Effect of Mold Electromagnetic Stirring on Multiphase Flow and Slag Entrainment in a Slab Continuous Casting Mold.

In the current study, a three-dimensional mathematical model was established, integrating with the large eddy simulation (LES) turbulent model, the volume of fluid (VOF) multiphase model, and the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model to investigate the influence of the mold electromagnetic stirring (M-EMS) on the multiphase flow field in a slab continuous casting mold. The results indicated that the application of M-EMS altered the flow pattern of molten steel in the mold, thereby intensifying the meniscus fluctuation. Moreover, it increased the probability of the slag entrainment, elevating the net slag entrainment rate by nearly ten times. With the increase in current intensity, the stirring effect of M-EMS not only intensified the meniscus fluctuation but also increased the net slag entrainment rate. A user-defined function (UDF) was employed to quantify the number, size, and spatial distribution of entrained slag droplets. The increase in current intensity led to an increase in the number of large-size entrained slag droplets. The greater stirring intensity at a current intensity of 600 A led to the fragmentation of the larger entrained slag droplets into several smaller droplets, thus the proportion of large-size entrained slag droplets was reduced. The stirring effect of the electromagnetic force led to the formation of numerous vortices along the centerline of the mold thickness. Consequently, this phenomenon led to an increase in the occurrence and probability of slag entrainment along the centerline of the mold thickness. Under the influence of M-EMS, the effect of slag viscosity on the multiphase flow field appeared to be less significant, while an increase in viscosity reduced the slag entrainment rate. The submerged entry nozzle angle directly influenced the flow field in the upper circulation, consequently affecting the slag entrainment rate. The size distribution of entrained slag droplets remained unaffected by the slag viscosity and the nozzle angle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]