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Numerical and Physical Modeling in Steel Refining and Casting

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A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Metal Casting, Forming and Heat Treatment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 23394

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Peiyuan Ni

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Guest Editor

1. School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
2. Key Laboratory of Ecological Metallurgy of Multi-Metal Intergrown Ores of Education Ministry, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
Interests: steel metallurgy; continuous casting; numerical modelling; interfacial kinetics; multiphase flow; steel refining; non-metallic inclusion; mold flux; artificial neural network
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Qiang Yue

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Guest Editor

School of Metallurgical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan 243032, China
Interests: continuous casting; electromagnetic metallurgy; numerical modelling; inclusion removal
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

High-quality steel is one of the most important raw materials to support the development of our society. In the past years, its production technology has achieved great advances, where physical and numerical modelling play an important role in this aspect. The social development puts forward improved requirements on physical and mechanical properties of steel. This in turn requires a strict control in the steel production process with respect to steel compositions, cleanness, homogenization, solidification structure, and various defects of steel semi-product. In addition, it is necessary to further improve the production efficiency and to lower the production cost, which is important for the sustainable competitiveness of steel. To achieve the above aims, technological progress in steel refining and casting are of great significance.

The steel refining and casting process is a rather complex process which involves multiphase flow, heat and mass transfer, interfacial reaction, solidification, and so on. In addition, additional technologies, such as magnetic field and mechanical force, are sometimes adopted to optimize the production process. Due to a high temperature, direct investigations on above phenomena during steel production are difficult and sometimes impossible. Therefore, physical and numerical modelling with proper validations have become efficient tools to understand the above coupled phenomena, and to optimize the production process. Consequently, the current Special Issue focus on the topic of “Numerical and Physical Modelling in Steel Refining and Casting.” We want to present state-of-the-art studies which bring new insights in steel refining and casting. It is our pleasure to invite you to submit original contributions to this Special Issue. Articles of numerical and physical modelling including but not limited to ladle refining, vacuum processing, continuous casting, and ingot casting are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Peiyuan Ni
Prof. Dr. Qiang Yue
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Steel refining
Continuous casting
Ingot casting
Numerical modeling
Physical modeling
Non-metallic inclusion
Multiphase Flow
Interfacial Reaction
Solidification

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 13263 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Salt Tracer Dosages on the Mixing Process in the Water Model of a Single Snorkel Refining Furnace

by Xin Ouyang, Wanming Lin, Yanzhao Luo, Yuxing Zhang, Jinping Fan, Chao Chen and Guoguang Cheng

Metals 2022, 12(11), 1948; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12111948 - 14 Nov 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1180

Abstract

The improvement in mixing conditions in a vacuum refining unit plays an important role in enhancing the purity and decarburization of molten steel. Mixing time is an important index to evaluate the operation efficiency of a metallurgical reactor. However, in water models, the effect of salt tracer dosages on the measured mixing time in a vacuum reactor is not clear. In this study, a water model of a Single Snorkel Refining Furnace (SSRF) was established to study the effect of salt solution tracer dosages on the mixing time of monitor points. The experimental results show that, in some areas at the top of the ladle, the mixing time decreases first and then increases when increasing the tracer dosage. Numerical simulation results show that, when the tracer dosage increases, the tracer flows downwards at a higher pace from the vacuum chamber to the bottom of the ladle. This may compensate for the injection time interval of large dosage cases. However, the mass fraction of the KCl tracer at the right side of the bottom is the highest, which indicates that there may be a dead zone. For the dimensionless concentration time curves and a 99% mixing time, at the top of the vacuum chamber, the curve shifts to the right side and the mixing time decreases gradually with the increase in tracer dosage. At the bottom of the ladle, with the increase in tracer dosage, the peak value of the dimensionless concentration time curve is increased slightly. The mixing time of the bottom of the ladle decreases significantly with the increase in tracer dosage. However, in the dead zone, the mixing time will increase when the tracer dosage is large. At the top of the ladle, the effect of the tracer dosage is not obvious. The mixing time of the top of the ladle decreases first and then increases when increasing the tracer dosage. In addition, the mixing time of the top of the ladle is the shortest, which means that sampling at the top of the ladle in industrial production cannot represent the entire mixing state in the ladle. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical and Physical Modeling in Steel Refining and Casting)

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15 pages, 5032 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Deoxidizing and Alloying Routes on the Evolution of Non-Metallic Inclusions in 55SiCr Spring Steel

by Jinwen Liu, Haiyan Tang, Luzhao Guo and Jiaquan Zhang

Metals 2022, 12(9), 1531; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12091531 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1708

Abstract

Compared to the conventional deoxidation process with Al or Si-Mn for 55SiCr spring steel production, the possibility of using a Si-Ca-Ba compounded deoxidizer to control the behavior of non-metallic inclusions in spring steel was explored in this study. The effect of the addition sequence of deoxidizer and alloys into molten steel on the morphology, size, and composition of the inclusions was emphatically studied at 1873 K (1600 °C) using a high-temperature electric resistance furnace. The results indicate that adding alloy first can form less harmful inclusions in steel, which are roughly spherical and smaller than 3 μm in diameter, and its inclusion evolution path is MnO-SiO₂-Al₂O₃→CaO-SiO₂-Al₂O₃ and CaO-Al₂O₃-MgO. While adding deoxidizer first, the inclusions in steel are harmful due to its mostly irregular geometry and relatively large size over 5 μm. The inclusion evolution path is Fe-O→CaO-Al₂O₃(-SiO₂) and CaO-Al₂O₃-MgO. The formation and evolution mechanism of inclusions under different addition sequences were discussed. In addition, the solubility limits of MgO from refractory into steel were studied to inhibit its corrosion by molten steel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical and Physical Modeling in Steel Refining and Casting)

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15 pages, 4713 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Behaviors under Non-Isothermal Conditions in a Four-Strand Tundish

by Mingmei Zhu, Sikun Peng, Kunchi Jiang, Jie Luo, Yong Zhong and Ping Tang

Metals 2022, 12(5), 840; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12050840 - 13 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1364

Abstract

In the continuous casting process, the fluid flow of molten steel in the tundish is in a non-isothermal state. Because of the geometric shape and process parameters of a multi-strand tundish, the fluid flow behavior of each strand is quite inhomogeneous, and the difference in temperature, composition and inclusion content between each strand is great, which directly affects the quality of the steel products. In this paper, the fluid flow, heat transfer phenomena and inclusion trajectories in a four-strand tundish with and without flow-control devices (FCDs) are investigated using a water model and numerical simulation in isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. The results show that natural convection has a significant influence on the flow pattern and temperature distributions of molten steel in the tundish. Without FCDs, the average residence times of the molten steel in the tundish obtained by the isothermal water model, non-isothermal water model and non-isothermal mathematical model were 251.2 s, 263.3 s and 266.0 s, respectively, and the dead zone volumes were 21.51%, 29.26% and 28.21%, respectively. With FCDs, the average residence times of the molten steel obtained by the isothermal water model, non-isothermal water model and non-isothermal mathematical model were 293.0 s, 304.0 s and 305.2 s, respectively, and the dead zone volumes were 43.98%, 50.23% and 52.78%, respectively. The flow characteristics of the molten steel in the tundish were different between the isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. Compared with isothermal conditions, the numerical simulation results were closer to the water model results in non-isothermal conditions. The trial results showed that the fluid flow in a tundish has a non-isothermal characteristic, and the results in non-isothermal conditions can better reflect the actual fluid flow and heat transfer behaviors of molten steel in a tundish. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical and Physical Modeling in Steel Refining and Casting)

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12 pages, 4545 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Kinetics of Phase Transition of Austenite to Ferrite in Medium-Carbon Microalloy Steel

by Liushun Wu, Kunlong Liu and Yun Zhou

Metals 2021, 11(12), 1986; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11121986 - 09 Dec 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2409

Abstract

To reduce energy and resource consumption, high-strength hot-rolled rebars with yield strengths of ≥400 MPa (HRB500) and ≥500 MPa (HRB600) have been designed and produced in recent years. Optimizing the microstructure in the steel to improve strength necessitates determining the kinetics of the phase transition of austenite to polygonal ferrite. Therefore, in the study, the effect of temperature and holding time on the volume fraction of ferrite is investigated in HRB500 and HRB600 steels. Experimental results show that the ferrite percentage initially increases with an increase in temperature and then decreases as the temperature increases from 600 to 730 °C. The optimum temperature range is 680–700 °C for HRB500 steel and 650–680 °C for HRB600 steel. Based on the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami equation, phase transition kinetic models are established. Model predictions are consistent with the validation data. Thus, this study establishes a reference for studying ferrite formation during cooling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical and Physical Modeling in Steel Refining and Casting)

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17 pages, 13799 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study of the Effect of a Plug with Torsion Channels on the Mixing Time in a Continuous Casting Ladle Water Model

by Gerardo Aguilar, Gildardo Solorio-Diaz, Alicia Aguilar-Corona, José Angel Ramos-Banderas, Constantin A. Hernández and Fernando Saldaña

Metals 2021, 11(12), 1942; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11121942 - 01 Dec 2021

Viewed by 1305

Abstract

The use of porous plugs in injecting gas through the bottom of a ladle forms vertical plumes in a very similar way to a truncated cone. The gas plume when exiting the plug has a smaller diameter compared to that formed in the upper zone of the ladle because inertial forces predominate over buoyancy forces in this zone. In addition, the magnitude of the plume velocity is concentrated in an upward direction, which increases the likelihood of low velocity zones forming near the bottom of the ladle, especially in lower corners. In this work, a plug with spiral-shaped channels with different torsion angles is proposed, with the objective that the gas, when passing through them, has a tangential velocity gain or that the velocity magnitude is distributed in the three axes and does not just focus on the upward direction, helping to decrease low velocity zones near the bottom of the ladle for better mixing times. For the experimentation, we worked in a continuous casting ladle water model with two configuration injections, which in previous works were reported as the most efficient in mixing the steel in this ladle. The results obtained using the PIV technique (particle image velocimetry) and conductimetry technique indicate that the plugs with the torsion channels at angles of 60° and 120° improve the mixing times for the two injection configurations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical and Physical Modeling in Steel Refining and Casting)

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18 pages, 7347 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Impeller Rotational Speed and Immersion Depth on Flow Pattern, Mixing and Interface Characteristics for Kanbara Reactors Using VOF-SMM Simulations

by Qiang Li, Suwei Ma, Xiaoyang Shen, Mingming Li and Zongshu Zou

Metals 2021, 11(10), 1596; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11101596 - 08 Oct 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3929

Abstract

The Kanbara Reactor (KR) is a primary desulfurization technology in the hot metal pretreatment refining process that is widely employed in the modern steelmaking industry. The operating parameters of KR impeller immersion depth (IID) and rotation speed (IRS) have a crucial impact on the process performance and the desulfurization effect. Still, their influences have not been fully understood. This study systematically investigated the effects of IID and IRS on the flow pattern, mixing behavior, vortex core depth, and free surface characteristics for KR processes based on a 3D Volume of Fluid (VOF) model coupled with the sliding mesh method (SMM). The model was validated via scale-down water model experiments and then applied to the KR process, and simulations found that IID and IRS have different impacts on the flow pattern. Specifically, the discharge flow location moves downward with IID increasing, but the discharge strength and mean velocity hardly changes. Comparatively, the rise of IRS significantly increases the mean velocity, but few changes occur to the discharge flow position. Increasing IRS improves bath hydrodynamics, strengthens recirculation, and efficiently shortens mixing time, but IID has a neglectable effect on these features. The minimum mixing time is 55 s at a maximum IRS of 260 rpm. Moreover, the vortex core depth and free surface velocity visibly increase with the increase of IRS. Comparatively, IID has a limited effect on the flow and mixing behavior but directly impacts the distribution of recirculation regions at the axial direction and the velocity gradient on the free surface at the radial direction. Furthermore, the correlation equations of these critical parameters as a function of the operating parameters were obtained. The results from this study may provide references for operating optimizations and industrial practices of KRs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical and Physical Modeling in Steel Refining and Casting)

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14 pages, 4631 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Molten Steel Flow, Heat Transfer and Inclusion Distribution in a Single-Strand Continuous Casting Tundish with Induction Heating

by Weixue Dou, Zexi Yang, Ziming Wang and Qiang Yue

Metals 2021, 11(10), 1536; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11101536 - 27 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4264

Abstract

The electrical magnetic field plays an important role in controlling the molten steel flow, heat transfer and migration of inclusions. However, industrial tests for inclusion distribution in a single-strand tundish under the electromagnetic field have never been reported before. The distribution of non-metallic inclusions in steel is still uncertain in an induction-heating (IH) tundish. In the present study, therefore, using numerical simulation methods, we simulate the flow and heat transfer characteristics of molten steel in the channel-type IH tundish, especially in the channel. At the same time, industrial trials were carried out on the channel-type IH tundish, and the temperature distribution of the tundish with or without IH under different pouring ladle furnace was analyzed. The method of scanning electron microscopy was employed to obtain the distribution of inclusions on different channel sections. The flow characteristics of molten steel in the channel change with flow time, and the single vortex and double vortex alternately occur under the electromagnetic field. The heat loss of molten steel can be compensated in a tundish with IH. As heating for 145 s, the temperature of the molten steel in the channel increases by 31.8 K. It demonstrates that the temperature of the molten steel in the tundish can be kept at the target value of around 1813 K, fluctuating up and down 3 K after using electromagnetic IH. In the IH channel, the large inclusions with diameters greater than 9 μm are more concentrated at the edge of the channel, and the effect of IH on the inclusion with diameters less than 9 μm has little effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical and Physical Modeling in Steel Refining and Casting)

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13 pages, 4851 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimal Design of the Submerged Entry Nozzle for Thin Slab Continuous Casting Molds

by Mingtao Xuan and Min Chen

Metals 2021, 11(8), 1223; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11081223 - 31 Jul 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2170

Abstract

For the purpose of increasing the capacity of an Angang Strip Production (ASP) continuous caster and the surface quality of a medium-thin slab with mold sections of 150 × (1020–1540) mm², the present work investigated the influences of the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) structure and main operating parameters on the flow characteristic and temperature distribution in the mold by physical and numerical simulations. The results showed that the typical “double-roll” flow and a central jet were formed through the three-port SEN. With the original SEN, the mean wave height exceeded the critical value of 5.0 mm after the casting speed was increased due to the strong upper recirculation flow. By the slight increment of the bottom port area and the side port angle of SEN, the mean wave height was obviously decreased below 4.4 mm due to the depressing of the upper recirculation flow after the casting speed increased. Meanwhile, the temperature distribution was slightly changed by using the optimized SEN. The practical application showed that the breakout rate decreased from 0.349% to 0.107% and the surface defect rate decreased from 0.54% to 0.19% by using the optimized SEN, while throughput reached the new level of 3.96 t/min. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical and Physical Modeling in Steel Refining and Casting)

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17 pages, 5062 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multiphasic Study of Fluid-Dynamics and the Thermal Behavior of a Steel Ladle during Bottom Gas Injection Using the Eulerian Model

by Antonio Urióstegui-Hernández, Pedro Garnica-González, José Ángel Ramos-Banderas, Constantin Alberto Hernández-Bocanegra and Gildardo Solorio-Díaz

Metals 2021, 11(7), 1082; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11071082 - 06 Jul 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2191

Abstract

In this work, the fluid dynamic and thermal behavior of steel was analyzed during argon gas stirring in a 140-t refining ladle. The Eulerian multiphase mathematical model was used in conjunction with the discrete ordinates (DO) thermal radiation model in a steel-slag-argon system. The model was validated by particle image velocimetry (PIV) and the analysis of the opening of the oil layer in a physical scale model. The effect of Al₂O₃ and Mg-C as a refractory in the walls was studied, and the Ranz-Marshall and Tomiyama models were compared to determine the heat exchange coefficient. The results indicated that there were no significant differences between these heat exchange models; likewise, the radiation heat transfer model adequately simulated the thermal behavior according to plant measurements, finding a thermal homogenization time of the steel of 2.5 min for a gas flow of 0.45 Nm³·min⁻¹. Finally, both types of refractory kept the temperature of the steel within the ranges recommended in the plant; however, the use of Al₂O₃ had better heat retention, which would favor refining operations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical and Physical Modeling in Steel Refining and Casting)

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Review

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19 pages, 3537 KiB

Open AccessReview

Residence Time Distribution (RTD) Applications in Continuous Casting Tundish: A Review and New Perspectives

by Ziming Wang, Zexi Yang, Xiuzhen Wang, Qiang Yue, Zhendong Xia and Hong Xiao

Metals 2022, 12(8), 1366; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12081366 - 17 Aug 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 1564

Abstract

The continuous casting tundish is a very important metallurgical reactor in continuous casting production. The flow characteristics of tundishes are usually evaluated by residence time distribution (RTD) curves. At present, the analysis model of RTD curves still has limitations. In this study, we reviewed RTD curve analysis models of the single flow and multi-flow tundish. We compared the mixing model and modified combination model for RTD curves of single flow tundish. At the same time, multi-strand tundish flow characteristics analysis models for RTD curves were analyzed. Based on the RTD curves obtained from a tundish water experiment, the applicability of various models is discussed, providing a reference for the selection of RTD analysis models. Finally, we proposed a flow characteristics analysis of multi-strand tundish based on a cumulative time distribution curve (F-curve). The F-curve and intensity curve can be used to analyze and compare the flow characteristics of multi-strand tundishes. The modified dead zone calculation method is also more reasonable. This method provides a new perspective for the study of multi-strand tundishes or other reactor flow characteristics analysis models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical and Physical Modeling in Steel Refining and Casting)

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