CFD Investigation of Melting Behaviors of Two Alloy Particles During Multiphase Vacuum Refining Process

To better control the multiphase vacuum refining process, a 3D (three-dimensional) comprehensive numerical model was established to study the melting behaviors of two alloy particles. Two melting mechanisms were proposed to represent the melting behaviors of two alloy particles in high-temperature molten steel. A species transport model was then developed to demonstrate the mixing of the alloy element based on the stable flow pattern. The results indicate that the melted alloy particle would be gradually mixed after 3-4 cycles of the recirculation of the molten steel during the refining process which takes approximately 200 seconds. The maximum mixing time increases from 181.8 to 220.4 seconds with the 70 pct Ti–Fe alloy particle diameter changing from 0.01 to 0.05 m. This computational framework could be used to understand the solid particle melting and composition distribution in the high-temperature melt.