Shaoyan Hu

Effect of Ambient and Oxygen Temperature on Flow Field Characteristics of Coherent Jet

The coherent jets are now used widely in electric arc furnace steelmaking process to increase the stirring ability, reaction rates, and energy efficiency. However, there has been limited research on the basic physics of the coherent jets. In the present study, the characteristics of flow field of supersonic coherent jet in hot and cold condition were studied. The total temperature and axial velocity were measured by combustion experiment. Flow field characteristics of supersonic coherent jet were simulated by Fluent software. The detailed chemical kinetic mechanism is presently used for the modeling of reactions. It consists of 53 species, plus Ar and N2, for a total of 325 reversible reactions. The present study showed that the shrouding flame decreases the entrainment of the ambient gas to the central supersonic jet, which results in a low expansion rate for the coherent supersonic jet. The higher ambient temperature can prolong the potential core of coherent jet and conventional jet. However, the potential core of coherent jet reduces with oxygen temperature increasing, which is opposite to conventional jet.

Research on the Flow Properties and Erosion Characteristics in Combined Blown Converter at Steelmaking Temperature

The coupling stirring effect driven by top blown supersonic jets and bottom blown jets plays a crucial role in converter bath movement. Based on numerical simulation, jet-bath interactions inside a 110-ton commercial converter at room temperature and at steelmaking temperature were compared. Penetration depth and flow velocity in molten bath are larger at steelmaking temperature because the velocity attenuation of supersonic jet is suppressed. The mathematical model was then used to investigate the effect of radial angle between oxygen lance nozzles and bottom blowing tuyeres on molten bath flow properties, which revealed the fluid flow mechanism in combined blown converter. Based on the molten bath flow field, mathematical model describing the erosion behavior of converter lining was established and erosion characteristics in combined blown converter was researched. The results showed that radial angle between oxygen lance nozzles and bottom blowing tuyeres has an important influence on converter bath velocity field distribution and lining erosion.

Fluid–Solid Coupling Simulation on the Temperature Distribution of Tuyere Used for Oxygen Bottom Blowing Converter

For an oxygen bottom blowing converter, a high-temperature fire spot zone forms above the tuyere owing to oxygen reaction. The bottom blowing tuyere and surrounding brick are simultaneously heated by high-temperature fire spot and flowing molten steel. High-speed fluids flowing in the inner tube and the annular gap of the tuyere can remove part of the heat transferred from the fire spot zone and molten steel, playing a vital role in cooling the tuyere. To determine the temperature distributions of the tuyere and surrounding brick under the condition of oxygen bottom blowing, a fluid–solid coupling heat transfer numerical model that considers both the radiation of the fire spot and convection of the molten steel was established in this study. The simulation results agree well with previous experimental results; thus, the numerical model was validated. Utilizing the validated model, the influences of the tuyere inner tube material and fire spot zone temperature on the tuyere temperature distribution were studied in detail. Along with an increase in the material thermal conductivity, the maximum temperature of the inner tube at the hot face decreased, verifying the superiority of copper as the inner tube. More importantly, it was found that reducing the fire spot zone temperature by mixing CO2 in the bottom blowing oxygen fundamentally alleviated the burning loss of the tuyere and the surrounding brick.

Effect of shrouding Mach number and ambient temperature on the flow field of coherent jet with shrouding Laval nozzle structure

ABSTRACT The coherent jet technology was widely used to improve the stirring effect of molten bath in steelmaking field, and the key to this technology was to form a low-density zone around the main oxygen jet by a high-temperature shrouding flame. With this revelation, a shrouding nozzle was processed to a Laval nozzle structure fitted with a loop arrangement for increasing the velocity of shrouding jet. For further increasing the area of the low-density zone, the preheating method was also adopted in this new coherent lance structure. In this paper, the effect of Mach number of the shrouding nozzle on the flow field of the coherent jet was investigated at room and high ambient temperature using numerical simulation and experimental studies. The result represented the simulation model used in this research showed good agreement with the experimental data at the texted conditions. Although the shock wave formed by the shrouding jet removed more kinetic energy form the main oxygen jet, the impaction ability of the coherent jet was much bigger than that of conventional supersonic jet, and this phenomenon would be further strengthen if ambient temperature and Mach number of the shrouding nozzle increases.

Effect of oxygen flow rate and temperature on supersonic jet characteristics and fluid flow in an EAF molten bath

ABSTRACT A new operation method for the oxygen lance of an electric arc furnace (EAF) was proposed, meeting the simultaneous demand for low oxygen flow rate and high stirring power in a particular smelting stage. When the oxygen flow rate needs to be reduced, the stirring power of the jet can be improved by increasing oxygen temperature properly. Free supersonic jet characteristics at different flow rates and stagnation temperatures were studied by numerical simulation and validated by a jet measurement experiment. The results showed that the designed Mach number can be maintained by coupling adjustment of flow rate and stagnation temperature. Meanwhile, a three-phase, full-scaled numerical model for a commercial 75t EAF with three oxygen lances on the side-wall was established to study the fluid flow in the molten bath. The velocity distribution, cavity profile and total kinetic energy of the EAF bath induced by the impingement of supersonic jets onto the liquid bath were discussed and compared. It was found that the fluid flow characteristics of the EAF molten bath can be improved even if the oxygen flow rate was reduced as long as the oxygen temperature could be increased reasonably.