Numerical Simulation and Experimental Investigation of Rotating Blade Centrifugal Jet in Slurry Blast Device Used for Steel Strip Descaling

Abstract

Under the requirement of clean production, a new type of slurry blast device for mechanically removing oxide scale on the surface of steel strips is presented, which can avoid the serious problems of rapid wear, low service life, and low efficiency of the traditional abrasive water jet with a nozzle. In this paper, the numerical simulation of the rotating blade centrifugal jet in the slurry blast device is conducted based on CFD, where the DPM and the erosion model are innovatively employed to simulate the movement characteristics of abrasive particles and the erosion rate of mixed slurry on the surface of the steel strip. Simulation results show that the erosion rate and particle motion velocity are proportional to the blade rotation speed and inlet pressure. Reasonable inlet pressure and rotation speed are helpful for improving the rust removal efficiency of slurry blast devices. An experimental system is established to validate the simulation results. The experimental results are consistent with the simulation trend, which exhibits that the developed slurry blast device is feasible for steel strip descaling. This work will play substantial guiding roles in the engineering optimization of slurry blast devices for steel strip descaling.