Numerical investigation of electro-magnetic flow control phenomenon in a tundish

Abstract

The liquid steel flow phenomenon in a tundish is important to improve the steel quality. It is governed by the design of the tundish and its flow control devices. Pouring chamber is the most popular flow control device used inside the tundish. Flow control using electro-magnetic forces is the latest development in this area. The present work investigates the electromagnetic flow control phenomenon in the tundish. A 3-D Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model was used to study the flow behavior governed by electromagnetic forces in the tundish. The innovative concept of using electromagnetic dam as a flow modifier for tundish was proposed in current work. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed for different combinations of electromagnetic dams and results were compared with pouring chamber. The advantage of electromagnetic flow control over other mechanical devices was established through CFD simulations. © 2012 ISIJ.