Abstract

CWUDZIIISKI, A.. Mathematical simulation and water modelling of liquid steel interaction with an argon bubble curtain in a one-strand continuous casting tundish. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. [online]. 2018, vol.118, n.5, pp.544-554. ISSN 2411-9717.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/2018/v118n5a11.

The injection of argon into a continuous casting tundish stimulates the zones of active flow (plug and ideal mixing flow) in the liquid steel and reduces the stagnant volume flow. In this research, numerical simulations and laboratory experiments were conducted on the use of a gas-permeable barrier (GPB) in the one-strand tundish. The investigations were aimed at increasing active liquid steel flow in the tundish, without using standard flow-control devices, under variable thermal conditions. The software program ANSYS-Fluent was used to perform numerical simulations. A water model was used to validate the numerical model. The water motion vector fields confirm the hydrodynamic patterns obtained from the computer simulations. The argon flow rate, location of the GPB, and the thermal conditions influence the liquid steel motion in the tundish. The best GPB positions were identified based on the lowest value of stagnant flow at argon injection flow rates of 15 and 5 Nl/min.

Keywords : tundish; argon injection system; steel flow; residence time distribution curves; mathematical modelling; water model.

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