Orthogonal analysis of water model study on the optimization of flow control devices in a six-strand tundish

Improper flow control devices in a multi-strand tundish can cause some problems, for example, liquid steel cannot reach every nozzle at the same time and the liquid steel in nozzles far away from the entry zone has a lower temperature. The water model experiment of a six-strand tundish of Tianjin Iron ＆ Steel Co. Ltd. was performed, a new ＂U＂ type baffle was obtained, and its parameters were defined by perpendicular analysis. The ＂U＂ baffle can not only improve those imperfections, but also prolong the residence time of nonmetallic inclusions, which is good for their flotation and separation.

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.

Upward Molten Flow for Optimization of Fluid Flow in Continuous Casting Tundish

Fluid flow pattern and buoyancy force support the motion of nonmetallic inclusions toward thetundish slag. Upward molten flow was investigated. To understand the fundamentals of the process, physical modelling was carried out with the utilization of a 1 ： 4 scale model. Numerical modelling was carried out in line with the physicai modelling to examine details of the flow pattern and rotational effect caused by the upward flow with the Commercial CFD （Computational Fluid Dynamics） package environment, FLUENT. The two-equation κ-ε model was used to simulate the turbulence. Multiphase fluid flow was numerically simulated by using the Volume of Fluid （VoF） method. The simulation can predict free surface waves and other phenomena, which can be used to optimize these important metallurgical operations.

Fluid flow in large-capacity horizontal continuous casting tundishes

The configuration of the tundish for a two-strand horizontal continuous caster was designed and optimized through water modeling. Three designs of the tundish were studied： the original tundish without any flow control devices, the tundish with a turbulence inhibitor at the bottom, and the tundish with an inlet launder and an inclined dam. The residence time, the location and size of the dead zone, and the fluid field pattern were investigated. At the same time, the asymmetry flow field and wavy inlet jet in the horizontal tundish were observed and the reasons for them were discussed. The results indicate that the mndish with an inlet launder and an inclined dam is the best of the three designs.

Optimization of flow control devices in a tenstrand billet caster tundish

The physical model of a ten-strand billet caster tundish was established to study the effects of various flow control devices on the melt flow. Before and after the optimization of the melt flow, the inclusion removal in the tundish was evaluated by plant trials. The physical modeling results show that when combined with a baffle, the turbulence inhibitor, instead of the impact pad, can significantly improve the melt flow. A turbulence inhibitor with a longer length of inner cavity and without an extending lip at the top of the sidewall seems to be efficient in the improvement of the melt flow. Various types and designs of baffles all influence the flow characteristics significantly. The "V" type baffles are better than the straight baffles for flow control. The "V" type baffle with four inclined holes at the sidewall away from the stopper rods is better in melt flow control than the one with one inclined hole at each sidewall. The combination of a well-designed turbulence inhibitor and an appropriate baffle shows high efficiency on improving the melt flow and an optimal proposal was presented. Plant trials indicate that, compared with the original tundish configuration in prototype, the inclusions reduce by 42% and the inclusion distribution of individual strands is more similar with the optimal one. The optimal tundish configuration effectively improves the melt flow in the ten-strand billet caster tundish.

Online forecasting model of tundish nozzle clogging

A nozzle clogging online forecasting model based on hydrodynamics engineering was developed, in which the actual flow rate was calculated from the mold width, thickness, and casting speed. There is a linear relationship between the theoretical flow rate and the slide gate opening ratio as the molten steel level, argon flow rate, and the top slag weight are kept constant, and the relationship can be obtained by regression of the data collected at the beginning of the first heat in each casting sequence when the nozzle clogging does not occur. Then, during the casting, the theoretical flow rate can be calculated at intervals of one second. Comparing the theoretical flow rate with the actual flow rate, the online nozzle clogging ratio can be obtained at intervals of one second. The computer model based on the conception of the nozzle clogging ratio can display the degree of the nozzle clogging intuitively.

Water modeling of molten steel flow in a multi-strand tundish with gas blowing

Fluid flow characteristics in a four-strand tundish with gas blowing were studied by water modeling experiments.It is found that gas blowing can greatly improve the flow characteristics in the tundish with a turbulence inhibitor.It dramatically increases the peak concentration time,and greatly decreases the dead volume,and reduces the minimum residence time.The gas blowing location,gas flow rate,and porous plug area greatly influence the flow characteristics in the tundish; the gas blowing location near the baffle,smaller gas flow rate,and smaller porous plug area are better for improving the fluid flow characteristics.Using gas blowing can reduce the difference of flows at the middle outlets and side outlets for the multi-strand tundish.Bubbles produced by gas blowing can absorb small inclusions and provide the condition for inclusion collision and aggregation.Therefore,introducing gas blowing into a tundish and combining the turbulence inhibitor can improve inclusion floating and removal,and the cleanness of molten steel can be advanced.

Water Modeling of Swirling Flow Tundish for Steel Continuous Casting

A conventional turbulence inhibitor is compared with a swirling chamber from the points of view of fluid flow and removal rate of inclusion in the tundish. Comparing the RTD curves, inclusion removals, and the streamlines in water model experiments, it can be found that the tundish equipped with a swirling chamber has a great effect on improving the flow field, and the floatation rate of inclusion is higher than the tundish with a turbulence inhibitor. Because of the introduction of the swirling chamber, the flow field and inclusion removal in a two-strand swirling flow tundish are asymmetrical. Rotating the inlet direction of swirling chamber 60 degree is a good strategy to improve the asymmetrical flow field.

Flow Characteristics and Inclusion Removal in a Ten-strand Continuous Casting Tundish:Physical Modelling and Industrial Trials

The flow characteristics and inclusion removal in a ten-strand continuous casting tundish were investigated with physical modelling and industrial trials. The results show that, among the strands, the strand with the mini mum dimensionless time of the first appearance of tracer at the tundish exit appears to be the worst one for inclusion removal, while the strand with the maximum dimensionless mean residence time shows the best inclusion removal efficiency. The inclusion number decreases with increasing inclusion size for all strands. The inclusion number distri bution among strands is the same for all inclusion sizes and the descending order of inclusion number is basically con sistent with the ascending order of dimensionless mean residence time among individual strands. However, when the strand with the minimum dimensionless time of the first appearance of tracer at the tundish exit is not the same one with the minimum dimensionless mean residence time, the former seems to be inferior to the latter for inclusion re moval.

Water Model Study of Level Flunction in Continuous Casting Mold

Using 0.6-scale warer modelling based on Fr-We number similitude criteria, the influences of the submerged entry nozzle configuration and operating practices on the level fluctuation in the mold which caused surface defects and mold power catching, were studied. It was found that the level flunction was resulted from gas injection, impacting of the stream and standing wave. The level turblence raises with the incresing of the gas injection, however the casting rate, immersion depth and jet angel of SEN have a dual influenc on the level fluctuation.

Dynamic Water Modeling and Application of Billet Continuous Casting

The continuous casting process is used for solidifying molten steel into semi-finished steel.The technology of secondary cooling is extremely important for output of the casting machine and billet quality.A dynamic water model was introduced,including solidification model in the secondary cooling,feedforward control strategy based on continuous temperature measurement in tundish,and feedback control strategy based on surface temperature measurement.The mathematical model of solidification process was developed according to the principle of solidification,and the solidification model was validated by measuring billet shell thickness through shooting nail and sulfur print.Primary water distribution was calculated by the solidification model according to procedure parameters,and it was adjusted by the other two control strategies online.The model was applied on some caster and billet quality was obviously improved,indicating that the dynamic water model is better than conventional ones.

Water modeling of mold powder entrapment in slab continuous casting mold

The optimal parameters were determined by the water modeling of slab casting. It was found that there are mainly three types of mold powder entrapment in slab continuous casting, i.e., the entrapment caused by the shearing flow near the narrow face of mold, the entrapment caused by vortexes around the submerged entry nozzle （SEN）, and the entrapment caused by the Ar bubbling. Both the velocity of the surface flow and the level fluctuation of the liquids are enlarged with increasing the casting speed, reducing the submersion depth of SEN, decreasing the downward angles of the nozzle outlets, and increasing the Ar flowrate, all of which increase the tendency of mold powder entrapment. Among the four above-mentioned factors, casting speed has the largest effect.

Extensive Analysis of Multi Strand Billet Caster Tundish Using Numerical Technique

Continuous casting of steel involving different grades in the same casting sequence remains a challenge to billet caster operators. The intermixed composition obtained during the grade change does not meet the specification of either grade and must be downgraded. Incorrect identification of this intermixed region may result in non-conforming products reaching the customer. In this study, a numerical model based on CFD (computational fluid dynamics approach) has been developed which predicts the start and end of the intermixed composition and the tonnage to be downgraded under different casting conditions. This model was validated and the results were in good agreement with the actual plant data for a 6-strand billet caster at LD-1 of TATA Steel, India. This model is used to calculate transition tonnage for different scenarios, e.g. when one of the outermost strands is not functional or some combinations are not functional and varying casting speed during operation. Furthermore, impact of different design of baffles on performance of Tundish has been evaluated to find a way to reduce transition or intermixed composition.

Flow Control in Six-Strand Billet Continuous Casting Tundish With Different Configurations

A 1∶2.5 scale tundish model was set up in laboratory for a six-strand billet continuous casting tundish with different configurations to investigate fluid flow characteristics under different operational conditions by measuring residence time distribution curves.It was found that minimum residence time,maximum concentration time and average residence time of the three strands on the same side of the tundish with the former configuration under normal operation,that is,six strands were open,were small and non-uniform and the tundish had large dead volume fraction.Vortexes easily formed on the liquid surface in the pouring zone of the tundish.The fluid flow characteristics in the tundish with the optimal turbulence inhibitor and baffles were improved and became less non-uniform among the strands.Vortexes were not found on the pouring zone surface in the optimal tundish.For non-normal operation,that is,one strand was close,it was important to choose which strand to be closed for maintaining flow characteristics of the rest two strands.It was found from this investigation that fluid flow characteristics in the optimal configuration tundish with closing strand 2 were better than those with closing strand 3 on the same side.

Fluid Flow and Interfacial Phenomenon of Slag and Metal in Continuous Casting Tundish With Argon Blowing

The fluid flow and the interfacial phenomenon of slag and metal in tundish with gas blowing were studied with mathematical and physical modeling, and the effects of gas flowrate, the placement of porous beam for the generation of bubbles, and the combination of flow control devices on the flow and slag-metal interface were investigated. The results show that the position of gas bubbling has a significant effect on the flow in tundish, and the placement of porous beam and gas flowrate are the two main factors affecting the entrapment of slag in tundish. The closer the porous beam to the weir, the more reasonable is the flow, which is in favor of the control of slag entrapment in tundish.

Surface turbulence in a physical model of a steel thin slab continuous caster

In the thin slab continuous casting （TSCC） of steel, the issue of optimum fluid flow is very important due to higher casting speeds and has direct influence on the formation of solidified shells and the quality of final products. In the current work, a full-scale physical mod- eling of a thin slab easter on the basis of dimensionless Reynolds and Froude similarity criteria was constructed. The flow pattern in the funnel shaped mold with a new tetra-furcated submerged entry nozzle （SEN） was investigated. To determinate optimum operational parameters, some experiments were carried out under various casting conditions. The results show that the tetra-furcated design of the nozzle leads to a special flow pattern in the mold cavity with three-dimensional recirculating flow. It is also shown that the increase of casting speed and gas injection results in surface turbulence. On the other hand, using a higher depth of SEN decreases the vortex in the free surface of the caster. To avoid surface turbulent and related casting problems, it is recommended to use 30-cm and 40-cm SEN depth at the casting speeds of 3.5 and 4.5 m/min, respectively.

Secondary cooling technology for high-efficiency continuous billet-casting

The mathematical model of high-efficiency continuous billet casting was developed, incorporating the effective spraying water coefficient and the effective specific spraying water flowrate of secondary cooling. To realize uniform cooling in secondary cooling zones, the spraying cooling structure and the arrangement of nozzles were redesigned and optimized, and an additional spraying cooling zone was used. A new secondary cooling model of spraying water was built. It was found that the required spraying water flowrate of a cooling zone was related with the casting speed, the casting temperature, the compositions of liquid steel and the cooling water temperature of secondary cooling. The operation of the reformed caster proved that the spraying cooling structure and the new secondary cooling model were suitable, and the casting speed was greatly enhanced. The highest casting speed was （3.8 to 4.0） m/min for billet with a section of 150× 150 mm^2. The quality And the outout of the billet were imoroved, andthe economical benefit was heightened.

Optimization of strand and final electromagnetic stirrers of round bloom casters with multiple sections

Strand electromagnetic stirring（S-EMS） and final electromagnetic stirring（F-EMS） are the main methods used to improve the center porosity and segregation for round blooms. To optimize the stirring conditions, nail shooting tests were conducted for three sections of large round blooms with diameters of ф380 mm, ф450 mm, and ф600 mm. Acid leaching and sulfur print tests were used to investigate the shell thickness. Based on the results of nail shooting tests, a mathematical model of solidification was established, and the variation of shell thickness and the central solid fraction were exactly calculated by the model. By taking all sections into account, the locations of S-EMS and F-EMS were optimized for each section. In the results, the macro-segregation of various sections is improved after the locations of S-EMS and F-EMS systems are changed.

Optimization of submerged entry nozzle parameters for ultra-high casting speed continuous casting mold of billet

Controlling the flow behavior in the mold in an appropriate way is the basis for realizing the billet ultra-high speed continuous casting.Based on the new proposed physical water modeling experiment considering the effects of solidified shell and hydrostatic pressure,the flow behavior in the mold with cross section of 160 mm 9160 mm during continuous casting of billet is regulated by optimizing the inner diameters and immersion depths of submerged entry nozzle at the ultra-high casting speeds of 5.0–6.5 m/min.The results show that under the premise of no slag entrainment,as well as uniform coverage and keeping good fluidity of liquid slag layer on the top free surface of the fluid in the mold,the appropriate parameters of submerged entry nozzle under the ultra-high casting speed of billet are 50 mm in inner diameter,95 mm in outer diameter and 180 mm in immersion depth.And on the basis of the obtained parameters of submerged entry nozzle,it can be known that the reasonable ranges of level fluctuation and impacting depth of the stream in the mold are about 0.82-1.11 and 593-617 mm,respectively.

Design of a submerged entry nozzle for optimizing continuous casting of stainless steel slab

To solve slag entrapment and casting slab defects in the process of stainless steel continuous casting,submerged entry nozzle(SEN)for slab casters operating at casting speed of 1 m/min was developed based on 3D numerical simulation and water modeling experiments by controlling the outlet shape and angle of original SEN with oval and 15°angle outlet under current industrial use.Mathematical simulations of fluid velocity at outlets with different shapes and angles of SENs have been carried out.The results showed that oval outlet with 5°and 15°angle led to asymmetric rotating flow pattern at outlet,as well as square outlet with 15°angle,but symmetric flow pattern formed at square outlet with 5°angle.The effect of these SENs on meniscus stability,flow field and slag entrapment behavior of stainless steel slab casting mold was further studied by water modeling experiments.The results showed that difficult floating fine droplets formed when the angle of outlet was 15°under the dual effect of vortex convection and shear force due to the strong swirling flow from outlet and rotating flow of outlet.However,outlet with 5°angle could lead to the formation of larger slag droplets,while the oval outlet with 5°angle could result in the scour to the mold wall.Thus,the square outlet with 5°angle was a relatively ideal solution for the submerged entry nozzle from the aspects of the stability of the mold and the slag entrapment behavior.After the design of a new SEN according to the experimental result,the solidification structure of continuous casting slab was obviously improved by industrial test.