Study of thermal preparation of steel ladles with the use of electric heaters

The object of study is the process of heat exchange in the working space of a steel ladle and linings when they are heated with frozen electric heaters. The purpose of the study is based on the influence of the heating characteristics of the ladle on the heat flows on the surface of the lining and the temperature fields on different sections of the ladle. This study represents the mathematical model of steel teeming ladle heating using electric heater. The zone method was used to calculate the radiative heat transfer between refractory line, lid, and heating elements. Heat conductivity for each line section was calculated by finite difference method. The results of calculation of steel teeming ladle heating (up to 50 tons) are represented. The dependences of heat flux change and surface temperature upon the height of the ladle’s side wall is presented. The temperature distribution over the refractory line’s thickness is presented, too.