Abstract: A hydraulic model was developed according to the similarity principle to study the fluid flow in a 180 t ladle furnace (LF) in a certain steelmaking plant. The effects of such operation parameters as bottom blowing position, charging position and argon flowrate on the homogenization condition of molten steel in ladle were investigated, thus grasping how those parameters affect the homogeneity of molten steel. Taking account of the physical phenomena occurring in the hydraulic model test and other factors comprehensively, the optimal operation parameters for an 180 t ladle furnace were obtained, i.e., the ladle bottom blowing position is approximately 30% of the radius from the cylindrical center, the charging position is just above the bottom nozzle and the argon flowrate of bottom blowing is approximately 40-90 m³/h. The best sampling point after LF refining and composition microadjustment is the charging position, and the sampling operation shall be done after stirring for at least 2 min.