M. Warzecha

Particle Distribution and Separation in Continuous Casting Tundish

The tundish as a part of a continuous casting machine combines the discontinuous ladle metallurgy with the continuous solidification of slabs in the mould. The tundish plays a major role in the challenging task of “clean steel” production. That means the smallest number of inclusions and high cleanliness in all steel grades after changing the conditions at the inlet of the tundish. Inclusions hinder the metal forming process and lead often to fatigue. The cleanliness of steels is important to fulfil the customers requirements. In the present study inclusion removal was simulated in a 1:3 scaled water model of a single-strand tundish for the production of stainless steels with a particle counter. The particle counter is capable of counting a large number of particles with a wide range of diameters. The separation rate for particle diameters from dP = 1 - 250 μm was determined with a counter for the water model tundish. With similarity conditions for the particles this deposition rate can be transformed to the melt flow in a steel tundish. The separation rate was measured for different flow rates in the water model tundish. A larger flow rate decreased the separation rate. Additionally, the separation rate for the tundish fitted with an impact pad was measured and showed a significant increase of separation for particles with a smaller diameter. Furthermore, the particle distribution in the tundish for different size groups of particles was investigated with and without an impact pad. Numerical simulations were carried out with the finite-volume commercial code FLUENT using the realizable k-e turbulence model. A special boundary condition for the separation of particles at the surface was implemented.

Optimization of a Six-Strand Continuous Casting Tundish: Industrial Measurements and Numerical Investigation of the Tundish Modifications

The main differences in the transient zone extent between the individual strands for the former industrial six-strand tundish configuration is the basis for undertaking this study. The aim this study was to improve the casting conditions by proposing the optimal equipment of the tundish working space. For economic reasons, only the variants with different baffles configurations were considered. It was also dictated by the simplicity of construction and the possibility of its implementation by the base operating steel mill. In the current study, industrial plant measurements and mathematical modeling were used. Industrial experimental data were used to diagnose the current state of the industrial tundish and then validate the numerical simulations. After this, the influence of different baffle configurations installed in the tundish on the steel flow characteristic was modeled mathematically. Residence time distribution (RTD) curves are plotted, and individual flow shares for the investigated tundish were estimated based on the curves. Finally, the industrial plant was rebuilt according to the numerical results and additional plant measurements were performed. A result of the appearance of the baffles in the tundish working space was the reduction of the transient zone extent. The results indicate the increasing share of the dispersed plug flow and a decreasing share of the dead volume flow, with a practically unchanging share of well-mixed volume flow in the modified tundish.

Modeling of the Steel Flow and Non-Metallic Inclusion Separation due to Flotation in a Six-Strand cc Tundish

Constantly increasing customers’ demands for the production of high and very high-quality steels, promote the intensive technological development of their production. Today, the dominating method of global steel production is continuous casting. A continuous casting plant includes the ladle turret, several steel ladles, a tundish, and a mold followed by a framework of rolls to support the strip. The tundish has become a very important metallurgical unit in the continuous casting process. Nowadays its role is not only to guaranty the link between the process of secondary metallurgy and the continuous casting process in the mould but it becomes an active metallurgical reactor. Therefore in recent years a lot of researches were done to establish a better understanding of the physical phenomena accompanying the steel flow through the tundish and non-metallic inclusion separation into the top slag cover. The article presents computational studies of the three-dimensional turbulent steel flow and non-metallic inclusions separation in a multi-strand tundish for steady-state casting conditions. Simulations of the steel flow in the tundish are performed with boundary conditions that are derived from the real casting process. The mathematical model used for simulations, was partly validated with experimental measurements. Numerical calculations are carried out by the finite-volume code Fluent using k-ε standard turbulence model. With the calculated flow field, micro-inclusions removal due to flotation to the coving slag is investigated numerically. For the particle separation at the interface a modified boundary condition is implemented.