Energy dissipation distribution in gas-stirred liquids

In gas-stirred steel ladles, the agitation of the surface is very important for mixing and chemical reaction. To understand the surface wave propagation, a new ultrasonic method was developed to measure the location of the interface and propagation velocity. From these measurements the energy dissipation in the waves was estimated. In separate calculations, the energy dissipation in the bulk of the liquid was computed, leading to the following conclusions regarding the approximate percentage distribution of the energy dissipation in the various areas in a gas-stirred ladle: liquid recirculatory zone:gas-liquid plume zone:gas-liquid spout zone:surface wave zone: 36% 22% 41% <1%.