Energy balance between multiple supersonic jets and molten bath in BOF steelmaking

Abstract

A multi-fluid volume of fluid (VOF) model for compressible oxygen flow in a 260t top blown converter was established. The energy transfer efficiency of the top blown gas to the molten pool was analyzed. A user-defined function was used to calculate splash energy consumption. The energy conservation equation of ‘jet attenuation – cavity formation – bath stirring – molten steel splashing’ was established. The results show that more than 75% of the total energy is wasted in jet attenuation. The energy used stirring bath and used for molten steel splashing are less than 1.5% and 3% of the total energy, respectively. Approximately 15%–20% of the energy is used to form cavity and maintain its shape. As the lance position decreases from 2.2 to 1.8 m, the energy used for stirring molten pool increases by 13.3%, while the energy used for splashing and cavity formation decreases by 7.7% and 5.22%, respectively.