Numerical simulation of continuous casting of steel alloy for different cooling ambiences and casting speeds using immersed boundary method

Abstract

This article demonstrates implementation of immersed boundary method in continuous casting simulation involving boundary movement. In this methodology, the immersed boundary method is coupled with the second-order accurate finite difference solution of unsteady three-dimensional heat conduction equation. The moving molten metal front is modelled using the immersed boundary method in a Cartesian mesh framework that provides simplicity in its implementation and reduces the computational time as compared to the adaptive mesh solutions. A parallel programming paradigm using message passing interface has been implemented to obtain enhanced computational efficiency. This study has focused on capturing moving boundary during continuous casting and predicts the temperature distribution and shell thickness under different cooling ambiences and casting function. Good agreements with published data and correlations are obtained through numerical analysis. Mould-region shell thickness agrees well with Chipman–Fondersmith correlations. A new correlation has been further proposed for the delay constant at different heat extraction rates. The effects of key parameters like casting speed, convection and radiation from the continuous casting are also quantified in attempt to avail the data for optimal design of continuous caster.