Gas atomisation phenomenology of liquid metals and alloys is both intriguing and instructive. Predating atomistic studies of melt disintegration by almost three decades, it provides a functional means of correlation between drop sizes and processing parameters, as is the case in liquid metal spray forming. In this article a concise but thorough compilation of melt disintegration phenomenology is provided, with emphasis on high pressure gas atomisation, inclusive of notation on mean particle diameters, the role of viscosity, density and other dimensionless ratios that enter as variables in high pressure gas atomization and spray forming, as well as break up of a liquid column and theories of drop disintegration in flight. The article concludes by introducing the very efficient Surface Wave Formation principle which facilitates the treatment of complex atomisation geometries and turbulent regimes.

A transient mathematical model was developed for the description of fluid flow, heat transfer and electromagnetic phenomena involved in the production of ferronickel in electric arc furnaces. The key operating variables considered were the thermal and electrical conductivity of the slag and the shape, immersion depth and applied electric potential of the electrodes. It was established that the principal stimuli of the velocities in the slag bath were the electric potential and immersion depth of the electrodes and the thermal and electrical conductivities of the slag. Additionally, it was determined that, under the set of operating conditions examined, the maximum slag temperature ranged between 1756 and 1825 K, which is in accordance with industrial measurements. Moreover, it was affirmed that contributions to slag stirring due to Lorentz forces and momentum forces due to the release of carbon monoxide bubbles from the electrode surface were negligible.