Steady flow of liquid aluminum in a rectangular-vertical ingot mold,thermally or electromagnetically activated

Hydrodynamic and thermal fields were studied in liquid aluminum circulating in a specially built parallelepipedic ingot mold. Fluid flow could be produced either by using an electromagnetic linear motor or by natural convection effects. Velocity measurements were performed using a magnetodynamic probe during steady state flow experiments. A theoretical model of heat transfer and fluid flow was developed and used to solve simultaneously Navier-Stokes and energy balance equations. The comparison of theoretical and experimental results is satisfactory regarding general distribution of velocity and temperature. It gives a better understanding of the effects of fluid flow in the melt produced either by external stirring or by natural convection.