Experimental characterization of liquid metal bubble-driven flows modeling the situation in a steel ladle

In metallurgy, gas-liquid two-phase flows are relevant for mixing, degassing and refinement. The reliable prediction of the hydrodynamic performance in gas-stirred ladles is of utmost relevance for optimization and process control. A new experimental facility has been designed and constructed for systematic investigations of gas bubbles rising inside the alloy SnBi, its thermophysical properties are very similar to those of steel. Low operating temperatures (T~200°C) allow the use of powerful measuring techniques. The cylindrical fluid vessel represents a 1:5.25 model of an industrial 185 t ladle and is equipped with a vacuum pump to achieve low-pressure conditions for VOD (Vacuum Oxygen Decarburization) applications as well. The experiments provide a copious data base about the flow regimes, void fraction, liquid and bubble velocities, and bubble properties, which can be used to provide so far unknown boundary conditions for CFD simulations of various metallurgical reactors such as steelmaking converters or steelmaking ladles.