Effect of Model Size and Water Chemical Composition on Mixing Time Measurements Using PLIF in a Gas-Stirred Ladle

One of the most important parameters to define the performance of the steelmaking ladle furnace is the mixing time. The most popular method to determine the mixing time is through an immersed probe to measure changes in conductivity or pH in a single point. An alternative method to measure mixing time is through the experimental technique called Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF). This technique measures concentrations changes of a fluorescent tracer in a whole plane of the system in a non-intrusive way and it has not been reported before in the literature to measure mixing times in these systems. In this work, details on the use of PLIF in physical models of ladle furnaces are studied, such as the effect of the model scale and the effect of the kind of water employed to do the measurements.