Analysis of the Feeding Behavior in a Bottom-Blown Lead-Smelting Furnace

Abstract

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software was used to simulate the feeding behavior in a bottom-blown lead-smelting furnace. The results show that when the particle size is less than 30 μm, 20% of the particles are suspended in the gas phase and do not enter the melt pool for smelting, thus resulting in material loss. When the particle size exceeds 75 μm, the particles settle in the metal layer. When the particle size is 40–60 μm, the particles are distributed in the slag and metal phases, and the material is uniformly distributed in the molten pool; additionally, the average velocity of the particles exceeds 1.4 m/s, the average temperature exceeds 960 K, and the particles exhibit better behavior within this range, thus rendering it the optimal range of particle sizes for feeding.