Large Eddy Simulations of the Effects of EMBr and SEN Submergence Depth on Turbulent Flow in the Mold Region of a Steel Caster

Kai Jin, Surya P. Vanka, Brian G. Thomas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Transient turbulent flow in the mold region during continuous casting of steel is related to many quality problems, such as surface defects and slag entrainment. This work applies an efficient multi-GPU based code, CUFlow, to perform large eddy simulations (LES) of the turbulent flow in a domain that includes the slide gate, SEN, and mold region. The computations were first validated by comparing the predicted surface velocity with plant measurements. Then, seven LES simulations were conducted to study the effects of casting speed, electromagnetic braking (EMBr) field strength, and submerged entry nozzle (SEN) depth on the transient flow. The results show that EMBr has an important influence on flow inside the SEN, in addition to flow in the mold. With EMBr, an “M-shaped” flow profile is seen inside the SEN. The swirling flow behavior in the SEN and ports is more symmetrical at high casting speed and with higher EMBr strength. The position of the SEN ports relative to the peak magnetic field affects the EMBr performance. The results confirm and quantify how applying EMBr greatly lowers both the magnitude and turbulent variations of the surface velocity and level profile.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)162-178
Number of pages17
JournalMetallurgical and Materials Transactions B: Process Metallurgy and Materials Processing Science
Volume48
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Metals and Alloys
  • Materials Chemistry

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