Physical and mathematical simulation of liquid steel mixing zone in one strand continuous casting tundish

This paper presents the results of computer simulations and laboratory experiments carried out to describe the formation of the transient zone during continuous casting of slabs. The facility under investigation was a one strand tundish. 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 water model of the tundish was employed. During laboratory tests simulating the process of steel flowing through the tundish, step type Residence Time Distribution curves were recorded. 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. In order to explain the phenomena occurring in the tundish working space, the Buoyancy number (Bu) has been calculated.