Cold Model Experiment to Simulate the Melting Process of Recycled Steel for a Converter Using Ice Water Mixture

To study the melting process of recycled steel in converter bath and explore its influence mechanism on improving the smelting efficiency of converter, a cold model experiment of melting process of recycled steel is performed. The effect of size, shape, and ratio of recycled steel as well as top‐ and bottom‐blowing stirring on the melting behavior of ice cubes and mixing process of bath is researched. In the results, it is shown that as the ice ratio increases from 5% to 20%, the final stable temperature of water bath gradually decreases from 19.0 to 2.3 °C, the time for total melting of ice cubes and mixing time of bath increase from 913 and 135 s to 2856 and 325 s, respectively. With increasing ice size from 20 × 20 × 20 to 45 × 45 × 45 mm3, the time for total melting of ice cubes and mixing time of bath gradually increase from 1205 and 105 s to 1523 and 163 s, respectively. The time for total melting of ice cubes and mixing time of bath gradually reduce with the increase in top‐ and bottom‐blowing flow. In addition, the relationship between weight and specific surface area of recycled steel with scrap ratio is obtained.