Control of Gas Bubbles and Slag Layer in a Ladle Furnace by Electromagnetic Stirring

A study was conducted to present the numerical model and simulation results of electromagnetic and gas stirring (EMGAS) and compare with that of a water model. The new features of EMGAS regarding the gas plume, stirring energy, velocity, and mixing time were introduced. Fluent© was employed to develop the numerical modeling of the system and model the melt, slag, and gaseous atmosphere in the ladle top was conducted using the Volume of Fluid (VOF) approach. The turbulence of the flow system was modeled using the Reynolds stresses model that accounted for six equations, including one for each Reynolds stress component and the turbulent dissipation equation. The water model investigations were based on visualization using an advanced video camera. The model cases were designed to be analogous with the corresponding simulated cases. The visualization investigations focused mainly on the flow pattern and the gas plume structure.