Numerical Simulation of Multiphase Flow in a Physical Model of a Foundry Degassing Unit

A physical model of a foundry degassing unit (FDU) uses a simplified approach to melt modelling and degassing. While maintaining the realistic geometry of the rotor, the shape and size of the refining ladle, and the type and amount of inert gas, the original melt is replaced by water. The experimentally evaluated quantity is the degassing efficiency of the melt. Assessing the flow and pressure characteristics in the refining ladle is very complicated experimentally, and it is necessary to use numerical modelling. Numerical modelling of multiphase flow allows the identification, comparison, and quantification of individual flow and pressure characteristics, which can be verified by mutual correlation on basic experimental measurements. Validation of the numerical model is crucial both from the point of view of comparing different states and from the point of view of more advanced multiphase simulations based on this basic model. This article aims to describe the basic numerical model of multiphase flow using the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method for the physical model of the FDU and its verification against experimental measurements.