Experimental study on upward bubble velocity and pierce length distributions in a water model of copper converter

The upward bubble velocity and the pierce length distributions in a sectional water model of the copper convener in Guixi Smelter in Jiangxi, China, were measured using a two-contact electro-resistivity probe. In the case of using a single tuyere, the bubble velocity distribution along longitudinal direction was similar to that derived from Guassian function. Beyond the center of the longitudinal range, the bubble pierce length exhibited a sudden increase. The upward bubble velocity at a specified location could go up to meters per second. Its probability at a fixed location obeys a lognormal function; the bubble pierce length there varies bellow a few centimeters. In the case of using multi-tuyeres, the upward bubble velocity was roughly uniform right above the tuyeres and showed a slow decrease beyond this region. The bubble pierce length within both of these two regions was roughly uniform. Its average value in the former region, however, was found to be somewhat lower than that in the later.