Experimental and Numerical Study on Tapping of Two Liquids through a Single Tap-Hole

Abstract

The production of industrial metals in pyrometallurgical smelting furnaces is central to modern industry. Tapping of metal and slag from smelting furnaces is a complex and difficult process. Any variations from tap to tap reduce predictability and impact the planning of downstream logistics. Tapping of metal and slag can be generalized as drainage of two immiscible liquids through a particle bed. In the present paper this is studied by both laboratory experiments and numerical modeling of water and oil drainage from a tank. The results show that the numerical model and physical experiment are consistent. This provides confidence that the numerical models can be applied to quantify tapping from metallurgical furnaces.