CURRENT PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES OF COMPUTER SIMULATION OF CONTINUOUS STEEL CASTING

Abstract

Nowadays we can see increase in using of engineering analysis systems in the field of continuous steel casting simulation due to their high accuracy and convergence with industrial experiments results. Such powerful systems as «ANSYS» and «ProCast» allows solving gas-, hydrodynamic and thermal problems, the parallel interaction of which constitutes the essence of most metallurgical processes. Group of authors from the LSTU Chair “Metallurgical technology” have successfully carried out computer experiments in tundish and continuous casting mold processes simulation. The experiments were aimed at first, on studying of further improving in liquid steel flow modifiers (partitions, turbo-stops, thresholds) design, at second, on influence of argon blowing regime on liquid steel flow parameters in the 50-ton tundish workspace, and, at third, on influence of submerged nozzles design on the liquid steel flow in crystallizer, assuming deterministic-dynamic operation mode. The results of calculations are velocity fields of liquid steel flow and flow temperatures fields in tundish and crystallizer, as well as temperature fields in the tundish refractory lining. An equation of primary flow average velocity change on exit from submerged nozzle was also formulated. These preliminary results allow us to assess the velocity changes and direction of the melt flow and formation of volumes with different melt temperatures when using flow modifiers in the ladle, including using of “argon curtain” in the casting chamber. Obtained data on melt flow motion and on location of erosion spots in crystallizing «crust», also on the presence of temperature gradient zones in various regions of crystallizer workspace may be useful to practice engineers engaged in choice of crystallizer submerged nozzle design. Effective control of melt flow in tundish and in crystallizer allows significant improvements in continuous cast slabs and rolled products quality in context of reducing metal products rejection due to defects associated with slag or nonmetallic inclusions presence and due to cracks formed as the result of insufficient thickness of crystallized «crust».