Multiphase flow modelling of furnace tapholes

Abstract

Pyrometallurgical furnaces of many varieties make use of tapholes in order to facilitate the removal of molten process material from inside the vessel. Correct understanding and operation of the taphole is essential for optimal performance of such furnaces. The present work makes use of computational fluid dynamics models generated using the OpenFOAM® framework in order to study flow behaviour in the taphole system. Single-phase large-eddy simulation models are used to quantify the discharge rate and laminar-turbulent transitions as a function of parameters such as height of material inside the furnace vessel, taphole geometry, and fluid properties. The results are used to inform boundary conditions in multiphase fluid flow models used for prediction of the qualitative behaviour of the free surface in the launder and tapping ladle for selected cases.