Study on Multiphase Flow Characteristics During RH Refining Process Affected by Nonradial Arrangement of Gas‐Blowing Nozzle

Bath stirring, degassing, and decarburization in steel refining are strongly related to flow behaviors. The bubble plume produced in Ruhrstahl–Heraeus (RH) up‐snorkel plays an important role during refining, since it not only acts as a bubble pump, but also provides the reaction interface. Herein, it is aimed to form a new flow pattern in the up‐snorkel by using a nonradially arranged gas‐injection nozzle to enhance the 260 ton RH refining process. The results show that an upward spiral steel flow is produced, when nonradial gas‐injection nozzles are used in the up‐snorkel. Meanwhile, some bubbles moved toward the center region of the up‐snorkel, which may be caused by the centripetal effect in a rotational steel flow. This leads to a more uniform bubble distribution on the cross section of the snorkel, compared to that of the conventional case. Specifically, the circulation flow rate is increased by about 18.0%, and the mixing time are shortened by about 26.2% (criteria of ±5%), compared to that of the conventional case. In addition, the inclusion removal rate is increased by 0.5%, 4.8%, and 11.3% for the inclusion size of 20, 50, and 100 μm, respectively, compared to the conventional radial nozzle case.