Simulation Study on the Influence of Different Molten Steel Temperatures on Inclusion Distribution under Dual-Channel Induction-Heating Conditions

Materials (Basel). 2023 Dec 8;16(24):7556. doi: 10.3390/ma16247556.

Abstract

Impurity elimination in tundishes is an essential metallurgical function in continuous casting. If inclusions in a tundish cannot be effectively removed, their presence will have a serious impact on the quality of the bloom. As a result, this research investigates the locations of inclusion particles in a six-strand induction-heating tundish in depth, combining the flow, temperature, and inclusion trajectories of molten steel under electromagnetic fields. The results show that a pinch effect occurred in the induction-heating tundish, and a rotating magnetic field formed in the channel, with a maximum value of 0.158 T. The electromagnetic force was directed toward the center of the axis, and its numerical distribution corresponds to the magnetic flux density distribution, with a maximum value of 2.11 × 105 N/m3. The inclusion particles' movement speed accelerated as the molten steel's temperature rose, and their distribution in the channel was identical to the rotating flow field distribution. When the steel's temperature rose from 1750 K to 1850 K, the removal percentage of inclusion particles in the discharge chamber rose by 9.20%, the removal rate at the outlet decreased from 8.00% to 3.00%, and the adhesion percentage of inclusion particles in the channel decreased from 48.40% to 44.40%.

Keywords: inclusion particles; induction heating; mathematical simulation; temperatures.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, grant number 52074140, and the Scientific Research Fund of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Education, grant number 2023J0130.