THE COMPUTATION AND EXPERIMENT ANALYSIS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC CONTINUOUS CASTING WITH SOFT-CONTACTED MOULD

In this paper, coupling the quasi-3D numerical simulation of electromagnetic field and the experiments of continuous casting with soft-contacted mould with some metals such as tin, aluminum, copper and steel, the electromagnetic characteristics of continuous casting with soft-contacted mould is analyzed. It is shown that the electromagnetic pressure on the surface of billet is increasing with the rising of power frequency as a logarithmically parabolic function, with that of electric conductivity of billet as a power junction, and with that of the current in inductor as a parabolic junction.

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.

Meniscus Behavior in Electromagnetic Soft-Contact Continuous Casting Round Billet Mold

Using molten Pb-Sn-Bi alloy, the meniscus shape under high frequency magnetic field of φ100 mm round billet caster was investigated. The effect of some parameters on meniscus shape was studied. The results show that for a mold with 12 segments, the meniscus shape is relatively stable. With increasing power input, the menis- cus height increases with intensification of fluctuation. For the given caster, the reasonable power input is about 70 kW. The coil should be near to the top of mold and/or the initial meniscus should be near to the center of the coil. The lower the frequency, the higher is the meniscus height. With increasing frequency, the free surface is more flattened and meniscus becomes more stable. In practice, the power input should be increased simultaneously with frequency. The optimal frequency is about 20 kHz.

Theoretical and experimental analysis of continuous casting with soft-contacted mould

Coupling the quasi 3D numerical simulation of electromagnetic field and the experiments with some metals such as tin, aluminum, copper and steel, the electromagnetic characteristics of continuous casting with soft contacted mould, especially the influences of power frequency, the mould structure, and the inductor position, size and current on the electromagnetic force and pressure on the billet, were analyzed. The result shows that, in continuous casting with soft contacted mould, the electromagnetic pressure on the surface of billet increases with the rising of the power frequency as a logarithmically parabolic function and, with that of inductor current as a parabolic function. The design principle of the soft contacted mould is that 1) the mould structure should be ‘more segments and thin slits’; 2) the topside of inductor should be at the same location with the meniscus of molten metal; 3) the inductor should cover the initial solidifying shell of billet.

Theoretical and experimental analyses of continuous casting with soft-contacted mould (Ⅱ)—EMF calculation and experimental analyses

Coupling the quasi 3D numerical simulation of the electromagnetic field and the experiments with some metals, a series of phenomena in the processes of continuous casting with soft contacted mould was analyzed. Some theoretical and experimental models were presented, from which following results were obtained. 1) The electromagnetic force is related with electric conductivity of billet as a power function to 0.4. 2) The heat transfer between billet and mould is related with the contacting pressure, and it is a linear function for tin billet approximately. 3) The distance between initial solidification point and meniscus in billet is related with the surface magnetic flux density as a fourth root function. 4) The temperature gradient in the initial solidifying shell is reduced, which can decrease the tendency of hot tearing on the surface of billet, and increase the equiaxed crystal zone in billet. 5) The stronger the magnetic flux density is, the more shallow and the thinner the oscillation mark on the surface of billet is. 6) The depth of oscillation mark on the billet cast by the soft contacted mould can be reduced to about 10% in comparison with that on the billets cast by traditional mould. 7) In non dimensional condition, the average depth of the oscillation marks on the billets cast by the soft contacted mould decreases with increasing magnetic flux density on there as a complementary error function. [

Molten steel level stability in continuous casting slab mold under electromagnetic stirring

Fluctuation of molten steel level in continuous casting process is a critical issue. The analytic function for the liquid steel surface stability index( F) of the continuous casting slab mold under the action of electromagnetic stirring was derived. The effects on the F value of the electromagnetic field,casting mold,submerged entry nozzle,and casting speed were observed,and the stability of the process parameters of a practical continuous casting system was evaluated. The main results generated are as follows:①Based on the free flow jet theory,a formula is established for the level stability index of continuous casting slab mold under electromagnetic stirring.②According to the results of calculation,the various parameters in decreasing order of the magnitude of their influence are magnetic flux density,nozzle submersion depth,casting speed,slab width,stirring current frequency,and nozzle side-hole inclination angle.③For practical continuous casting with a slab thickness of 230 mm,the calculated F values are between 3 and 5 for different matches between slab width and casting speed,but the parameter optimization space is much larger for wider slab widths and lower casting speeds.

Numerical Prediction on the Flow Field of Molten Steel and the Trajectory of Inclusion in Continuous Casting Mold Effected by Electromagnetic Field

Through coupling electromagnetic field equations with turbulent flow equations,the numerical prediction has been conducted on the flow field of molten steel and the trajectory of inclusion particle in the continuous casting mold effected by electromagnetic field.The difference between the maximum and the minimum of the shear stress on mold wall is used to scale the impingement strength of molten steel discharged from immersed nozzle to the solidifying shell on the narrow wall of mold.The flow field of molten steel in the mold is changed greatly and the impingement strength of the jet is reduced while electromagnetic field is applied.It is found that the successful control of flow field depends on the current and location of coil.At the same time,the new floating paths of inclusion particles are formed and the upward particles that are far away from the solidifying zone on the narrow wall of mold change their moving directions with the change of flow field,so that the particles can avoid being entrapped by the solidifying shell.

Physical modeling and numerical simulation of electromagnetic stirring in a slab continuous casting mold

Through physical modeling and numerical simulation,the flow field in a slab continuous casting mold with electromagnetic stirring is measured under different casting parameters and stirring currents. To qualitatively evaluate the flow field in the mold, two indexes,i, e., mold flux entrapment and velocity uniformity, are proposed. Based on these two indexes, some optimized stirring parameters under different casting conditions can be determined.

Effect of electromagnetic stirring in mold on the macroscopic quality of high carbon steel billet

An industrial plant trial for optimizing the process parameters in a round billet continuous casting mold with electromagnetic stirring （M-EMS） was performed, in which the influences of stirring parameters with M-EMS on the solidification macrostructure of high carbon steel were investigated. The results show that the billet quality is not well controlled under the condition of working current and frequency with EMS, in which the subsurface crack of grade 1.0-2.0 ups to 38.09%, the central pipe of grade 1.0-1.5 reaches to 14.28%, and the central porosity of grade 1.5 is 14.29%. The parameters of current 260 A and frequency 8 Hz as the final optimum scheme has a remarkable effect for improving the macroscopic quality of billet, in which the subsurface crack, central pipe and skin blowhole are all disappeared, and the central porosity and carbon segregation are also well improved.

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.

Model prediction of the effect of in-mold electromagnetic stirring on negative segregation under bloom surface

Aiming at the problem of negative segregation under a bloom surface, a coupling macrosegregation model considering electromagnetic field, flow, heat, and solute transport was established based on the volume average method to study the effect of in-mold electromagnetic stirring(M-EMS) on the negative segregation under the bloom surface. In the model, the influence of dendrite structure on the flow and solute transport was described by the change of permeability. The model was validated by the magnetic induction intensity of M-EMS and carbon segregation experiment. The results show that the solute C in the solidified shell in the turbulent zone of the bloom undergoes two negative segregations, whereby the first is caused by nozzle jet, and the second by the M-EMS. The severities of the negative segregation caused by M-EMS at different currents and frequencies are also different, and the larger the current is, or the smaller the frequency is, the more serious will be the negative segregation.With the M-EMS, the solute C distribution in the liquid phase of the bloom is more uniform, but the mass fraction of C in the liquid phase is higher than that without M-EMS.

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.

Distribution of Magnetic Flux Density in Soft-Contact EMCC Rectangular Mold

The distribution of the magnetic flux density in a soft-contact electromagnetic continuous casting （EMCC） rectangular mold was investigated. The experimental results show that with an increase in electric power, the magnetic flux density increases. The position where the maximum magnetic flux density appears will shift up when the coil moves to the top of the mold. At the same time, the maximum magnetic flux density will increase and the effective acting range of electromagnetic pressure will widen. As a result, in practice, the coil should be placed near the top part of the mold. The meniscus should be controlled near the top part of the coil, as this not only remarkably improves the billet surface quality but also saves energy. With the same electric power input, the higher the frequency, the lower the magnetic flux density.

Wetting behavior of CaO-Al_(2)O_(3)-based mold flux with various BaO and MgO contents on the steel substrate

The Interfacial phenomena in mold have a great impact on the smooth operation of continuous casting process and the quality of the casting product.In this paper,the wetting behavior of CaO-Al_(2)O_(3)-based mold flux with different BaO and MgO contents was studied.The results showed that the contact angle between molten flux and interstitial free(IF)steel substrate increased from 62.4°to 74.5°with the increase of BaO content from 3 wt%to 7 wt%,while it decreased from 62.4°to 51.3°with the increase of MgO content from 3 wt%to 7 wt%.The interfacial tension also increased from 1630.3 to 1740.8 mN/m when the BaO content increased,but it reduced from 1630.3 to 1539.7 mN/m with the addition of MgO.The changes of contact angle and interfacial tension were mainly due to the fact that the bridging oxygen(O^(0)) at the interface was broken into non-bridging oxygen(O^(-)) and free oxygen(O_(2-)) by MgO.However,more O^(-) and O_(2-) connected into O^(0) when BaO was added,since the charge compensation effect of BaO was so stronger that it offset the effect of providing O_(2-).

复合磁场作用下板坯结晶器内钢液流动、传热与凝固的数值模拟

为利用板坯连铸过程中电磁搅拌技术和电磁制动技术各自的优点克服自身缺点,本文应用了结合电磁搅拌和电磁制动的分体式复合磁场并提出电磁制动的结构为单条型电磁制动,对板坯连铸结晶器流场和温度场进行控制.建立了该磁场下结晶器内钢液流动、传热、凝固耦合的三维数值模拟模型.对复合磁场给予结晶器内钢液流动及传热与凝固的影响进行了分析.结果表明:施加复合磁场后,结晶器内上、下返流流速明显减小,钢液主流股对窄面的冲击深度变小,上返流整体下移,弯月面钢液形成顺时针循环流;结晶器内整体温度分布更均匀,弯月面处温度较无磁场时基本不变;结晶器出口处凝固坯壳更为均匀,其厚度较无磁场下有所增加,钢液射流对窄面附近初生坯壳冲刷程度减小.

Effect of Structure Parameters on Power and Magnetic Field in Electromagnetic Soft-Contact Continuous Casting System

To design a power source system and mold for electromagnetic soft-contact continuous casting process and to theoretically estimate the heat losses from the charges and the system power, the effect of structure parameters on system power and magnetic flux density distribution was calculated using finite element method. The results show that as for electromagnetic soft-contact continuous casting system with partial-segment type mold, the power consumption is much more than that with a full-segment type mold; about 62% of electric power is dissipated in the mold, and the effective acting range of magnetic field is relatively narrow. Optimizing mold structure is a crucial measure of remarkably reducing mold power consumption and saving electric energy. Increasing slit number, width, and length can remarkably increase the magnetic flux density in the mold and can reduce the electric energy consumption. Among structure parameters, slit number and slit width are relatively more effective to reduce energy consumption. For a round billet electromagnetic continuous casting system with diameter of 178 ram, the reasonable slit number, width, and length are about 24--32, 0. 5--1.0 mm, and 160 mm, respectively.

Solidification Structure of Continuous Casting Large Round Billets under Mold Electromagnetic Stirring

The solidification structure of a continuous casting large round billet was analyzed by a cellular-automaton-finite-element coupling model using the ProCAST software. The actual and simulated solidification structures were compared under mold electromagnetic stirring （MEMS） conditions （current of 300 A and frequency of 3 Hz）. Thereafter, the solidification structures of the large round billet were investigated under different superheats, casting speeds, and secondary cooling intensities. Finally, the effect of the MEMS current on the solidification structures was obtained under fixed superheat, casting speed, secondary cooling intensity, and MEMS frequency. The model accurately simulated the actual solidification structures of any steel, regardless of its size and the parameters used in the continuous casting process. The ratio of the central equiaxed grain zone was found to increase with decreasing superheat, increasing casting speed, decreasing secondary cooling intensity, and increasing MEMS current. The grain size obviously decreased with decreasing superheat and increasing MEMS current but was less sensitive to the casting speed and secondary cooling intensity.

Comparison and integration of final electromagnetic stirring and thermal soft reduction on continuous casting billet

Final electromagnetic stirring(F-EMS)and thermal soft reduction(TSR)are techniques that improve the inner quality of continuous casting billets,but they have rarely been applied simultaneously.The application effects of F-EMS and TSR were compared,and a process integrating F-EMS and TSR was adopted for a billet continuous caster.A heat transfer model was established to calculate the thermal behavior of 82A tire cord steel billet.The locations of F-EMS and TSR were determined,followed by conducting a series of plant trials,involving F-EMS alone,TSR alone,and the integrated process of F-EMS and TSR.The results showed that F-EMS or TSR could effectively improve the inner quality of the billet under their respective suitable working conditions.Moreover,F-EMS was found to be more helpful in terms of improving central segregation,while TSR tended to improve V-segregation,central porosity,and pipe.The integration of F-EMS and TSR allowed the advantages of each technique to be utilized,thereby better improving the inner quality.Among all the working conditions,82A steel billet showed optimum inner quality when the current of F-EMS was 240 A and the cooling intensity of TSR was 2.2 m^(3) h^(−1).These findings demonstrate that the integration of F-EMS and TSR is promising for application on continuous casting billets.

Behavior of molten steel flow in continuous casting mold with different static magnetic field configurations

A three-dimensional mathematical model was established to investigate the behavior of molten steel flow and steel/slag interface with different processes and electromagnetic parameters under two different static magnetic field configurations [ruler-type electromagnetic brake （EMBr ruler） and vertical electromagnetic brake （V-EMBr）] in a continuous casting mold. The results showed that the brake effect of EMBr ruler is significantly influenced by its configuration parameters, the distance between the pole and bottom of the submerged entry nozzle （SEN）, and the port angle of the SEN outlet; therefore, it is not helpful to depress the diffusion of jet flow along the thickness direction of mold. For a constant SEN depth and port angle, there is a reasonable pole position （P = 0 mm） where the pole simultaneously covers three key zones, i.e., the jet flow impact zone and the upward and downward backflow zones. For V-EMBr, the magnetic field can simultaneously cover the three key zones and depress the diffusion of jet flow along the casting and thickness directions of the mold. Both the meniscus height and the impact intensity of the jet flow can be obviously depressed by V-EMBr even if the SEN depth and port angle have changed in the continuous casting process.

The Research on Soft-Contacting Electromagnetic Continuous Casting in Baosteel

The paper introduces the research and new development on soft-contacting electromagnetic continuous casting in Baosteel.At the year of 2008,Baosteel successfully completed the carbon steel SCEMCC industrial experiment in a 6-strand curved type round billet caster.At the year of 2011,Baosteel selected another 3-strand curved billet caster. Baosteel successfully developed the SCEMCC mold for the first time to do the industrial production experiment for stainless steel round billet continuous casting.Then,in the same stainless steel caster,the square billet SCEMCC mold was successfully developed too.And at the beginning of the year 2012,the square billet SCEMCC of SUS304 and SUS303Cu was implemented up to now.It was proved the machine system was reliable for the long time production.The industrial experimental result shows the soft-contacting electromagnetic continuous casting can reduce the depth of oscillation mark from about 0.7mm to near zero.The SCEMCC billets without surface grinding were transferred to mill tubes,of which the quality is satisfied.