REDA (REVOLUTIONARY DEGASSING ACTIVATOR)

A collaborative research between:

Prof. S. Kitamura's Research Group
Tohoku University, Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Sendai, Japan

and

Our Research Group at IISc

In recent times the demand of ultra-low carbon steel (ULCS) with improved mechanical properties such as good ductility and good workability has been increased as it is used to produce cold-rolled steel sheets for automobiles.

For producing ULCS efficiently, it is necessary to improve the productivity of the vacuum degasser such as RH, DH and tank degasser. Recently, it has been claimed that using a new process, called REDA (Revolutionary Degassing Activator), one can achieve the carbon content below 10ppm in less time.

Figure 1. Comparison of computed velocity field of lower vessel in RH process with K. Shrirabe and J. Szeleky, Transactions ISIJ 23, (1983), p465-474.

RH Process Velocity Field 1
Velocity field comparison - View 1
RH Process Velocity Field 2
Velocity field comparison - View 2

As such, REDA process has not been studied thoroughly. Fluid flow phenomena affect the decarburization rate the most besides the chemical reaction rate. Therefore, in this study, momentum balance equations along with k-eps turbulent model have been solved for gas and liquid phases in two-dimension (2D) for REDA process.

Similarly, computational fluid dynamic studies have been made in 2D for tank degasser and RH processes to compare them with REDA process. Computational results have been validated with published experimental and theoretical data.

REDA Process Velocity Contours
Figure 2: Average velocity contours in REDA process at air flow rate of 6.1 x 10-4 Nm3/s and vacuum pressure 0.032 atm. Position of nozzle is shifted 0.1 m right from the center.

Key Findings:

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