SIMULATION OF THE IRON TRANSPORT LADLE PREHEATING PROCESS

In iron and steel metallurgy, transport ladles that collect molten iron from the blast furnace and transport it to the mixer for further processing play a critial role in steelmaking. To prevent thermal shock and subsequent cracking of the ladle’s refractory lining, as well as to minimize heat losses prior to tapping, these ladles are subjected to a preheating process. This paper presents a set of simulations aimed at gaining a better understanding of the temperature distribution within the ladle during this process. The program used to simulate preheating conditions is NOVACASTTM which uses finite volume elements for calculation. In addition to predicting the temperature distribution, the study examines the effects of increasing the fuel flow rate and combustion temperature on the preheating process. Raising the combustion temperature from 1200°C to 1500°C resulted in a faster but more uneven temperature distribution during preheating. A similar effect was obtained by increasing the flow rate from 0.1 l/s to 1.0 l/s. In a much shorter time, the ladle heats up faster, while the temperature distribution is more uniform. These findings highlight opportunities to enhance ladle preheating efficiency through improved thermal control and fuel utilization strategies.