12th International Conference on Zinc & Zinc Alloy Coated Steel Sheet - GALVATECH 2021

Many surface defects of hot-dip galvanized steel strip are associated with the zinc flow inside the immersing snout. This paper presents an automated simulation workflow, which is used to study the flow patterns inside this critical plant component to give a better understanding of the fluid flow. The comprehensive numerical model of a zinc bath is the basis for this study. A prismatic domain around the immersing snout is extracted for typical process conditions of a galvanizing line. The automated workflow based on commercial software consists of a parametric CAD (computer-aided design) model, which is linked to a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) code with a bi-directional interface. The geometry is divided into simple bodies and meshed with a selective approach to assure high quality of the computational grid. The CFD simulations to analyze the flow patterns of the liquid zinc inside the snout are carried out automatically while critical flow information is monitored to assure good convergence of the steady-state analysis. In a post-processing step, the quantities of interest are calculated for further evaluation. With this interconnected workflow, extensive parametric studies can be conducted and the sensitivity of fundamental fluid flow conditions to geometric modifications of the snout are studied. Exemplary the influence of the snout wall angle and constant strip pass-line on the bath surface velocity distribution is shown.