Simulation of Flow and Heat Fields in a Seven-strand Tundish with Gas Curtain for Molten Steel Continuous-Casting

The present study involves physical and mathematical simulations to study the effect of gas bubbling curtains on the flow and temperature fields in a seven-strand tundish. In 1/3 scale tundish model experiments, RTD (Residence Time Distribution) curves were used to study the flow characteristics in the tundish with different configurations. The flow uniformity for all strands is evaluated through variance analysis of the RTD curves in different tundish cases. Besides, the tracer dispersion experiment was performed to visualize the fluid flow under the effect of the gas curtain. In order to investigate the effect of a gas curtain on the flow in the tundish, mathematical simulations were carried out mainly for two cases with or without gas bubbling curtains. The RTD curves were obtained from the species transport model. The results obtained show that gas bubbling curtains can help improve fluid flow characteristics in multi-strand tundish, and that the location of the curtains plays a key role in optimizing multi-strand tundishes configuration. Gas bubbling curtains can decrease the differences in residence times and molten steel temperatures at different outlets in multi-strand tundishes effectively. Heat transfer between different areas is promoted and the temperature field is uniformed significantly in such tundishes.