Metallurgical Length Prediction in Continuous Casting

Rashed Daoud Al Manasir, Purdue University

Abstract

A thorough analysis of spraying situations was carried out in the pursuit of having an appropriate spread and mapping for the spraying system in the continuous casting process. For each spray and each section, CFD simulations were utilized to analyze all potential spraying conditions while moving over the continuous steel caster. It was necessary to thoroughly examine the distribution of heat transfer coefficient (HTC) along the caster, therefore variables such overlap, stand-off distance, water flow rate, spray angle, and casting speed were taken into consideration. A flat fan atomizer model was used to simulate this distribution and its impact, and different spraying scenarios were run. More research was done on the effects of each separate spray on HTC, paying particular attention to the overlap phenomena. By simply entering the HTC data for each spray simulation and its corresponding coordinates, as well as stitching those profiles into multiple profiles that fit into its further corresponding segment, an assembly for each of these scenarios unto each segment along the full caster was also accomplished using MATLAB. Further MATLAB code was built to "bend" the coordinates of the profiles in accordance with the bend or curve of the caster, which was also taken into consideration. The study's primary focus when it came to the solidification model's next component was rebuilding the caster geometry. To measure and examine the shell thickness, surface temperature, and many other phenomena along the casting, numerous "straight" segments were previously employed. The caster's curvature was considered in the newly revised design, along with changes to the extracting technique used for many other phenomena in general and shell thickness in particular. This is done in order to create a more realistic design that mimics the caster's actual shape and the physics that affect it. Also, a successful integration of the two projects stated above was accomplished, and parametric studies were also carried out, including a study of the impact of casting speed and nozzle clogging on metallurgical length. In order to model the actual process of casting, the steel’s temperature-dependent material properties were studied using the thermodynamic software JMatPro. For the research of the flat fan atomizer model, the ANSYS Fluent 2020R1 CFD tool was heavily utilized, and for the investigation of the solidification of steel, the STARCCM+ CFD program. The MATLAB R2018a software was used to map the curved Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) profiles, straighten such curved data, and visualize the shell expansion by extracting curved coordinates. The results of this study can be used to enhance continuous casting procedures and optimization.

Degree

M.Sc.

Advisors

Zhou, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Physics|Energy|Fluid mechanics|Materials science|Mathematics|Mechanics|Nuclear engineering|Nuclear physics|Thermodynamics

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