Large eddy simulation on flow structure in centrifugal flow tundish

Abstract

Centrifugal flow tundish which the molten steel is horizontally rotated by electromagnetic force has been developed to produce high quality steel with high productivity. Because the swirling flow in the rotation chamber is crucial for the effectiveness of centrifugal flow tundish, it is beneficial to search the way to enhance the swirling flow and understand the flow structure in centrifugal flow tundish. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) technique is developed to simulate the complicated flows. LES is computationally much more intensive than k-ε and cost less than direct numerical simulation (DNS). but offers a new level of insight into transient phenomena. In the present works, flow structures in three cases are simulated and analyzed, i.e. the swirling flow is produced by (a) electromagnetic force with the direct nozzle, (b) bending nozzle using height potential energy of molten steel, (c) combination of electromagnetic force and bending nozzle. The swirling flow and vortices are clearly displayed. The effectiveness of bending nozzle is validated by 17% increment of maximum swirling velocity in rotation chamber. © 2007 ISIJ.