Study of the interrelations of blowing parameters, options of electric influence and nature of liquid spraying by physical modeling

The main and decisive factor of blowing in oxygen converters  is interaction of high-speed oxygen jet with a molten bath. The features of this interaction determine hydrodynamics and level of metal  losses with slopping and spitting. Their study is most accessible with  cold modeling. The paper presents results of laboratory studies on the  physical model of a 160 ton converter manufactured at a scale of 1:30  to study the influence of blowing modes on character of liquid spraying.  It is blown through a lance with five nozzle tips at 10 horizons in model  height on three zones of working volume of converter model: area near  lance, area near the wall and out-of-model area. That in practice corresponds to intensity of formation of skull on the lance, on converter  mouth and on elements of the fume gas collecting system. It was found  that the total amount of liquid sprays carried out of the model is extreme  and depends on level of lance position, with a noticeable decrease in  the amount of sprays at zero height above the liquid, and above certain  values. The possibility of reducing of the intensity of splashing formation and the level of liquid loss within the investigated zones was  determined by applying a low-voltage electric potential: with negative  polarity in the area near the lance and near the walls, and with positive  polarity – out of the model.  It was revealed that beginning of practical  influence of the potential and the maximum value of “useful” power  allocated in the sublance zone is determined by specific combination of  pressure before the nozzle and the level of tip of the lance: the higher  the pressure in front of the nozzle is, the higher lance position is needed  to reach maximum values of “useful” power. The experiments, conducted on physical model during blowing of saline solutions with gases  at using of electric potentials, have shown possibility of extending the  scope of developed method to processes not related to metallurgy.