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A three-dimensional mathematical model of gasliquid two-phase flow has been established to study the flow behavior of liquid steel in the tundish. The effect of the argon flow rate and casting speed on the flow behavior of liquid steel, as well as the migration behavior of argon bubbles, was investigated. The results from the mathematical model were found to be consistent with those from the tundish water model. There were some swirl flows around the stopper when the annular argon blowing process was adopted; the flow of liquid steel near the liquid surface was active around the stopper. With increased argon flow rate, the vortex range and intensity around the stopper gradually increased, and the vertical flow velocity of the liquid steel in the vicinity of the stopper increased; the argon volume flow in the tundish and mold all increased. With increased casting speed, the vortex range and intensity around the stopper gradually decreased, the peak value of vertical flow velocity of liquid steel at the vicinity of the stopper decreased, and the distribution and ratio of argon volume flow between the tundish and the mold decreased. To avoid slag entrapment and purify the liquid steel, the argon flow rate should not be more than 3 L·min−1. These results provide a theoretical basis to optimize the parameters of the annular argon blowing at the upper nozzle and improve the slab quality.

To effectively remove microscale inclusions in the tundish, the Multi-Hole-Double-Baffles (MHDB), a novel flow control device in the tundish for continuous casting, was developed. The hole array mode of the MHDB will directly affect the trajectories of the inclusions. The effect and removal mechanism of the inclusions with sizes of 1 µm to 50 µm in the tundish with MHDB were studied by numerical simulation. The hole array mode of MHDB could affect the inclusions' trajectories and distribution, and the mechanism underlying the effect of the MHDB was investigated using the discrete phase model (DPM). A 1:2.5 physical model was built to verify the accuracy of numerical simulation. The results showed that micro-inclusions were primarily driven by the drag force exerted by the molten steel flow, micro-inclusion trajectories followed the molten steel streamlines almost exactly, but buoyancy still played a role in the removal of the micro-inclusions near the molten steel surface; the hole array mode affected the trajectories of the micro-inclusions and controlled and decelerated the flow of molten steel, increasing the residence time of the molten steel flow a the value that is 15 times larger than the theoretical value; and "upper-in-lower-out" type MHDB showed the most efficient removal of micro-inclusions, with the removal rate being increased by 13-49% compared to the removal rates for the other type MHDB. The results of numerical simulation were well verified by physical simulation.

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