Abstract: To address the issue of low lime utilization efficiency in the KR desulfurization process at a steel plant, an innovative right-angled-hole cross impeller was developed. By integrating numerical simulation with water modeling experiments, the flow field characteristics of the novel impeller and its influence mechanisms on both the desulfurizer mixing time and the proportion of desulfurizer stably retained in the metal phase were systematically investigated. The results demonstrate that the right-angled-hole cross impeller enhances centrifugal effects to optimize flow field distribution, achieving efficient directional transport and homogeneous dispersion of desulfurizer. Within the rotational speed range of 156－201 r/min, the mixing time was substantially reduced by 23.4%－31.3%, indicating remarkable improvement in mixing efficiency. Under identical process conditions, the retention rate of desulfurizer in the metal phase increased from 26% to 44%, significantly improving the mixing effectiveness between desulfurizer and hot metal.

Key words: impeller structure, KR desulfurization, motion behavior, numerical simulation, water modeling experiment