CFD Simulation of Molten Steel Flow with Isothermal Condition in the Continuous Casting Tundish

Abstract

One of the key factors to improve steel quality is the steel cleanliness. In the continuous casting process, the tundish serves not only as a reservoir and a distributor of molten steel, but also as a metallurgical reactor to diminish the inclusion content in the final product. This research is aimed to study the flow behavior inside the 3-strand tundish with and without flow control mechanisms. The commercial computational fluid dynamics software, ANSYS FLUENT, was used for simulation. The data of geometry and operating parameters were collected from the steel plant at Bangkok Steel Industry Public Co., Ltd., Samuthprakarn, Thailand. The simulations were performed under isothermal conditions. The results show that, with the implementation of flow control mechanisms, the residence time of the tundish flow was increased which would enhance the chance of inclusion removal and promote the steel cleanliness.