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Development of a novel RH featuring arched snorkels and bottom gas injection (RH-AB): comparative assessment via Eulerian–Eulerian simulation
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DOI：10.1007/s42243-026-01875-4.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Amid growing global demand for ultra-high-purity steel, the Ruhrstahl–Heraeus (RH) vacuum refining furnace has emerged as a pivotal technology for the impurity removal in advanced steel production. However, enhancing the efficiency of conventional RH degassers faces two fundamental limitations: constrained snorkel diameter due to ladle mouth size restrictions in traditional twin-circular snorkel configurations, and significant energy dissipation caused by intermixing of ascending and descending flows in single-snorkel systems. An innovative solution is proposed to overcome these limitations through the development of an arched snorkel design featuring bottom tuyere gas injection. The proposed design demonstrates three key advantages: full utilization of the ladle’s mouth area, prolonged bubble retention time achieved through bottom gas injection, and significant improvements in refining efficiency. To rigorously justify the proposed design, a systematic comparative analysis of three RH configurations coupled with bottom gas injection was conducted using Eulerian–Eulerian multiphase simulations: twin-circular snorkels (RH-CB), single large circular snorkel (RH-SB), and twin arched snorkels (RH-AB). Performance was evaluated based on multiple metallurgical parameters, including flow field characteristics, gas injection efficiency, recirculation flow rate, and mixing time. The results demonstrate that the novel RH-AB improves gas injection efficiency by 56.84% and recirculation flow rate by 36.74%, while reducing mixing time by 9.41%, compared to the RH-CB. These improvements are indicative of enhanced refining efficiency and potential reductions in production costs.
Keywords:
Ruhrstahl–Heraeus
Arched snorkel
Bottom gas injection
Recirculation flow rate
Mixing time
Multiphase flow
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