Effect of Nozzle Type and Swirl on Flow Pattern for Initial Filling Conditions in the Mould for Up-hill Teeming

Abstract

With increasingly more stringent requirements on steel quality and productivity in uphill teeming production, it is vital to attain more desirable fluid flow conditions in the filling of the mould. In this investigation, physical and mathematical modelling was carried out to study the effects of nozzle type and utilization of a swirl generator in the inlet nozzle on the flow pattern in the ingot mould during the initial filling period. Specific focus was on the effects on the resultant hump and axial velocities. Three cases were considered: 1) a straight nozzle, 2) a divergent nozzle, and 3) a divergent nozzle combined with a swirl generator. It was found that usage of the divergent nozzle, compared to the straight nozzle, resulted in a smaller hump and lower axial velocities in the bath. For the combination of divergent nozzle and swirl generator, these findings were even more pronounced, with the hump practically eliminated, and the axial velocities, as well as the turbulence at the meniscus, significantly lower. The findings of the study suggest that a divergent nozzle combined with a swirling flow generated in the nozzle could be used in the up-hill teeming process in purpose to get calmer initial filling conditions.