Mathematical and Physical Modelling of Transient Multi-Phase Flows in a Ladle Shroud during Start-Up

The Ladle Shroud has become an important part of secondary steelmaking, with its role in reducing liquid steel contamination and process improvements. Due to the inherent negative pressure at the lower nozzle–Ladle Shroud joint, it is well known that Ladle Shrouds, protecting steel flows between a Ladle and a tundish below, can suffer from inadvertent ingress of air. Therefore, there is a need to apply inert gas injection at the joint. In the present paper, 3D transient multi-phase simulations of flows occurring for a Reverse Tapered Ladle Shroud during start-up were studied using CFD software ANSYS Fluent 19.1. This allowed us to study the initial multi-phase flow developed during the start-up and potential steel reoxidation, based on a first principles approach. Time-dependent phase fields as well as attendant velocity and turbulence fields were obtained, resulting in the prediction of a turbulent multi-phase flow during start-up and filling. Additionally, some transient phenomena like steel splashing and air suction were observed mathematically. A full-scale water model of the Ladle Shroud was used to qualitatively validate the initial multi-phase turbulent flow inside the Ladle Shroud, in the absence of inert gas injection.