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Numerical Investigation of Slag Flow Through a Coke Funnel Analog and Packed Bed

  • Topical Collection: Science and Technology of Molten Slags, Fluxes, and Salts
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Abstract

Molten slag is a critical material generated during blast furnace (BF) ironmaking. Slag flow behavior in the lower part of BF is closely related to the selection of charge materials, coke packed bed permeability, process stability, productivity, and hot metal quality. To better understand slag flow behavior, a numerical approach was applied to characterize the slag flow through a coke funnel analog and further, in a packed bed. The funnel analog was used to represent the flow of molten slag through the inter-particle voids of a coke packed bed. A critical funnel neck size, through which no slag flowed was experimentally established and confirmed by numerical modeling. The effect of wettability on slag flow shows the existence of an optimal contact angle for smooth slag flow in a funnel. The model was then applied to provide a deeper understanding of molten slag flow behavior in a packed bed, e.g., visualization of accumulation, coalescence, and breakup of slag at a particle scale. Specifically, the results show that the flow characteristics of discrete slag droplets in the packed bed require a particular quantitative approach for estimating the slag holdup. Packing structure, including pore size and particle shape, significantly affects the occurrence of slag blockage and droplet size, even when overall bed porosity is maintained constant. Slag flow along the vertical direction of the packed bed has a pseudo-steady percolation velocity. These results highlighted that this numerical approach is very helpful to understand the slag flow behavior at a particle scale, providing insight into the general features of slag flow as droplets or rivulets.

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Abbreviations

F:

Surface tension force, kg·m-2·s-2

g :

Gravitational acceleration, m·s-2

\( {\hat{\text{n}}}_{\text{iw}} \) :

Unit vector normal to the wall, -

p :

Pressure, Pa

t :

Time, s

\( {\hat{\text{t}}}_{\text{iw}} \) :

Unit vector tangential to the wall, -

u :

Velocity, m·s-1

ε i :

Volume fraction of phase i, -

θ iw :

Contact angle of phase i at the wall, deg

κ i :

Curvature of the interface, m-1

μ :

Viscosity, kg·m-1·s-1

ρ :

Density, kg·m-3

σ ij :

Surface tension between phases i and j, kg·s-2

τ :

Stress tensor, Pa

i :

Phase i

j :

Phase j

w :

Wall

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) through the Industrial Transformation Research Hubs Scheme under Project Number: IH130100017. The permissions from ArcelorMittal and BlueScope Ltd to publish are gratefully acknowledged. This research was undertaken with the assistance of resources and services from the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), which is supported by the Australian Government.

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia

    X. F. Dong, A. Jayasekara, B. J. Monaghan & P. Zulli

  2. ARC Research Hub for Australian Steel Manufacturing, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia

    X. F. Dong, A. Jayasekara & P. Zulli

  3. ArcelorMittal Maizieres Research SA, 57283, Maizéres-lés-Metz, France

    D. Sert, R. Ferreira & P. Gardin

  4. Coke & Ironmaking Technology, BlueScope Ltd, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia

    S. J. Chew & D. Pinson

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  1. X. F. Dong
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  2. A. Jayasekara
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  4. R. Ferreira
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  9. P. Zulli
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Correspondence to X. F. Dong.

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Manuscript submitted on March 22, 2021; accepted June 11, 2021.

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Dong, X.F., Jayasekara, A., Sert, D. et al. Numerical Investigation of Slag Flow Through a Coke Funnel Analog and Packed Bed. Metall Mater Trans B 52, 2926–2938 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-021-02260-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-021-02260-0

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