Spout formation in a gas-stirred ladle: The key to plume dynamics
Abstract
Experimental data on the characteristic spout dimensions and the widths of gas-liquid plumes in vessels simulating Argon-stirred Ladles have been combined to derive a macroscopic model for unconfined two-phase plumes. The model reveals that, beyond the vicinity of the gas injector, various plume parameters in different gas-liquid systems can be expressed in an unified manner using the two variables of the system viz., the gas flow rate and the axial height. Further, expressions have been obtained for the average gas fractions and the area-averaged gas and liquid velocities in the plume. These model expressions are independent of the size of the gas injector as well as the physical properties of the gas-liquid system and thus have wider applicability.