Mathematical modelling of novel combined stirring method during the final stage of ladle refining

ABSTRACT A novel horizontal stirring has been introduced to investigate the effect of such a stirring on the ladle profile during the combined stirring process at the refining stage. The multiphaseInterFoam solver has been updated to consider the induction forces imposed on the liquid bath by the magnetic stirrer.During the combined stirring stage, the gas plume is affected by the rotational movement. The gas plume seems to be intact in the lower one-third of the domain, then breaks into clusters in the upper section while the rotational movement of clusters dissipates a large portion of upward momentum of the bubbles. This prevents large openings in the slag layer and respectively, prevents the exposure of steel. It also disperses the bubbles to various sections of the ladle. Hence, such a novel stirring strategy seems to have the potential of improving the cleanness of the liquid steel during the ladle refining process.