Original Article

Effect of F-EMS position on molten steel flow and solidification in the entire continuous casting strand

School of Metallurgical Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an, 710055, Shaanxi, Canada

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Received: 18 November 2025
Accepted: 12 December 2025

Abstract

The selection of a rational F-EMS position is of great significance for improving the quality of large round blooms in the combined M-EMS and F-EMS stirring mode. A three-dimensional multi-field coupled mathematical model of the entire curved strand was established to simulate the molten steel flow, heat transfer, and solidification processes under different F-EMS positions. The results indicated that the stirring effect of the F-EMS was primarily concentrated in the middle-upper part of the stirring zone. As the F-EMS position was lowered, the disturbance of the liquid fraction in the stirring zone was gradually reduced, and the maximum flow velocity of the molten steel progressively decreased. When the F-EMS was positioned at 10.5 m from the meniscus, a higher rotational flow velocity was achieved, leading to a significantly enhanced stirring effect. Furthermore, no backflow was observed in the lower zone of the stirrer, and the flow field distribution was uniform. After the application of F-EMS, the solidification end point was shifted upward, and the solidified shell thickness on the inner arc side was consistently greater than that on the outer arc side. At the central crack initiation zone, the application of F-EMS was found to reduce the width of the crack-prone area, thereby decreasing the incidence of quality defects such as central cracks. Therefore, the optimal installation position for the F-EMS is determined to be 10.5 m from the meniscus. This configuration promotes uniform growth of the solidified shell, reduces the width of the crack-prone area at the central crack initiation location, and enhances both the overall bloom quality and the stability of the continuous casting process.