain the greatest concentration of steel droplets. The total interfacial area between the steel droplets and slag was determined to be 3–14 times larger than the projected flat interfacial area between the steel and slag. The effects of slag viscosity and reactions between steel and slag on metal droplet formation in slag were also considered.