Modeling Study of EMBr Effects on the Detrimental Dynamic Distortion Phenomenon in a Funnel Thin Slab Mold

Saul Garcia-Hernandez,Ismael Calderon-Ramos,Jose De Jesus Barreto,Rodolfo Morales Davila,Enif Gutierrez,Carlos Humberto Gonzalez-Guzman

doi:10.3390/cryst10110958

Saul Garcia-Hernandez, Ismael Calderon-Ramos + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10110958

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Abstract

The turbulent phenomena occurring in the thin slab mold affect the final product quality. Therefore, it is essential to carry out studies to understand and control their occurrence. Current research aims to study the electromagnetic brake (EMBr) effects on the flow patterns in a funnel thin slab mold. The objective is to prevent the detrimental phenomenon known as dynamic distortions (DD) of the flow, applying the EMBr in the typical horizontal position (H-EMBr) and a new vertical position close to the narrow faces (V-EMBr). The fluid dynamics are simulated using the Reynolds stress model (RSM), the Volume of Fluid (VOF) model and the Maxwell equations in their magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simplification. The results show that the H-EMBr effectively counteracts the DD phenomenon by reducing the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) ports' mass flow rate differences. The EMBr reduces the highest meniscus fluctuations from −10 to ±3 mm with a field intensity of 0.1T and almost 0 mm for higher field intensities. In contrast, the V-EMBr configuration does not reduce or control at all the DD phenomenon, even though eliminating the upper roll flows does not diminish the meniscus fluctuation amplitudes and induces new small roll flows close to the SEN's wall.

Highlights

The thin slab casting process is an example of the technological improvements in steel production; due to its high casting velocities and the small slab thickness, the liquid steel inside produces complex turbulent phenomena adversely affecting the final product quality
This validation has two stages: first, the mathematical results without the electromagnetic brake (EMBr) effects were contrasted qualitatively against those obtained from the physical modeling; second, the MHD model employed in this research was validated through modeling the classical one-dimensional MHD Couette flow [25,55]
The results show meniscus fluctuations of ±4 mm, where the positive sign indicates that the meniscus elevates over its fixed position, and the negative sign represents the opposite

Summary

Introduction

The thin slab casting process is an example of the technological improvements in steel production; due to its high casting velocities and the small slab thickness, the liquid steel inside produces complex turbulent phenomena adversely affecting the final product quality. There is a great deal of detailed research about the stability of the meniscus [8,9,11,12,13,15,16,17,19], the heat transfer and steel solidification affected by the flow patterns [7,8,14] and the jet oscillation frequency [2,3,4,5,6,9,10,11,12,13,18,19] These works proposed and applied modifications to the process variables trying to control the turbulence intensity; the changes focus on the casting velocities [10,11,13,17,18], SEN immersion [10,11,13,16,17,18], the mold shape and dimensions [6,14,15] and the geometry of the SEN [6,8,11,12,14,15,16,18]. One of the available technologies to control the turbulence is the electromagnetic brake, which is outlined in the paragraph

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