In the CC process, the molten steel enters the mold through the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) and forms obvious flow pattern in the mold. Moreover, the predicted and experimental results for distributions of magnetic flux density and near surface element C content compare agreeably, which indicates the validity of the coupled model in current work.Īs a very important part of the continuous casting (CC) process, the CC mold has always been concerned and studied by researchers. Therefore, the mold curvature is necessary to consider for predicting the macroscopic transmission phenomenon in the mold. The mold curvature has a profound effect on the flow field distribution of the mold, and further affects the temperature field and solute distribution in the mold. The results indicate that the M-EMS can cause obvious rotating flow in the mold and enhance the superheat dissipation of the molten steel to promote the growth of solidification shell. The influence of mold electromagnetic stirring (M-EMS) and mold curvature on the flow, heat transfer, solidification, solute transport in the mold were investigated in detail. Therefore, the characteristics and disciplinarians of macroscopic transport behavior for different types of mold were revealed. When implementing a phase transition function, \alpha(T), a smooth transition between phases takes place, within an interval of \Delta T_=25K on the adapted mesh.A three-dimensional model, which coupled flow, heat transfer, solidification, solute transport and electromagnetic field, was separately developed for vertical mold and curved mold of billet continuous casting. Up to five transitions in phase per material are supported. This method is the most suitable for phase transitions from solid to solid, liquid to solid, or solid to liquid. The method gets its name from the fact that the latent heat is included as an additional term in the heat capacity. Modeling Phase Change with the Apparent Heat Capacity MethodĬOMSOL Multiphysics and the Heat Transfer Module together offer a tailored interface for modeling phase change with the Apparent Heat Capacity method. With COMSOL software, we can predict the exact location of the phase interface.
In order to optimize and improve this process, we can turn to simulation.
Here is an illustration of the continuous casting process: The rate at which the metal enters and leaves the modeling domain does not vary with time, and neither does the location of the solidification front. This is a stationary, time-invariant, process. When the metal is completely solidified, it can be cut into billets. To further cool down the metal, spray cooling is used. As the metal leaves the mold, the outside is solidified completely, while the inside is still liquid. In the continuous casting process, liquid metal is poured into a cooled mold and starts to solidify. We can use the Heat Transfer Module to model this type of phase change. Phase change leads to a sudden variation in the material properties and involves the release or absorption of latent heat. Phase change is a transformation of material from one state of matter to another due to a change in temperature.
It uses the apparent heat capacity method, which we introduce here. The Heat Transfer Module offers a dedicated interface for modeling the characteristics of phase change. Modeling phase change is important for many thermal processes, ranging from the food industry to the metal processing industry.