Boundary element analysis of electromagnetic confinement applications

Abstract

Over the last decade, the Boundary Element Method (BEM) has succesfully provided accurate numerical solutions for many indusay appalications. In most of such applications, the BEM had advantages over the other conventional numerical methods, especially, in handling open boundary problems and eddy current applications where detailed field distributions are not required over the entire problem geometry [ 11. In the application of developing electromagnetic mould for casting aluminum billets, the BEM was used to evaluate the elecmmagnetic forces produced to confine the molten metal during the process of casting [2]. This problem was considered as a multiple-conductor eddy current application. Recently the BEM has been used to form the computational core of an iterative procedure to predict the equilibrium shape of the free surface for a molten metal in a laboratory scale crucible induction furnace [3]. In this application, the shallow penetration depth was ensured to maintain the stable equilibrium shape of the free surface.