Abstract
In this paper, the influence of the structure of the bottom of the ladle with ceramic dam or set of dams on the mixing process was assessed, determining the mixing time required to achieve the level of 95% chemical homogenization. The 0.1 scale water model was used for the physical experiments. The numerical simulations were carried out in the Ansys-Fluent 12.1 software for a 1:1 scale ladle and the behavior of hot metal-nitrogen system. The research focused on three issues, i.e., the influence of the flow rate of technical gas, the influence of the position of the top injection lance, and the influence of the type of dam mounted in the ladle bottom. Finally, the use of a semi-circle dam or set of dams in the ladle bottom together with the top lance being set to a lower depth resulted in a significant reduction in the total mixing time of the liquid metal by 42% and 50%, respectively, without increasing the nitrogen flow rate.