Experimental determination of velocity flow fields in continuous hot dip galvanising baths

An experimental device aimed at determining the circulation patterns of molten metal in the zinc pot of a continuous hot dip strip galvanising line was designed and used. The flow pattern was qualitatively determined and some quantitative measurements were performed which led to an average value of circulation speed of about 10 cm s -1 for a line speed of 140 m min -1 . The overall liquid metal circulation deduced from the measurements showed that the liquid accomplishes a complete turnaround in the entire volume in about 2 min which, in the authors' view, makes a continuous galvanising pot a good mixing device.