Gas–liquid mass transfer and flow phenomena in the Peirce–Smith converter: a water model study

A water model with a geometric similarity ratio of 1:5 was developed to investigate the gas-liquid mass transfer and flow characteristics in a Peirce–Smith converter. A gas mixture of CO2 and Ar was injected into a Na OH solution bath. The flow field, volumetric mass transfer coefficient per unit volume（Ak/V; where A is the contact area between phases, V is the volume, and k is the mass transfer coefficient）, and gas utilization ratio（η） were then measured at different gas flow rates and blow angles. The results showed that the flow field could be divided into five regions, i.e., injection, strong loop, weak loop, splashing, and dead zone. Whereas the Ak/V of the bath increased and then decreased with increasing gas flow rate, and η steadily increased. When the converter was rotated clockwise, both Ak/V and η increased. However, the flow condition deteriorated when the gas flow rate and blow angle were drastically increased. Therefore, these parameters must be controlled to optimal conditions. In the proposed model, the optimal gas flow rate and blow angle were 7.5 m3·h-1 and 10°, respectively.