Technological parameters of gas-dynamic mixing of metal in a ladle

Currently, stirring the melt by blowing with inert gas is an integral part of various options for off-furnace steel processing. Along with intensive mixing, inert gas blowing into the metal provides effective refining of the melt from gas or non-metallic inclusions, intensive renewal of metal portions interacting with refining slag, and, if necessary, cooling of overheated metal. There are many variations of this method, differing in the location of gas injection, the design of the blowing nozzle, and the blowing parameters. Despite the significant amount of accumulated knowledge and research conducted, the search for rational design and technological parameters continues. In recent years, foreign and domestic specialists have paid great attention to mathematical and physical modeling of the processes of melt mixing in a ladle and the interaction of a mixing inert gas jet with a slag layer. The shape, location, and number of purge units, the intensity of the purge, and the size and position of the slag window on the melt surface play an important role in the performance of technological operations. The modeling methods used by modern researchers in laboratory conditions allow them to obtain a large amount of relevant information about the parameters of gas-dynamic mixing and, in fact, are largely a necessary stage in the creation of a highly efficient process for the off-furnace refining of steel and the equipment for its implementation. At the same time, the preliminary selection of a rational blowing scheme and the design calculation of blowing parameters play an important role. This article focuses on the consideration of these pa-rameters, which can be useful for steelmaking professionals, as well as for students and faculty members of specialized universities.