Numerical and Physical Modeling of Liquid Steel Asymmetric Behavior during Non-Isothermal Conditions in a Two-Strand Slab Tundish—“Butterfly Effect”

Abstract

This paper presents the results of studies on the occurrence of transient disturbances in the hydrodynamic system of a tundish feeding area and their effect on the casting process. In addition, the effect of changes in the level of superheating of the molten steel fed to the tundish on the evolution of the hydrodynamic system was analyzed. The studies were conducted with the use of a physical model of the tundish and a numerical model, representing the industrial conditions of the process of the continuous casting of steel. When a tundish is fed through a modified ladle shroud that slows down the momentum of the stream, this creates favorable conditions for the emergence of asymmetrical flow within the working tundish volume. The higher the degree of molten steel reheating in the ladle furnace, the stronger the evolution of the hydrodynamic structures in the tundish during the casting process.