Simulation and application of pulsating bottom-blowing in EAF steelmaking

Pulsating bottom-blowing was proposed to strengthen the electric arc furnace (EAF) molten bath stirring. The fluid flow characteristics and stirring effects of different pulsating bottom-blowing modes on EAF molten bath were studied through water model experiments and numerical simulations. The mixing time was measured by water model experiments and the flow field characteristics of EAF molten bath were simulated by numerical simulations. Compared with conventional bottom-blowing, pulsating bottom-blowing can accelerate the fluid flow velocity and improve the stirring of molten bath. With pulsating bottom-blowing, the molten bath fluid flow field is more disorder, the fluid flow velocity increases and the dead zone volume decreases. Compared with EAF steelmaking with conventional bottom-blowing conditions, pulsating bottom-blowing technology can improve the metallurgical effects and the molten steel quality in EAF steelmaking with lower FeO content of final slag, lower phosphorus content and carbon-oxygen equilibrium of final molten steel, and lower temperature deviation.