Modelling a Heat Pipe Oxygen Lance

摘要

Heat pipe technology has made considerable advances in the electronics, space and heat exchange industries. While the metallurgical industry has yet to see any sustained commercial use of heat pipes, it is a prime candidate to benefit from this technology. One reason for this is because a heat pipe is a 'superconductor' of heat energy. In an industry where so much heat is extracted and transferred, it would appear that a much more efficient means of energy transfer would be a valuable asset. One area where heat pipe technology shows good potential is in the cooling of oxygen lances and, in particular, oxygen lances for electric arc furnaces. Lab scale testing of heat pipe oxygen lances at McGill has demonstrated the viability of this concept. At present, full scale testing of an oxygen lance is about to be carried out. Scale up and design of this system was made possible with the development and implementation of a mathematical model of a heat pipe lance. This paper describes the mathematical model, which includes Windows compatible input and output routines. The algorithms will be described. In addition, model results will be compared to experimental data to illustrate the potential of the model as a design tool.