Validation of the numerical simulation of fluid flow in the continuous casting tundish

The 3-dimensional fluid flow in a water model of the continuous casting tundish is simulated with the k-ε two-equation turbulence model. The methods to decide the size of wall-adjacent grids and the effects of residuals and mesh size on the simulation accuracy are discussed. The current investigation concludes that the following condition should be satisfied to get accurate enough simulation results: (1) If the dimension of the domain is in the order of cubic meters, the average size of cells in the mesh system should be at least smaller than 30 mm; (2) The normalized non-scaled residual should be reached at least smaller than 10-4.

Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Funnel Shaped Mold of Thin Slab Continuous Caster

Thin slab casting is used widely in the world. The control of molten steel flow and solidification in the mold is difficult due to the high casting speed and complicated configuration of the mold. Numerical simulation was carried out to study the fluid flow and heat transfer in the funnel shaped mold. The influence of nozzle design, casting speed and nozzle submersion depth on the flow and temperature fields in the mold was investigated, and guidance for selecting configurations of submerged nozzle was obtained.

Numerical Simulation of Heat Transfer and Deformation of Initial Shell in Soft Contact Continuous Casting Mold Under High Frequency Electromagnetic Field

Heat transfer and deformation of initial solidification shell in soft contact continuous casting mold under high frequency electromagnetic field were analyzed using numerical simulation method; the relative electromagnetic parameters were obtained from the previous studies. Owing to the induction heating of a high frequency electromagnetic field （20 kHz）, the thickness of initial solidification shell decreases, and the temperature of strand surface and slit copper mold increases when compared with the case without the electromagnetic filed. The viscosity of flux de- creases because of the induction heating of the high frequency electromagnetic field, and the dimension of the flux channel increases with electromagnetic pressure; thus, the deformation behavior of initial solidification shell was different before and after the action of high frequency electromagnetic field. Furthermore, the abatement mechanism of oscillation marks under high frequency electromagnetic field was explained.

Numerical simulation on inclusion transport in continuous casting mold

Turbulent flow, the transpor＇t of inclusions and bubbles, and inclusion removal by fluid flow, transport and by bubble flotation in the strand of the continuous slab caster are investigated using computational models, and validated through comparison with plant measurements of inclusions. Steady 3-D flow of steel in the liquid pool in the mold and upper strand is simulated with a finitedifference computational model using the standard k-εturbulence rondel. Trajectories of inclusions and bubhles tire calculated by integrating each local velocity, considering its drag and buoyancy forces, A ＂random walk＂ model is used to incorporate the effect of turbulent fluctuations on the particle motion. The attachment probability of inclusions on a bubble surface is investigated based on fundamental fluid flow simulations, incorporating the turbulent inclusion trajectory and sliding time of each individual inclusion along the bubble surface as a function of particle and bubble size. The chunge in inclusion distribution due to removal by bubble transport in the mold is calculated based on the computed attachment probability of inclusions on each bubble and the computed path length of the bubbles. The results indicate that 6%-10% inclusions are removed by fluid flow transport. 10% by bubble flotation, and 4% by entrapment to the submerged entry nozzle （SEN） walls. Smaller bubbles and larger inclusions have larger attachment probabilities. Smaller bubbles are more efficient for inclusion removal by bubble flotation, so Inng as they are not entrapped in the solidifying shell A larger gas flow rate favors inclusion removal by bubble flotation. The optimum bubble size should be 2-4mm.

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH AND NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF MOLD TEMPERATURE FIELD IN CONTINUOUS CASTING OF STEEL

Mold is the heart of the continuous casting machine. Heat transfer and solidification in a water- cooled mold are the most important factors during the continuous casting of steel. For studying the temperature distribution of a mold wall, a simulated apparatus of mold was designed and experiments were performed by it. The measured results indicated that the mold wall temperature approaches the temperature of cooling-water. An equivalent thermal-conductivity coefficient was proposed and deduced on the basis of the conclusion of the experiments. This coefficient was applied to solve the heat transfer between the melt and cooling water, and to characterize the heat transfer capacity of the mold. By this equivalent thermal-conductivity coefficient, it is very easy and convenient to numerically simulate the solidification process of continuous casting. And the calculation results are in agreement with the experiments. The effects of custing speed and water flow rate on the mold temperature field were also discussed.

Effects of operating parameters on the flow field in slab continuous casting molds with narrow widths

Computational simulations and high-temperature measurements of velocities near the surface of a mold were carried out by using the rod deflection method to study the effects of various operating parameters on the flow field in slab continuous casting(CC)molds with narrow widths for the production of automobile exposed panels.Reasonable agreement between the calculated results and measured subsurface velocities of liquid steel was obtained under different operating parameters of the CC process.The simulation results reveal that the flow field in the horizontal plane located 50 mm from the meniscus can be used as the characteristic flow field to optimize the flow field of molten steel in the mold.Increases in casting speed can increase the subsurface velocity of molten steel and shift the position of the vortex core downward in the downward circulation zone.The flow field of liquid steel in a 1040 mm-wide slab CC mold can be improved by an Ar gas flow rate of 7 L·min^−1 and casting speed of 1.7 m·min^−1.Under the present experimental conditions,the double-roll flow pattern is generally stable at a submerged entry nozzle immersion depth of 170 mm.

COUPLED NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF STEEL FLOW AND SOLIDIFICATION IN SOFT-CONTACT BILLET MOLD

A coupled model including electromagnetic field, fluid dynamic, heat transfer and solidification, is developed and applied to the numerical simulation of steel flow and solidification in a 100mm × 100mm soft-contact mold. In this study, the 3D finite difference method and non-staggered grid system for fluid flow with body fitted coordinate were employed. Numerical results show that the electromagnetic force mainly affects the steel flow at upper part of mold, especially in the vicinity of meniscus. There exist upward flows covering the surfaces of the billet due to the concentration of electromagnetic force on the upper part of the billet. This flows join together and form a downward flow near the SEN, so a distinct circulating flow zone is formed at upper part of mold. After applying electromagnetic force, the steel velocity is improved and the temperature is raised. The strong stirring of electromagnetic force on liquid steel makes the kinetic energy on free surface increase. It is clearly seen that the solidification start point shifts downward in soft contact mold. As a result, the initial shell thickness gets thin and the initial solidification shell length is shortened.

Research on the trajectory of non-metal inclusions with the flow in the mold during the solidification of continuous casting slabs

By means of the numerical simulation method,the mathematical model of inclusions movement in the mold is established under the condition of austenitic and fen-itic stainless steel slab production. According to the simulation results, the main zones for inclusion particles accumulation were found and many factors that affected floating-up probability of inclusion particles were identified. These factors include the inclusion particle size, the casting speed and the slab width, etc. It is believed that the inclusion particle size is the key one among these factors.

Analysis of three-dimensional vortexes below the free surface in a continuous casting mold

To study fluctuations of the free surface of liquid steel in the mold,two different models with the same casting conditions but different thicknesses were employed to analyze the hydrodynamic behavior at the top of the mold.The first model was a standard thickness slab,and the second had a thickness three times wider.It is found with the second model that above the plane formed by the steel jets,it is possible to observe four three-dimensional vortexes that interact with the submerged entry nozzle（SEN）and mold walls.By using a biphasic model to simulate the interface between the liquid and air inside the mold,the flow asymmetry and the fluctuations of the free surface can be clearly observed.

Numerical Simulation and Optimization Design of Electromagnetic Fields in the Electromagnetic Casting of Copper Round Billet

Electromagnetic casting technology became maturity and gained wide applications in steel-making and aluminum casting, which is still immature in copper casting. Electromagnetic continuous casting with soft-contact mold was employed to produce copper round billet with high density. At the same time, in this paper, a mathematical model of the electromagnetic field in the soft-contact mold was built on the base of the vector potential method, then it was solved by the ANSYS commercial FEM software. Current and frequency was altered in the course of operation so as to find out how they effect the magnetic field distributing. Its accuracy was verified by the measurement result of the electromagnetic field in the mold without billet. By this model, the effect of excitation current on field was gained, which set up a certainty foundation for more research.

Numerical simulation of flow and solidification in continuous casting process with mold electromagnetic stirring

The magnetic,heat transfer and flow phenomenon occurring in the continuous casting process under the mold electromagnetic stirring was further analyzed by solving the 3-D electromagnetic field mathematical model and flow solidification model with finite element method and finite volume method,respectively.The results indicate that the solidified shell thickness located in the effective stirring region fluctuates because of the unsteady scouring under the mold electromagnetic stirring.The maximum rotational velocity is a key parameter to the solidification of the billet when controlling the stirring intensity.When the rotational velocity reaches 0.32 m/s,the mush zone enlarges significantly and the solidification rate is further accelerated.The number of vortexes in the lower recirculation zone is not only two and depends on the stirring parameters.Besides,the secondary flow is closely associated with the solidification.Compared with the results of the model ignoring the influence of solidification on the flow of molten steel,the flow pattern within the lower recirculation region changes dramatically,and thus a coupling analysis of the flow,heat transfer,and solidification is essential when simulating the electromagnetic continuous casting process.

Influence of submerged entry nozzle clogging on the behavior of molten steel in continuously cast slab molds

The influence of submerged entry nozzle clogging on the behavior of molten steel in continuously cast slab molds was studied using commercial code CFX4.3. The results indicate that clogging at the top part of the nozzle port not only increases the velocity of molten steel, but also enhances the wall shear stress, F number and heat flux. This clogging has the greatest effect on the behavior of molten steel. However, clogging at the top 1/3 of the nozzle only increases the velocity of molten steel and has little influence. Clogging at the bottom of the nozzle almost has no influence.

Modelling of Level Fluctuation in Continuous Casting

The free surface profile and fluid flow in the mold of continuous casting have been calculated by the VOF method couplingthe SIMPLER algorithm. The SIMPLER-VOF model developed is validated by solving a classical experiment, broken damproblem. The calculated surface profile is consistent with water modelling. It is found that the free surface profile is coherentlyrelated to the position of circumfluence in the mold of continuous casting. With the increase of nozzle port inclination, thepositive vortex above the jet is near to the meniscus and the level fluctuation becomes prominent.

Anchor-Shaped Design of a Submerged Entry Nozzle for the Continuous Casting of Steel

An anchor-shaped geometrical design for a Submerged Entry Nozzle for the slab continuous casting of steel is presented in this work. To evaluate its performance, transient 3D multiphase numerical simulations were carried out using the Computational Fluid Dynamics technique. The performance of the proposed nozzle is numerically compared with that of a conventional cylindrical nozzle. Computer results show that the chance of formation of Karman’s vortexes and powder entrapment becomes small for the anchor-shaped SEN.

Mathematical Model of Fluid Flow and Solidification in Mold Region of Continuous Slab Casting

To simulate the phenomena in the mold region of continuous casting by coupling fluid flow and solidification, a three-dimensional mathematical model has been developed based on the K-ε turbulence equations and the SIMPLER algorithm. A pseudo source term was introduced into the energy equation to account for the latent heat and kinetic energy. The fluid flow in the mushy zone was calculated by defining the fluid viscosity as a function of the solid fraction in the mushy zone. Fine meshes in the solid region improve convergence and reduce iteration time. Comparison of the fluid flow and temperature distribution with and without solidification shows that although the solid shell in the mold is thin, it still greatly affects the flow pattern. The numerical results obtained provide details of the fluid flow and solidification phenomena which can be used to optimize the nozzle structure and other process parameters in continuous casting.

Fluid Flow in Continuous Casting Mold with a Configured Nozzle

The influence of a configured nozzle on the turbulent fluid flow in a continuous casting mold was investigated using the simulation program Visual Cast, which used the finite difference method and the SIMPLER algorithm. CAD software was used to construct the complicated nozzle in the calculational region. The simulation accuracy was validated by comparison with the classic driven cavity flow problem. The simulation results agree well with water modeling experiments. The simulations show that the velocity distribution at the nozzle port is uneven and the jet faces downward more than the nozzle outlet. Simulations with a configured nozzle and the inlet velocity at the nozzle entrance give precise results and overcome the traditional difficulty in determining the nozzle outlet velocity.

Numerical Simulation of Electromagnetic Field and Molten Steel Flow in Slab Continuous Caster Mold With Electromagnetic Level Accelerator

In a continuous casting process,EMLS/EMLA(electromagnetic level stabilizer/accelerator)is applied effectively,which is able to control the surface stream velocity at meniscus in mold.The EMLS are applied to stabilize the molten steel flow and the meniscus fluctuation to prevent powder entrapments on high speed casters.Conversely,the EMLA are applied to activate the molten steel flow to promote heat transfer to the steel meniscus and keep proper temperature at meniscus in mold or wash inclusions off near the solidification front on low speed casters or at the beginning,the ending and during the ladle change of the casting for high speed casters.In this study,the effect of the EMLA on the molten steel flow is investigated.Numerical simulation of the electromagnetic field and the flow field were carried out.The EMLA applies a low frequency alternating magnetic field moving from SEN(submerged entry nozzle)to narrow slab faces below the nozzle exit ports.Simulation results indicate that,due to the electromagnetic force,the molten steel is forced to flow toward the magnetic field traveling direction in the region where the magnetic field is imposed.The molten steel flow is increased in proportion to the imposed accelerating electromagnetic force on the spouting stream from SEN.And excessive accelerating changes the double-roll pattern.However,the magnitude of the electromagnetic force is decided by the current intensity and frequency,a suitable imposed electric current can be chosen to increase the flow velocity properly and also reduce the amount of mold powder entrapments to a minimum.

Numerical Simulation of Influence of Casting Speed Variation on Surface Fluctuation of Molten Steel in Mold

The influences of casting speed variation on surface fluctuation of the molten steel in mold during continuous casting were investigated with numerical simulation method.It was found that when the casting speed was evenly decreased from 1.4 m·min-1 to 0.6 m·min-1,the increase of the surface fluctuation of the molten steel in mold was observed only on time that was at the start of casting speed change.While,in experiment of increasing casting speed evenly from 0.6 m·min-1 to 1.4 m·min-1,the increase of the surface fluctuation of the molten steel in mold was observed only at the time when the casting speed was stopped to increase after it had been increased to 1.4 m·min-1.For surface fluctuation of the molten steel in mold which was produced during the casting speed evenly increasing or decreasing period and at the time when increasing or decreasing the casting speed at low casting speed level（0.6 m·min-1）,the influence of casting speed change is very small.In addition,it is found that,at high casting speed level（1.4 m·min-1）,even a little change of casting speed could result in remarkable increase of the surface fluctuation.Thus,at high casting speed,changing casting speed should be avoided or much slower speed changing rate should be used.

Study on Flow in Mold With EMBr in Slab Continuous Casting

A mercury model has been developed to investigate the influences of Electromagnetic Mold Brake Ruler(EMBr-Ruler) and Flow Control Mold(FC Mold) on metal flow in slab continuous casting mold with the practical casting speed 1.0,1.3 and 2.0 m/min respectively.FC-Mold can efficiently repress the surface flow and its fluctuation.The expanding space of the jets is compressed by EMBr-Ruler and FC-Mold respectively,then the 'flow passage' where the vertical velocity of flow increases sharply is developed near the narrow wall with EMBr-Ruler and FC-Mold.It is bad for the development of the plug like flow.Only the nozzle ports are placed in the braking magnetic field region and the casting speed is suitable,EMBr can be beneficial to the formation of the plug like flow.The flow regime is improved with FC Mold when the casting speed is high(2.0 m/min),but EMBr can improve the flow field with medium casting speed(1.3 m/min),but when the casting speed is low(1.0 m/min),the effects of two types of EMBr are both unsatisfactory.

Numerical Simulation on Inclusion and Bubble Entrapment in Solidified Shell in Model Experiment and in Mold of Continuous Caster With DC Magnetic Field

A model experiment investigating entrapment of inclusions and bubbles on the solidified shell was performed using molten steel,and the conditions for inclusion and bubble entrapment and mechanism of entrapment were studied. The results were applied to the flow behavior in the casting mold of a continuous caster.At the solid-liquid interface, entrapment of inclusions is greatly reduced by the existence of a low velocity flow,e.g.,0.05m/s.The above-mentioned interfacial flow velocity dependency of inclusion entrapment is considered to be largely influenced by changes in the thickness of the concentration boundary layer,which depend on the interfacial flow velocity.Specifically,bubbles and inclusions which enter the concentration boundary layer are drawn to the solid-liquid interface by a suction force which is several orders larger than the Saffman's force.In addition to the above-mentioned suction force,the so-called cleaning effect is determined by fluid-dynamic forces such as drag force,etc.which act on particles,and furthermore,by resident time of particles at the solid-liquid interface,which depends on the solidification rate.In a FC mold with a 2-stage electromagnetic brake,flotation of bubbles entrained in the jet flow from the nozzle is accelerated with the large DC magnetic field.This is attributed to the braking effect of the DC field on the nozzle jet and the upward flow by the buoyancy of the bubbles.As a result,the interfacial flow velocity can be normalized by increasing the strength of the magnetic field,and entrapment of large bubbles and inclusions can be reduced.