Numerical, Physical, and Industrial Studies of Liquid Steel Chemical Homogenization in One Strand Tundish with Subflux Turbulence Controller

Abstract

Chemical homogenization of liquid steel is one of the basic parameters defining quality of final products. The 95% chemical homogenization level is a required minimum that defines the effective dissolution of all the components introduced to the liquid steel. The object of investigation was a one‐strand wedge‐type tundish designed for casting slabs. For the set zone of alloy feeding, numerical simulations, laboratory experiments (with a isothermal physical water model) and industrial experiments were carried out. During the research project, a method for the hybrid introduction of an alloy addition to liquid steel has been developed, which combines the pulse and the step methods. From the performed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) computations, laboratory and industrial trials, fields of liquid steel flow, maps of water motion, behavior of non‐metallic inclusions during industrial alloying process, mixing curves and time mixing characterize influence of using subflux turbulence controller (STC) on alloying process in the tundish have been obtained. In the tundishes with STC and a low dam, a reduction in mixing time was noted.