Numerical Simulation of Tracers Transport Process in Water Model of a Vacuum Refining Unit: Single Snorkel Refining Furnace

The improvement of mixing conditions in vacuum refining unit plays an important role in enhancing the purity and decarburization of molten steel. A numerical simulation is established to calculate the transport and mixing process of tracers in a water model of Single-Snorkel Refining Furnace. The results show that the transport process of tracer in water model consists of one main circulation stream (inside the ladle and the vacuum chamber) and two side circulation streams (inside the ladle). The injection of KCl tracer can enhance the downward stream velocity and the stream deviates to the axial center of the ladle. After a while (about 30 s), the downward stream gradually returns to the state when the tracer is not injected. The difference between the transport process of pure water tracer and KCl solution tracer is that the KCl solution tracer flows downward at a higher pace from the vacuum chamber to the bottom of the ladle and later disperses rapidly from the bottom to the nozzle-located side wall of the ladle. The upward transport process of KCl tracer is slowed down due to the existence of "dead zone" at the bottom of the nozzle-located side wall of the ladle.