TY  - EJOU
AU  - Yang, Zhi 
AU  - Zhang, Xiaohui 
AU  - Tong, Xinting 
AU  - Zhao, Yutang 
AU  - Xia, Teng 
AU  - Wang, Hua 

TI  - Rising Bubbles and Ensuing Wake Effects in Bottom-Blown Copper Smelters
T2  - Fluid Dynamics \& Materials Processing

PY  - 2025
VL  - 21
IS  - 5
SN  - 1555-2578

AB  - 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.
KW  - Bottom-blow smelting; deformation characteristics; motion trajectory; vortex identification; numerical simulation

DO  - 10.32604/fdmp.2025.061737