Fundamental Insight into the Dripping Criteria of Slag and Hot Metal in a Coke Bed Using Energy Minimization Model

The dripping zone of the blast furnace is important in determining the productivity and quality of hot metal. The permeability of the bed affects both of these factors. Static holdup of hot metal and slag resulting from interfacial phenomena adversely affect the permeability of the bed. To characterize the holdup in the packed bed, we assumed the packed bed as an ensemble of two-sphere contacts at various contact axis inclinations and for contact angles. We developed mathematical models to determine the shapes of stable films at these contacts taking into account interfacial and gravitational energies. The film at higher contact angles shows an asymmetric shape even in between vertical spheres, which is investigated in detail. We also show the reason for the difficulty for dripping of the liquids at smaller particle sizes.