Effect of holding time and surface cover in ladles on liquid steel flow in continuous casting tundishes

Mathematical modeling of fluid flow and heat transfer of melt in a typical two-strand slab caster tundish has been done for a complete casting sequence. The complete casting sequence consists of 1 minute of tundish emptying period during the ladle transfer operation followed by 1 minute of tundish filling period by the new ladle and pouring at the normal operating level of the tundish for 46 minutes. The effect of varying ladle stream temperature conditions on the melt flow and heat transfer in the continuous casting tundish has been studied. When the ladle stream temperature decreases appreciably over the casting period, corresponding to heat loss of the melt in the ladle from the top free surface, the incoming melt temperature becomes lower than that of the melt in the bulk of the tundish after about 30 minutes from the start of teeming. This results in melt flow along the bottom of the tundish instead of the normal free surface directed flow. The ladle melt stream temperature shows little variability when the ladle has an insulated top. Corresponding to this situation, the temperature of the incoming melt remains higher than that of the melt in the bulk of the tundish and the normal free surface directed flow is maintained throughout the casting period. The product cast under such condition is expected to have a uniformly low inclusion content. The heat loss condition from the top of the ladle has been shown to be the dominant factor in determining fluid flow and heat-transfer characteristics of the melt in the tundish rather than the holding time of the melt in the ladle. Formerly Graduate Student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ohio State University     

Effect of slag cover on heat loss and liquid steel flow in ladles before and during teeming to a continuous casting tundish

Mathematical modeling of transient fluid flow and heat transfer of melt in the ladle has been carried out, both before and during teeming of the melt to a tundish. The model involves solution of the transient, two-dimensional form of the turbulent Navier-Stokes' equation along with the equations of turbulence energy, energy dissipation rate of turbulence energy, and thermal energy conservation in the cylindrical coordinate system. Two different heat loss conditions have been assumed to occur from the top free surface of the melt in the ladle. When the ladle has an insulating layer of slag, temperature stratification occurs within the melt with the coolest melt in contact with the ladle bottom. The degree of temperature stratification increases with the increase in holding time. Pouring of the melt from such a ladle to the tundish, however, results in near uniform ladle stream temperature during the 47 minutes of pouring period considered in the present study. This is especially true if the melt in the ladle is held for a period of 20 minutes prior to teeming. When the melt in the ladle loses an appreciable amount of heat from the top due to a thin layer of slag, the average temperature of the melt drops considerably during the holding period although there is no temperature stratification. Pouring from such a ladle results in a continuous decline of the ladle stream temperature, even though the pouring starts after a holding period of 5 minutes. Formerly Graduate Student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ohio State University     

Effect of Actual Cooling Rate of Ladle Stream on Persistent Metallurgical Performance of a Given Tundish

To evaluate the effect of actual cooling rate of liquid steel in the ladle on the metallurgical performances of a tundish, a transient and coupled computational model was developed to reveal the flow fields, temperature fields, residence time distribution of the molten steel and the inclusion removal efficiency in a typical single-strand tundish with given geometry and process parameters. The results showed that, with the decrease of the ladle stream cooling rate, the temperature difference of bulk flow at the outlet of tundish over a normal casting period decreased from 11.3 to 2.6 K, and the dead volume fraction of the tundish decreased from 17.58% to 14. 35%, while the inclusion removal efficiency was increased especially for the inclusions with the diameter less than 50 μm, whose removal ratio could be increased by 20.62%. When the cooling rate was less than 0.3 K · min-1 , however, the variation rates of the three evaluation criterions above declined significantly, which suggested that a critical value existed for the effect of the cooling rate of ladle stream on the tundish performances. The establishment of the critical ladle stream cooling rate should be very important to achieve persistent metallurgical properties of tundish over the whole casting stage, together with the reasonable ladle insulation design.     

钢液过热度控制对连铸工艺和铸坯质量的影响

研究了25 t钢包炉和16 t中间包中GCr15、60Si2Mn、40Cr和20钢液的过热度控制。钢液过热度控制主要取决于钢包衬蓄热过程达到平衡状态时钢液温降速率-钢包和中间包钢液温降速率分别为≤1℃/min和≤0.5℃/min;钢液过热度为15～35℃时,200 mm×200 mm铸坯等轴晶率可达20%～30%,连铸拉漏率≤0.23%,铸坯质量良好。     

60 t中间包内钢水温度预测模型

根据800炉(300t钢包)样本的多元回归分析,建立了60t中间包内钢水温度-T中间包/℃的预测模型：T中间包=-66.7499+1.03196 T-0.76824x₁-0.00750x₂+0.23253t-0.60624 t²-9.39124×10^-6t³。 式中：T-钢包到达回转台时钢水温度/℃;x₁-钢包浇铸前搁置时间/min;x2-中间包烘烤时间/min;t-钢包钢水浇铸时间/min。对中间包内预测温度统计分析结果表明,中间包钢水预测温度与实测温度之间的误差小于±5℃     

Modelling the effects of off-centered ladle streams on fluid flow of liquid steel in a slab tundish

The effects of off-centered ladle streams on fluid flow of liquid steel in a two-strand slab tundish were studied using water modelling techniques and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. Fluid flow in an off-centered ladle stream was compared with a centered ladle stream. In a centered position the proposed arrangement (turbulence inhibitor plus dams) yields higher fractions of plug flow than the current arrangement (baffles). This effect is stronger at the high casting rate. An off-centered position increases dead volumes at a low casting rate of 1.7 t/min. At the high casting rate of 3.8 t/min, effects of the off-centered position are decreased although the TI-D arrangement always renders better flow characteristics. Velocity fields determined with PIV measurements, demonstrated that the TI-D arrangements provide the fluid with a plug flow characteristic.     

长水口对连铸中间包钢液保护浇注作用的研究进展

全球钢铁产品很大比例上是通过连铸工艺生产的,而中间包保护浇注是连铸生产高品质洁净钢的关键环节之一。长水口是连接于钢包和中间包之间的耐材质通道,长水口的发明和使用在连铸技术发展过程中起到了重要的作用,并与中间包的保护浇注效果有着紧密的联系,具体包括防止稳态和非稳态浇注过程中的二次氧化和来源于空气/渣/耐材/引流砂等的污染。本文基于中间包钢液污染的来源和形式,引申出了长水口在这些方面可以起到的潜在作用,并回顾了长水口在连铸发展早期的发明、工业实验效果和不断优化的历程。工业实践证实了长水口优良的保护浇注功能,但其实际效果与长水口的结构和操作工艺紧密相关。因此,分析了不同的长水口结构（包括工业化的长水口和一些新的设计理念）对保护浇注的影响,重点评述了喇叭型长水口在改善钢液洁净度和提高生产效率方面的优势。讨论了长水口的浸入深度和偏斜等操作工艺参数与保护浇注之间的关系。结合新时期炼钢?连铸的发展形势,指出了未来长水口结构功能一体化的发展方向,具体表现在长寿化、轻量化、多功能化和绿色化等方面。      

新型纳米级微孔隔热材料在炼钢生产中的应用

唐山中厚板材有限公司针对炼钢生产中钢水热量损失过大问题,在转炉、钢包和中间包上,系统采用了新型WDS纳米级微孔隔热材料,提高了耐火衬的蓄热量,在不影响耐火材料使用寿命的情况下,转炉的终点温度提高了7℃,从转炉、钢包到LF炉过程温降速度减小了0.3℃/min,采取降低LF炉出站温度5℃的方式,中间包后期钢水温度仍然能够满足连铸工艺需要,达到了节能降耗的目的,可以产生综合经济效益1480万元/a。     

非对称中间包稳态浇铸与换包操作的冶金效果

??To rationally assess and optimize the metallurgical effect of an industrially used three- strand asymmetric tundish?? the mixing characteristics of molten steel with different tundish configurations were investigated by residence time distribution??RTD??curves based on the analysis of fluid flow and temperature distribution at four flow control schemes?? and the behavior of the tundish level was tracked by employing volume- of- fluid??VOF??model. The fluid dynamics behavior of the tundish was studied in term of both steady and unsteady service situations with and without fluid flow control devices?? which made it possible to assess comprehensively the metallurgical effect of the given tundish. The results show that the flow control effect of bare tundish is weak. It is observed that there are distinct short- circuit flow and large proportion of dead zone?? together with the non- uniform temperature distribution and the flow state discrepancy among the three strands?? which will accordingly lead to the quality difference of the bloom castings. The improvements on the fluid flow characteristics and the temperature distribution have been observed in tundish with the combined application of baffles and turbulence inhibitor. The proportion of dead zone is decreased by 13. 28%?? the temperature difference is only 0. 5K among three outlets?? along with an improved fluid flow consistency. Additionally?? studies also show that this arrangement may have large steel level velocity and level fluctuation during ladle change period. That is likely to bring about exposure?? reoxidation and even slag entrainment of molten steel. Attentions should be paid to the control of the ladle change interval?? inlet flowrate and the moment height of liquid level.     

Inertial and buoyancy driven water flows under gas bubbling and thermal stratification conditions in a tundish model

Steel flow dominated by inertial and buoyancy flows under gas bubbling and thermal stratification conditions, in a one-strand tundish, was studied using a 2/5 scale water model. The use of a turbulence inhibitor yields plug flow volume fractions well above 40 pct for a casting rate of 3.12 tons/min under isothermal conditions. Small flow rates of gas injection (246 cm³/min), through a gas curtain, improved the fluid flow by enhancing the plug flow volume fraction. Higher flow rates originated an increase of back-mixing flow, thus forming recirculating flows in both sides of this curtain. Step inputs of hot water drove streams of this fluid toward the bath surface due to buoyancy forces. A rise in gas flow rate led to a thermal homogenization in two separated cells of flow located at each side of the gas curtain. Step inputs of cold water drove streams of fluid along the tundish bottom. Use of the gas curtain homogenized the lower part of the tundish as well as the upper part of the bath at the left side of the curtain. However, temperature at the top corner of the tundish, in the outlet box, remained very different than the rest of the temperatures inside this tundish. High gas flow rates (912 cm³/min) were required to homogenize the bath after times as long as twice the mean residence time of the fluid. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements corroborated the formation of recirculating flows at both sides of the gas curtain.     

210 t BOF-RH-CC炼钢过程无取向硅钢XG800WR洁净度的试验研究

两炉次无取向硅钢XG800WR(/%:0.003～0.004C、0.71～0.75Si、0.32～0.33Mn、0.004～0.007S、0.016P)的炼钢流程为铁水预处理(KR)-210 t顶底复吹转炉-钢包吹氩-RH脱碳精炼-230 mm×1220 mm板坯连铸。53 t中间包钢水过热度为25～30℃,钢包到中间包采用长水口全程吹氩保护浇铸,中间包至结晶器采用浸入式水口浇铸。结果表明,在RH、中间包、结晶器过程中钢中总氧以及夹杂物数量和尺寸均明显降低;但在钢包到中间包过程T[O]、[N]和钢中夹杂物数量增加,说明长水口浇铸过程存在二次氧化。连铸坯中T[O]、[N]平均他分别为11×10^-6和30×10^-6,显微夹杂物数量平均为4个/mm~2。铸坯中的显微夹杂物主要为3～5 μm的AIN,同时存在少量的MnS、Al₂O₃·AIN和Al₂O₃·MgO·MnS。     

Effects of tundish size,tundish design and casting flow rate on fluid flow phenomena of liquid steel

Fluid dynamics of liquid steel in continuous casting tundishes is closely related to tundish volume and geometry, existence of flow control devices and steel flow rate. To study this complex interaction physical and mathematical models were used in the present work. The first one was based in a 1/3 scale water model with injection of tracers and the second one on the solution to the steady state-turbulent Navier-Stokes equations using the K-ε [1] approximation for the turbulent viscosity. When the tundish size is increased from 30 t to 50 t the tracer indicates a strong bypassing in the second case. The mathematical predictions indicate very high fluid velocities along the tundish bottom in agreement with the experimental findings. The employment of turbulence inhibitors promotes a counter-flow that surrounds the incoming stream jet of liquid from the inlet nozzle with steel displacing itself, after leaving this zone, along the upper free surface of the liquid. The addition of well designed baffles complements the action of the turbulence inhibitor to obtain a higher volume fraction under a plug flow pattern giving a softer flow of liquid steel. Besides, the positioning of baffles inside a tundish should be performed according to the steel flow rate.     

Transient Fluid Flow in a Continuous Casting Tundish during Ladle Change and Steady‐state Casting

Transient effects occur during both steady‐state casting as well as transient casting, e.g. a ladle change. These effects are caused by transient boundary conditions at the inlet of the tundish. A time‐dependent inlet temperature causes a free convection flow during steady‐state casting. During transient casting, such as during a ladle change, the mass flow at the inlet is time‐dependent and thus a transient flow develops. In general, transient flow is unwanted because transient flow means a change of conditions for the separation of non‐metallic particles. The analysis of the flow in the tundish is carried out by numerical as well as physical simulations. In this case experimental investigations are carried out on a water model. The results of laser optical investigations using Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) and Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) serve as a validation of the numerical results. The numerical results are then used for the investigation of the thermal melt flow. The effects caused by a changing bath level during transient casting (ladle change) are investigated using the Volume‐of‐Fluid (VoF) model. Beyond this, the interaction between the melt and slag is taken into account, by using the three phase system melt‐slag‐air. In addition to the classical methods a new zonal approach is introduced in this paper. The integral balance localises high turbulence mixing regions as well as the development and intensity of back flows. The levelling of the momentum flux between the inlet and the outlet can also be described.     

连铸盛钢桶到中间罐注流吸氧速率的预报模型

根据传输理论建立注流吸氧预报模型，定时地计算连铸过程中盛钢桶到中间罐注流吸氧速率。结合生产试验数据对理论模型计算的结果进行分析和讨论。建立的预报模型很好地预测注流的吸氧速率，为防止连铸过程中钢水二次氧化奠定了理论基础。     

大断面圆坯连铸温度场的数值模拟

通过大型通用有限元软件ANSYS建立铸坯凝固过程有限元仿真分析模型,在拉速0.25～0.35m/min,钢水过热度20℃的条件下,对20钢Φ中600mm和40Cr钢Φ500 mm圆坯连铸过程进行了计算和分析,得出距液面0～32 m时铸坯表面温度变化曲线。计算结果表明,当20钢Φ600 mm圆坯的拉速为0.3 m/min时,结晶器出口坯壳厚度为30.9 mm,结晶器出口铸坯温度为1050℃,二冷区表面最低温度978℃铸坯在距液面19.71 mm处完全凝固。Φ600 mm圆坯连铸机20钢生产实践表明,拉速0.25 m/min,结晶器出口铸坯表面温度为1048℃,二冷区表面最低温度为918℃,与模拟结果相似。     

Numerical and Physical Modeling of Steel Flow in a Two-Strand Tundish for Different Casting Conditions

This article presents computational and water model studies of the three-dimensional turbulent fluid flow in a two-strand tundish for steady-state and transient casting conditions. First, it presents the flow field measurements obtained at a 1:3-scale water model of the tundish with the particle-image velocimetry (PIV) method during steady-state casting. The PIV measurements were performed using the Reynolds-similarity criterion. Thereafter, numerical simulation is carried out with the computational fluid dynamic software, FLUENT, using the realizable k-ε turbulence model. The numerical model is validated using the measurement results obtained with the water model. The results of the numerical calculations are in good agreement with the PIV measurements. On this basis, the validated numerical model is adapted to simulate the 1:1-scale steel flow with boundary conditions that are derived from the real casting process. The nonisothermal, unsteady numerical calculations concerning the cooling process of steel melt inside the tundish are done for a 1:1-scale industrial facility—a 69-t two-strand tundish with a 380-t ladle. The influence of transient boundary conditions at the outlet of the tundish (one blocked strand) on the flow structure and mixing process of fluid during the casting process are investigated. The evaluation of the flow structure is performed using a zonal method, which relates the fluid flow with the mixing processes.     

400 mm特厚板坯尾坯表面横裂纹的控制

板坯尾坯浇铸属于非稳态浇铸,随着板坯厚度的增加,尾坯表面横裂纹成为影响铸坯质量的主要因素。通过研究钢种的化学成分、二次冷却制度和尾坯浇铸时拉速的变化等因素对尾坯表面横裂纹的影响,确定了特厚板尾坯表面横裂纹的产生机理,提出了相应的改进措施。低碳微合金钢二次冷却制度采用弱冷,控制尾坯浇铸拉速小于0.5m/min的时间要小于5min,尾坯浇铸阶段二冷水的比水量从0.35 L/min减少到0.25 L/min,控制尾坯矫直温度在933℃以上,能够有效地减少尾坯表面横裂纹,使特厚板尾坯废品率降低到5%以下。     

低铁水比下钢水中氮的控制

 湖南华菱涟源钢铁公司在降低铁水比的过程中，为控制氮含量，通过转炉加发热剂进行补热，优化氧枪枪位，减少转炉补吹、过吹、控制终点碳质量分数为0.03%～0.06%，终点温度不低于1 580 ℃；优化转炉出钢过程钢包底吹流量，采用非镇静出钢； LF炉首次送电1档电流起弧时间1min以上，钢包底吹流量小于320L/min、优化LF处理过程中钢包底吹流量，最终控制铁水比在72%以下，控制转炉氩站钢水w(［N］)≤0.0035%，LF增氮量w(［N］)≤0.0020%，中间包钢水w(［N］)≤0.0060%的比例由83.9%提高到99.8%，满足控氮钢种对氮的控制要求。     

Effect of Thermal Buoyancy on Fluid Flow and Inclusion Motion in Tundish without Flow Control Devices--Part Ⅰ: Fluid Flow

The κ-ε two-equation model is used to simulate the fluid flow in the continuous casting tundish coupling with the effect of thermal buoyancy. The natural convection induced by the thermal buoyancy generates an upward flow pattern especially at the outlet zone, and has little effect on the fluid flow in the inlet zone. The maximum viscosity is 700 times larger than the laminar viscosity, which indicates the strong turbulent flow in the tundish. The maximum temperature difference in the whole tundish is 8.2 K. The temperature near the stopper rod and the short wall is obviously lower than that in the inlet zone. The existence of the stopper rod has a big effect on the fluid flow entering the SEN and the mold. All the characteristics of the tundish geometry should be considered to accurately simulate the fluid flow in the tundish.     

Two-phase sink vortex suction mechanism and penetration dynamic characteristics in ladle teeming process

At the late stage of continuous casting (CC) ladle teeming,sink vortex can suck the liquid slag into tundish,and cause negative influences on the cleanliness of molten steel.To address this issue,a two-phase fluid mechanical modeling method for ladle teeming was proposed.Firstly,a dynamic model for vortex suction process was built,and the profiles of vortex flow field were acquired.Then,based on the level set method (LSM),a two-phase 3D interface coupling model for slag entrapment was built.Finally,in combination with high-order essentially non-oscillatory (ENO) and total variation diminishing (TVD) methods,a LSM-based numerical solution method was proposed to obtain the 3D coupling evolution regularities in vortex suction process.Numerical results show that the vortex with higher kinetic energy can form an expanded sandglass-shape region with larger slag fraction and lower rotating velocity;there is a pressure oscillation phenomenon at the vortex penetration state,which is caused by the energy shock of two-phase vortex penetration coupling.