Numerical Study and Validation of Hot Metal Desulfurization Using Calcium Carbide in the Ladle

Hot metal desulfurization using lance injection in the transfer ladle is widely used in the industry. Many mathematical models are developed based on the thermodynamics, mechanism, and kinetics of hot metal desulfurization by using different reagents, but these works are often based on 1D calculation. In this work, a 3D transient Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is developed to simulate hot metal desulfurization (HMD) using calcium carbide in the experimental scale ladle. The capacity of the ladle is 70 kg, and the iron temperature is 1623.15 K. The efficiency of reagent particles penetrating carrier gas bubbles is considered. The model is validated with experiment work with an average difference of 6.8%. The effects of two different calcium carbide particle sizes and two different iron temperatures on desulfurization rates are discussed. The results show that smaller calcium carbide particles and higher iron temperatures can benefit the hot metal desulfurization rate.