Success stories of CFD Modelling in Understanding the Continuous Casting Process: The Impact of Microscopic Dynamics on Macroscopic Scales

Abstract

In this contribution, we will review recent advances and success stories in the CFD modelling of the continuous casting process in the framework of K1-MET projects in Austria. Physical phenomena on both microscopic and macroscopic scales have been investigated, and the resulting dynamics in the metallurgical process sequence of continuous casting has been modelled. Non-metallic inclusions (NMIs), their microscopic dynamics and their interaction with macroscopic flows in casting vessels have strong impact on the final steel quality. If NMIs are not properly treated in the tundish of a continuous caster, e.g., captured by or dissolved in the covering slag, these particles can cause clogging in the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) and lead to harmful defects in the cast steel slab. Therefore, several efforts to model the NMI behaviour using CFD tools to depict their behaviour in a multiphase fluid flow will be reviewed and put into context to each other. These models include NMI removal from the steel into the slag phase in a tundish, their subsequent advance into the SEN and impact on clogging, as well as their behaviour in the mold during the casting and solidification. The different modelling approaches and their respective validation by experiments have been successfully brought together to achieve a comprehensive image of the dynamics governing the complete continuous casting process and are an impressive showcase of the insights into complex industrial processes that can be gained with CFD modelling.