9th International Conference on Modeling and Simulation of Metallurgical Processes in Steelmaking - STEELSIM2021

Experimental investigations of the fluid flow in a continuous casting mold are performed at the Mini-LIMMCAST facility at HZDR, which is a liquid metal mockup operated with GaInSn at room temperature. Velocity measurements in the non-transparent liquid metal are performed by means of the ultrasound Doppler velocimetry (UDV), which enables the reconstruction of the complex flow pattern in the mold. The focus of our study is on the influence of different electromagnetic actuators like electromagnetic brakes (EMBr) or electromagnetic stirring (EMS) on the mold flow in slab and bloom geometries.
Flow measurements are carried out in a slab model for continuous casting of steel under the influence of a ruler type Electromagnetic Brake (EMBr). Two-dimensional velocity distributions in the center plane of the rectangular mold with a cross section of 30035mm2 are determined by means of the ultrasound Doppler velocimetry. This study especially focuses on the influence of the vertical position of the EMBr and its magnetic flux density as well as the effect of different immersion depths of the submerged entry nozzle. The horizontal flow velocity just below the free surface can effectively be reduced by choosing an optimal position of the EMBr, while an improper positioning even increases the near-surface velocity compared to the case without activated brake. A general braking effect of the EMBr on the submerged jet is not observed. The decisive mechanism for controlling the near-surface flow results from a modification of the jet geometry and a reorganization of the flow field. In terms of an effective flow control an appropriate positioning of the EMBr has at least the same significance as the regulation of the magnetic field strength.