The effect of operating parameters and dimensions of the RH system on meltcirculation using numerical calculations

Melt circulation as a function of the operating conditions and dimensions o f the RH system were calculated using a 3-dimensional numerical model. This numerical model was developed with considering the driving force by gas bl owing for melt circulation and was verified from both water model experimen ts and real RH process results. Using the numerical model, the influences of various parameters on melt cir culation were investigated. The parameters can be divided into two categori es, the operating conditions and dimensions of RH system. The effects of ea ch operating parameters such as gas flow rate, the pressure of the vacuum v essel and submerged depth of the snorkel on the melt circulation rate were studied. In addition, the effects of the dimension parameters of the RH sys tem such as the number of nozzles and snorkel diameter were also investigat ed. By synthesizing the calculated melt circulation for various conditions, a s imple model, which can predict the melt circulation without calculating the three dimensional fluid flow, was developed. Using this prediction model, the effects of the various parameters on melt circulation could be calculat ed easily.