Simulation of coupled turbulent flow and heat transfer in the wedge-shaped pool of a twin-roll strip casting process

The proper choice of nozzle in a twin-roll strip casting process is important to obtain the stabilization of the molten steel and free surface and a stable temperature distribution in a wedge-shaped pool. In this study, a numerical investigation of the coupled turbulent flow and heat transfer in a twin-roll strip casting process was performed for two patterns of melt-feed through a nozzle. In addition, the patterns for the removal of superheat for different gap thicknesses were analyzed using a local Nusselt number along the roll surface. The flow turbulence was examined using the low-Reynolds-number k-epsilon turbulence model of Launder and Sharma. The results show that the use of a submerged nozzle may have a beneficial impact on the stabilization of the free-surface zone. The increased gap thickness yields an increased local Nusselt number in the downstream section of the wedge-shaped pool where the cross-sectional flow area is reduced. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.