Seon Hyo Kim

Effect of yttrium on the stability of aluminide-yttrium composite coatings in a cyclic high-temperature hot-corrosion environment

A composite coating of aluminide-yttrium has shown excellent corrosion resistance in a cyclic high-temperature hot-corrosion environment. To understand the effect of yttrium on the stability of the composite coating, the specimens were prepared with various coating parameters of Y thickness, sequence of post heat treatment and surface condition before Y-ion plating. Performance of the composite coating was evaluated by isothermal oxidation and cyclic high-temperature hot corrosion. Isothermal-oxidation-test results show that the Y in the composite coating helps to form a thick and dense Al2O3 scale which is ductile and resistant to thermal stress. The Y in Al2O3 may act as a donor which leads to an increase in concentration of interstitial oxygen and, thus, increases in oxidation rate. The presence of Y2O3 and (Y, Al) O-type compounds in grain boundaries of Al2O3 and boundaries between the Al2O3 and NiAl effectively prohibits the fast diffusion of oxidants (such as O and S) and Al along grain boundaries. Consequently, it may induce slow diffusion through the matrix, and thus the corrosion resistance of the composite coating under cyclic hot corrosion increases substantially.

Transient Two-Phase Flow in Slide-Gate Nozzle and Mold of Continuous Steel Slab Casting with and without Double-Ruler Electro-Magnetic Braking

Transient mold flow could produce undesirable surface instabilities and slag entrainments, leading to the formation of defects during continuous slab casting of steel. In this work, two Large Eddy Simulations coupled with Discrete Phase Model are run, with and without MagnetoHydroDynamic model, to gain new insights into the surface variations of molten steel-argon gas flow with anisotropic turbulence in the slide-gate nozzle and the mold, with and without double-ruler Electro-Magnetic Braking (EMBr). The model calculations are validated with plant measurements, and applied to investigate the flow variations related to the slide gate on nozzle swirl, jet wobbling, and surface flow variations by quantifying the variations of velocity, horizontal angle, and vertical angle of the transient flow. Transient flow in the slide-gate nozzle bottom is almost always swirling, alternating chaotically between clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation. The clockwise swirl, caused by stronger flow down the same side of the nozzle as the open area near the Outside Radius side of the slide-gate middle plate, produces faster jet flow and higher velocity flow across the top surface of the mold. Counter-clockwise swirl produces slower jet and surface flow, but with more variations. The double-ruler EMBr decreases the asymmetry and duration of velocity variations during nozzle swirl flipping, resulting in less flow variations in the jet and across the surface in the mold.

Thermal Stress Cracking of Slide-Gate Plates in Steel Continuous Casting

The slide-gate plates in a cassette assembly control the steel flow through the tundish nozzle, and may experience through-thickness cracks, caused by thermal expansion and/or mechanical constraint, leading to air aspiration and safety concerns. Different mechanisms for common and rare crack formation are investigated with the aid of a three-dimensional finite-element model of thermal mechanical behavior of the slide-gate plate assembly during bolt pretensioning, preheating, tundish filling, casting, and cooling stages. The model was validated with previous plant temperature measurements of a ladle plate during preheating and casting, and then applied to a typical tundish-nozzle slide-gate assembly. The formation mechanisms of different types of cracks in the slide-gate plates are investigated using the model and evaluated with actual slide-gate plates at POSCO. Common through-thickness radial cracks, found in every plate, are caused during casting by high tensile stress on the outside surfaces of the plates, due to internal thermal expansion. In the upper plate, these cracks may also arise during preheating or tundish filling. Excessive bolt tightening, combined with thermal expansion during casting may cause rare radial cracks in the upper and lower plates. Rare radial and transverse cracks in middle plate appear to be caused during tundish filling by impingement of molten steel on the middle of the middle plate that generates tensile stress in the surrounding refractory. The mechanical properties of the refractory, the bolt tightening conditions, and the cassette/plate design are all important to service life.

Study of Thermal Behavior in a Kroll Reactor for the Optimization of Ti Sponge Production

The titanium reduction from titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) by molten magnesium pool, called the Kroll process, is regarded as a well-known process for the commercial-scale production of titanium sponge. Purified titanium tetrachloride vapor reduced by magnesium, forms sponge titanium with generating excessive heal. The heal transfer phenomena in a Kroll reactor should be thoroughly understood for productivity and quality enhancement. In this work, a computational modeling method to describe the thermal behavior in the TiCl4 reduction reactor was investigated and validated with the measured temperature distribution in a 500kg titanium sponge-capacity pilot-scale reactor in terms of various reduction ratios. The approach model for heat flow phenomenon in a reduction reactor could be utilized as a tool to predict the influence of operating process parameters on the optimization of Kroll process.