Abstract Metal droplets generated by an impinging jet, play an important role in metal refining processes, mainly in oxygen steelmaking, where the droplets are ejected into the slag phase. Since the available interfacial area of droplets is very high in this process, the generated droplets enhance the rates of heat transfer and chemical reactions. Therefore, knowledge of the metal droplet generation rate, size distribution and residence time in the slag are of industrial relevance. In this work, the isothermal, transient flow of an incompressible air jet impinging onto an air/water interface at room temperature has been simulated to obtain a better understanding of the droplet ejection phenomenon. The interface was tracked throughout time using the volume of fluid (VOF) technique. The governing equations formulated for mass and momentum conservation and the k-e turbulence model are solved in the axisymmetric computational domain using the commercial code FLUENT. The droplet ejection rates calculated with computational fluid dynamics model are compared to experimental data reported in literature, showing partial agreement, being the incompressibility assumption the probable reason for the deviation observed, which was as far pronounced as the great jet velocity. Nevertheless, the model presented shows itself as a relatively good starting point for the construction of more complex ones (with less simplifying assumptions) which should be able to offer a means to increase the understanding of the droplet ejection phenomena.

O presente trabalho apresenta uma metodologia numérica e experimental para determinação dos parâmetros de controle da temperatura do aço líquido contido na panela de aciaria durante o vazamento para o distribuidor, por ocasião dos seus ciclos normais de operação. Inicialmente os modelos idealizados são resolvidos numericamente com a aplicação da técnica do método de elementos finitos, obtendo-se, como principais resultados, o perfil de temperatura no aço líquido juntamente com a parede refratária e o perfil de velocidade do banho metálico. Os resultados obtidos da simulação são comparados com os retirados de experimentos na indústria realizados pelos autores. Pode-se, assim, identificar os pontos críticos na perda de temperatura do banho metálico e empregar medidas preventivas, de modo a evitar um superaquecimento ou um aquecimento prematuro que resulta em uma série de problemas durante o lingotamento contínuo.

The control parameters which establish the liquid steel temperature inside the steel making ladle during teeming (when liquid steel flows from the ladle into the distributor) have been analysed, by means of numerical and experimental procedures. Initially the idealized models are solved with the use of finite element techniques obtaining as main results: the liquid steel temperature profile, the refractory wall temperature profile, and the velocity profile of the melt. The results obtained from the computational simulation are then compared with actual steel plant results measured by the authors. It is possible in this way to obtain the critical points where major temperature losses occur, helping to obtain preventive measures to lessen overheating and premature heating which result in a series of problems during continuous casting.