炼钢与连铸过程数值模拟研究进展

Research Progress of Numerical Simulation in Steelmaking and Continuous Casting Processes

由于钢的冶炼与连铸过程的复杂性以及现场测试条件的限制,数值模拟已成为解析其过程现象和机理不可或缺的手段,自20世纪80年代以来,这种技术得到了飞速发展。在转炉的冶炼方面,利用氧枪超音速射流特性的模拟研究辅助设计了集束、氦气伴随等新型氧枪,通过对转炉熔池内渣-金-气多相流行为模拟研究有效揭示了混匀效率、炉衬冲刷、金属液滴喷溅等物理现象,同时耦合热力学模拟研究了转炉内脱碳、脱磷化学反应过程;在钢的精炼方面,Euler-Euler模型逐渐替代了准单相和Euler-Lagrange模型,成功描述了底吹Ar气钢包内钢液湍流脉动诱导的气泡扩散行为和气泡上浮诱导钢液湍流等现象,而且钢中夹杂物一些新的传输机理和现象也被提出,并利用CFD-PBM模型有效预测了钢液中夹杂物输运、碰撞聚合及去除行为,丰富了钢包精炼夹杂物去除机理,同时CFD-SRM耦合模型实现了钢包精炼多组分参与渣-金反应和脱硫行为的预测,有效揭示了钢液与顶渣的成分、底吹模式对脱硫效率的影响规律;在钢的连铸方面,坯壳-结晶器Cu板热流模型与坯壳热/力模型的耦合成功预测了结晶器周向和高度方向的保护渣和气隙分布特征,奠定了新型内凸型曲面结晶器设计和微合金钢角部裂纹控制的理论基础,结晶器内流场与电磁场耦合模拟研究阐明了电磁搅拌和电磁制动作用下钢液流动行为、液面波动特征以及夹杂物在连铸坯内分布特征,基于体积平均方法的多场/多相凝固模型成功揭示了连铸坯宏观偏析形成机理,定量预测了不同工艺参数下连铸坯中心偏析指数,此外,连铸坯凝固组织演变模拟在晶粒层面上获得了进展,目前正向枝晶领域扩展。整体上讲,钢的冶炼与连铸过程的数值模拟朝着多物理化学/多场耦合方向发展,且研究尺度逐渐向微观层面过渡。

Because of the complexity of steelmaking and continuous casting processes and their limitation condition for direct measuring and testing, numerical simulation has become an indispensable means to analyze the phenomena and mechanisms occurring in the processes, and since the 1980 s, it has made a rapid development. For the converter smelting, some new oxygen lances were designed by using the simulation study of the characteristics of the oxygen lance supersonic jet. Some mathematical models have been established to describe the slag-metal-gas multiphase flow behavior in steelmaking converter, and the flow field, mixing efficiency, metal droplet splashing, lining scouring and other physical phenomena. For the ladle refining, the Euler-Euler model gradually replaces the quasi-unidirectional andEuler-Lagrangian models, and successfully describes the phenomena of bubble turbulent dispersion caused by liquid turbulent fluctuation, and bubble-induced turbulence occurring during bubble floating process. So, some new and important inclusion transport mechanisms and phenomena have been presented. The CFD-PBM model was used to predict successfully the inclusion transport, collision growth and removal behavior in the molten steel, which enriches the inclusions removal theory of ladle refining. The CFD-SRM coupled model was used to accurately describe the slag-metal reaction and desulfurization behavior in a gas-stirred ladle, and the effect of the different content of compositions in synthetic slag and liquid steel, arrangement of bottom blowing tuyeres on the slag-metal reactions and desulfurization efficiency were discussed and clarified. For steel continuous casting, as the heat flow model from the solidified shell to the copper plate of mold was coupled with the thermo/mechanical model of the solidified shell, distributions of mold flux and air gap both along circumference and height directions of the mold were successfully predicted, while founded theoretical backgrounds for designing new mold with inner convex surface and controlling the surface corner crack of micro-alloyed steel. The coupled simulation between flow and electromagnetic fields in mold revealed the flow behavior of molten steel with electromagnetic stirring or braking, the fluctuation characteristic of the slag-steel interface and the distribution characteristic of inclusions in the strand. Based on the volume averaged method, multi-field and multi-phase solidification model successfully clarified the formation mechanism of macro-segregation in continuously cast strand and quantitatively predicted central/centerline segregation indexes in the strand under different casting conditions. In addition, the numerical simulation of the evolution of solidification structure of the continuously cast strand mainly focused on the as-cast grain, and its extension to the dendrite structure needed further more endeavors. Generally speaking, the numerical simulation in steelmaking-continuous casting process is moving towards coupling multi-physical/chemistry phenomena and multi-fields and gradually transits to the microscopic scale.