CIVS Ladle Paper Wins 2026 AIST Best Paper Award

CIVS Ladle research received the 2026 AIST Ladle & Secondary Refining Best Paper Award titled “Comparison of Lance and Plug Methods for Gas Purging in a Ladle on Mixing Efficiency”. Authors include Xipeng Guo (CIVS Ph.D. Student), Mohammed Abdul Razzak (CIVS Graduate Research Assistant), Nihal Saji (CIVS Graduate Research Assistant), Kiranchandru Lingeswaran (CIVS Graduate Research Assistant), Nicolas Walla (CIVS Sr. Research Engineer), Judy Li (Cleveland-Cliffs), Bill King (Cleveland-Cliffs), and Chenn Zhou (CIVS Director).

The current study uses a 3D CFD model to investigate the multiphase flow and mixing phenomena within an industrial gasstirred ladle. The study focuses on evaluating the mixing efficiency under various gas flow rates in a gas-stirring ladle, employing either lance injection, bottom plug injection, or a combination of both. The interactions between different phases are simulated by a coupling the Volume of Fluid (VOF) and Discrete Phase Model (DPM) methods. Initial flow analyses were performed to assess the overall fluid flow patterns, velocity distribution, and slag eye formation. Subsequently, a detailed mixing study was conducted to evaluate the impact of different injection configurations on mixing efficiency. The results indicate that, under the same configuration, as the gas flow rate increases, mixing efficiency also increases. The plug setup demonstrates superior performance compared to lance stirring, while the combination of lance and plug does not result in improved mixing efficiency.

Established in 2005, this award is presented to the authors of a paper judged by the LSRTC to be the best technical paper submitted. The award will be presented at the AISTech Conference in Pittsburgh, PA in May.