Open Access

ARTICLE

Rising Bubbles and Ensuing Wake Effects in Bottom-Blown Copper Smelters

Zhi Yang^1,2, Xiaohui Zhang^1,2,*, Xinting Tong³, Yutang Zhao⁴, Teng Xia^1,2, Hua Wang^1,2

1 State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China
2 Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China
3 Yimen COPPER Corp. Ltd., Yuxi, 651100, China
4 Daye Nonferrous Metallurgical Ltd., Huangshi, 435000, China

* Corresponding Author: Xiaohui Zhang. Email:

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2025, 21(5), 1133-1150. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2025.061737

Received 02 December 2024; Accepted 11 February 2025; Issue published 30 May 2025

Abstract

In bottom-blown copper smelting processes, oxygen-enriched air is typically injected into the melt through a lance, generating bubbles that ascend and agitate the melt, enhancing mass, momentum, and heat transfer within the furnace. The melt’s viscosity, which varies across reaction stages, and the operating conditions influence bubble size and dynamics. This study investigates the interplay between melt viscosity and bubble diameter on bubble motion using numerical simulations and experiments. In particular, the volume of fluid (VOF) method and Ω-identification technique were employed to analyze bubble velocity, deformation, trajectories, and wake characteristics. The results showed that bubble ascent velocity increases with bubble size and decreases in viscosity, though viscosity variations minimally affect the maximum velocity. Larger bubbles or those in less viscous melts exhibit greater deformation. Bubbles ascend primarily in straight trajectories with minor lateral oscillations regardless of viscosity. In terms of wake dynamics, vortex sizes grow as viscosity decreases, with bottom-formed vortices expanding significantly with increasing bubble size, while lateral vortices are less influenced.

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Keywords

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