9th ECCC European Continuous Casting Conference – ECCC 2017

The steel quality produced in a modern high productivity continuous caster is greatly increased by a flow modifier controlling the fluid flow in the mold. To achieve a controlled flow in the mold, to stabilize and to improve casting operation, the third generation FC Mold (FC Mold G3) has been mounted in the molds. This electromagnetic equipment combines the conventional double-level DC magnetic fields with an additional AC magnetic field in the upper level to stir around the meniscus. The lower DC magnetic field reduces jet momentum, penetration depth and overall turbulence in the mold. The upper magnetic field creates one homogeneous speed in the front of the initial solid shell and stabilizes meniscus fluctuations. Plant quality results show a surface defect reduction of more than 50% with FC Mold G3 on critical ULC grades made for exposed automotive body panel. A control package is used to master the FC Mold G3 operation. Numerical simulations of the fluid flow, predicting the amount of surface defects, is used together with a “Mold Index”, quantifying the flow intensity in the mold, to allow the control software to adapt magnetic field configurations and strengths to varying caster settings. By proper control of FC Mold G3, in combination with choosing the right SEN parameters, a controlled flow behavior has been achieved for a wide spectrum of casting conditions with improved slab cleanliness and surface quality