Transient simulation of melt flow, clogging, and clog fragmentation inside SEN during steel continuous casting

Abstract

Clogging of submerged entry nozzle (SEN) during continuous casting of steel is an undesirable phenomenon leading to different problems like flow blockage, slag entrainment, nonuniform solidification, etc. A transient numerical model for nozzle clogging based on an Eulerian-Lagrangian approach was developed and it covers the main steps of clogging: (a) formation of the first oxide layer by chemical reactions on the steel-refractory interface; (b) motion of non-metallic inclusions (NMIs) due to the turbulent melt flow towards the SEN wall; (c) interactions between the melt, the NMI, and the wall; (d) formation and growth of the clog by the deposition of NMIs on the clog front and the flow-clog interactions; and (e) detachment/fragmentation of a part of clog due to the flow drag force. Clogging in an industrial scale SEN was simulated. The simulated clog front was compared with real as-clogged SENs. The modeling results have successfully explained the SEN clogging induced transient flow phenomenon in the mold region, i.e. the transition from the stable to an unstable and non-symmetrical flow.