Simulation of Velocity Field of Molten Steel in Electric Arc Furnace Steelmaking

The application of the bottom-blowing in the steelmaking process of EAF can effectively shorten the mixing time of the molten bath, accelerate the removal of carbon, phosphorus and sulfur, and improve the production efficiency and product quality. Information about the effects of changing molten steel velocity during the smelting process would help to accurately model molten bath dynamics. In this study, numerical simulation software was employed to simulate the EAF steelmaking process under variable eccentric bottom-blowing gas flow situations. Velocity field data were obtained for the different bottom-blowing schemes. When other nozzles’ bottom-blowing gas flow rates were maintained at 133 L/min, the average velocity of molten steel in EBT (Eccentric Bottom Tapping Area) was increased from 2.8
10−3 to 3.4
10−3 m/s with the eccentric gas flow rate of bottom-blowing from 100 to 267 L/min, the average velocity of molten steel in the bath increased from 4.3
10−3 to 4.6
10−3 m/s with the eccentric gas flow rate of bottom-blowing from 100 to 267 L/min.