Liquid Mixing in Thick-Slag-Covered Metallurgical Baths—Blending of Bath

Liquid mixing in bottom-blown, gas-stirred reactors has a significant impact on process efficiency and product quality. Cold physical models were used to simulate liquid bath mixing behavior covered with a thick slag layer. The dependence of blending time on specific energy input rate, slag height, and physical properties of metal and slag was studied. A new parameter, called the “effective bath height,” is defined as a function of the slag and metal thicknesses and their relative densities to develop a unified correlation for blending time of slag-covered baths and baths without slags. Furthermore, energy dissipation associated with an increase in interfacial area was evaluated.