New Insight on Liquid Steel Microalloying by Pulse-Step Method in Two-Strand Slab Tundish by Numerical Simulations

Abstract

Developing a technology for introducing alloy addition to liquid steel during the course of continuous casting process seems to be an interesting approach to enhancing the steelmaking process, especially as the effective introduction of micro-additives or non-metallic inclusion modifiers to the liquid steel is the key to the production of the highest-quality steel. This paper presents the results of investigation describing the process of liquid steel chemical homogenisation in the two-strand slab tundish. The alloy was fed to liquid steel by pulse-step method. Five tundish equipment variants with different flow control devices and alloy addition feeding positions were considered. The paper includes fields of liquid steel flow, alloy concentration vs. time curves, dimensionless mixing time, minimum time values and alloy concentration deviations at tundish outlets. The results pointed much more effectively with liquid steel mixing nickel than aluminium. For aluminium obtaining a 95% chemical homogenisation level requires three-fold more time. Moreover, it is definitely beneficial for chemical homogenisation to initiate the alloying process simultaneously in two sites. This procedure generates, among others, the least alloy deviation of concentration at tundish outlets.