A numerical analysis of molten steel flow under applied magnetic fields in continuous casting

Although continuous casting process has highly developed, there still remain many problems to be considered. Specifically, two vortex flows resulting from impingement against narrow walls make a flow field unstable in a mold, and it is directly related to internal and external defects of steel products. To cope with this instability, EMBR (Electromagnetic Brake Ruler) technique has been lately studied for the stability of molten steel flow, and it is revealed that molten steel flow in a mold can be controlled with applied magnetic field. However, it is still difficult to clarify flow pattern in an EMBR caster due to complex correlations among variables such as geometric factors, casting conditions, and the place and the intensity of charged magnetic field. In the present study, flow field in a mold is focused with different conditions of electromagnetic effect. To accurately analyze the case, three dimensional low Reynolds turbulent model and appropriate boundary conditions are chosen. To evaluate the electromagnetic effect in molten steel flow, dimensionless numbers are employed. The results show that the location and the intensity of the applied magnetic field significantly influence the flow pattern. Both impingement and internal flow pattern are changed remarkably with the change of the location of applied magnetic field. It turns out that an insufficient magnetic force yields adverse effect like channeling, and rather lowers the quality of steel product.