On the deposition of particles in liquid metals onto vertical ceramic walls

• We model particle deposition rate in turbulent flows by using an Eulerian model.
• The model shows a good performance in an air flow.
• The modified model was used to predict particle deposition in liquid steel.
• Effects of some parameters on deposition rate in steel flow were investigated.

The deposition of non-metallic particles in liquid-metal flows is a serious industrial problem because the build-up of particles on ceramic walls clogs the flow path and interrupts the production, and this leads to large economic losses. This paper is an effort to extend the current state-of-the-art knowledge of particle deposition in air in order to predict particle deposition rates in liquid-metal flows using an improved Eulerian deposition model and considering Brownian and turbulent diffusion, turbophoresis and thermophoresis as transportation mechanisms. The model was used to predict the rate of deposition of particles in an air flow, and the predictions were compared to published measurements to demonstrate its performance. The model was then modified to take into account the differences in properties between air and liquid metals and thereafter applied to liquid-metal flows. Effects on the deposition rate of parameters such as steel flow rate, particle diameter, particle density, wall roughness and temperature gradient near the wall were investigated. It is shown that the steel flow rate has a very important influence on the rate of deposition of large particles, for which turbophoresis is the main deposition mechanism. For small particles, both wall roughness and thermophoresis have a significant influence on the particle deposition rate. Particle deposition rates under various conditions were successfully predicted.