Analysis of Fluid Flow of Liquid Steel through Clogged Nozzles: Thermodynamic Analysis and Flow Simulations

González-Solórzano, M.G.; Morales, R. D.; Gutiérrez, E.; Guarneros, Javier; Chattopadhyay, Kinnor

doi:10.1002/srin.202000049

Cited by 13 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…A specific case of changes of surface tension of liquid steel is the case of ultralow carbon steels stabilized with Ti (Ti-SULC steels) where this element decreases this property as seen in Figure 16a, and the work of adhesion as a function of the Ti content is shown in Figure 16b [46]. This effect of Ti on the surface tension of Ti-SULC steels enhances the wettability between the melt and the inclusions.…”

Section: Figure 15mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Physical Chemistry of Steel Deoxidation and Nozzle Clogging in Continuous Casting

Solórzano¹,

Morales-Dávila²,

Ávila³

et al. 2021

Casting Processes and Modelling of Metallic Materials

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Nozzle clogging in continuous casting of steel originates by the adherence of alumina particles and other oxides, precipitated during the liquid steel deoxidation, on the refractory material’s surface. Hence, these particles’ nucleation and growth rates in supersaturated melts are analyzed considering, specifically, the role of the interfacial tensions between alumina, silica, and other oxides and the liquid metal. Weak steel deoxidizers like silicon do not need high supersaturations favoring high nucleation rates, giving particles’ narrow size distributions thanks to fast diffusion and Ostwald-ripening coagulation. Strong deoxidizers, like aluminum, need high supersaturation levels leading to broad size distributions. Besides, the morphology of these particles depends on the nucleation and growth mechanisms. The adhesion forces among the deoxidation particles, forming clusters, depending on the morphology and the oxide’s chemistry. The stability of the nozzle’s clog, adhered to the nozzle’s wall, depends on the interface tensions between the melt and the nozzle’s refractory surface and between the melt and the inclusion. The results obtained here help set up basic recommendations in steel refining and materials specifications of casting nozzles.

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Section: Figure 15mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Physical Chemistry of Steel Deoxidation and Nozzle Clogging in Continuous Casting

Solórzano¹,

Morales-Dávila²,

Ávila³

et al. 2021

Casting Processes and Modelling of Metallic Materials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Assembling all six pieces of each nozzle model finally has the exact replicas of the original nozzles. These models' nozzles were compared against the deposited zones from the simulated nozzles, see Figure 14 [45]. Both nozzles yielded inclusions depositions in the zones of the deflectors and chambers, without presenting an excessive amount of inclusions at any point.…”

Section: Validation Of the Boundary Conditionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on these results, the nozzle's fluid dynamics is one of the most important variables affecting the clogging phenomenon reported by other researchers [41][42][43][44][45]. Following this idea, this work focuses on controlling the boundary layer thickness of the flow on the nozzle's internal surface, looking at the clog's prevention rather than at its growth and its interaction with the flow.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Decrease of Nozzle Clogging through Fluid Flow Control

Gutiérrez

Barreto

Garcia-Hernandez

et al. 2020

Metals

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Decreasing the clogging deposition rate of alumina inclusions in continuous casting nozzles is possible through three simultaneous measures: Flow modification, use of raw materials with low impurities contents, and smoothed internal surfaces. The control of the internal flow consists on avoiding dead regions and developing symmetric patterns. A mathematical model performed tests of the feasibility of these measures. The adherence of inclusions to the nozzle wall, using this model, employs a boundary condition based on the thickness of the sublaminar boundary instead of the conventional “trap” boundary condition. The use of the general boundary condition yields deposition rates that are unaffected by the inclusion size. The proposed boundary condition discriminates against the clogging deposition rate through the particle sizes. Plant trials complemented with water modeling, using these nozzles, proved that the present approach could considerably decrease the clogging occurrence.

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“…The key to attain those goals is the use of internal deflectors in the new nozzle, which have proven effective in other casters. However, these internal deflectors' sizes and positions are crucial to obtain optimum casting products [34,35]. This new task involves extensive computer runs and the outputs will generate materials for further publications.…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Process Diagnosis of Liquid Steel Flow in a Slab Mold Operated with a Slide Valve

et al. 2020

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Slab molds receive liquid steel from the tundish through bifurcated submerged entry nozzles (SEN) using a slide valve as throughput control. Due to the off-centering position of the three plates’ orifices that conform to the valve to control the steel passage, the flow inside the nozzle and mold is inherently biased toward the valve opening side. In the practical casting, a biased flow induces inhomogeneous heat fluxes through the mold copper plates. The nozzle design itself is also a challenge, and has direct consequences on the quality of the product. A diagnosis of the casting process regarding the internal and external flows, performed through experimental and mathematical simulation tools, made it possible to reach concrete results. The mathematical simulations predicted the flow dynamics, and the topography and levels variations of the meniscus characterized through a full-scale water model. The flows are biased, and the meniscus level fluctuations indicated that the current nozzle is not reliable to cast at the two extremes of the casting speeds of 0.9 m/min and 1.65 m/min, due to the danger of mold flux entrainment. A redesign of the nozzle is recommended, based on the experimental and mathematical results presented here.

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Analysis of Fluid Flow of Liquid Steel through Clogged Nozzles: Thermodynamic Analysis and Flow Simulations

Cited by 13 publications

References 40 publications

The Physical Chemistry of Steel Deoxidation and Nozzle Clogging in Continuous Casting

The Physical Chemistry of Steel Deoxidation and Nozzle Clogging in Continuous Casting

Decrease of Nozzle Clogging through Fluid Flow Control

Process Diagnosis of Liquid Steel Flow in a Slab Mold Operated with a Slide Valve

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