Numerical and physical prediction of hydrodynamic conditions in one strand slab tundish

Department of Metals Extraction and Recirculation, Faculty of Materials Processing Technology and Applied Physics, Czestochowa University of Technology, 42-200 Czestochowa, 19 Armii Krajowej ave, Poland
e-mail: cwudzinski@wip.pcz.pl

Received: 6 August 2013
Accepted: 21 February 2014

Abstract

The paper reports the results of studies on the validation of a numerical model of the flow of liquid steel through the tundish used for continuous casting of steel. The facility under investigation is a single-nozzle tundish designed for casting concast slabs. For the description of the turbulence of steel flow through the tundish, the k-ε, RNG k-ε and Realizable k-ε turbulence model were adopted. Computer simulations of liquid steel flow were performed using the commercial program Ansys-Fluent®. For the validation of the numerical model and verification of the hydrodynamic conditions occurring in the examined tundish furniture variants, obtained from the computer simulations, a physical model of the tundish was employed. During laboratory tests simulating the process of steel flowing through the tundish, E and F-type RTD (Residence Time Distribution) curves were recorded, which were then juxtaposed with results obtained from computer simulations. In order to obtain a complete hydrodynamic picture in the tundish furniture variants tested, the computer simulations were performed for both isothermal and non-isothermal conditions.