The Importance of Mixing Time in Intensely Stirred Metallurgical Reactors: Applied on Decarburization Reactions

Abstract

In metallurgical converter processes, numerical modeling is a useful tool for understanding the complexity of the systems. In this paper, we present a practical model that couples fluid dynamics and chemical reactions to explore the impact of mixing time on decarburization. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), in this study, we investigate an arbitrary metallurgical reactor with continuous oxygen supply, focusing on the Fe–C–O system. The model employs local equilibrium, a turbulence limiter, and finite volume method for mass, momentum, and energy transfer. Tracer injection points in the gas plume’s rising region exhibit faster mixing, and a comparison of reaction cases reveals distinct decarburization rates based on oxygen injection distribution and the influence of turbulence on reactions. Overall, while mixing time matters, the results show that this system is primarily governed by thermodynamics and oxygen supply, and a 270% increase in mixing time increase had a small impact on the end carbon content.