Modelling of flow and heat transfer in metal feeding system used in twin roll casting

Twin roll casting is of interest as it allows the production of aluminium alloys sheet close to final gauge and therefore removes the need for hot rolling, and ideally only cold rolling to final gauge will be required. Quasi-uniform distribution of molten metal between the water-cooled rolls is accomplished with a ceramic fibre tip. The internal baffling configuration and shape affects this quasi-uniform distribution and contributes to defect-free industrial sheet production. In this study, a mathematical model and numerical solution algorithm (SOLA) have been proposed. The formulation is based on the continuum model for conservation of mass, momentum and energy, and can deal with the phenomena of fluid flow, heat transfer and partial solidification. The modified SOLA is used to solve the two-dimensional equations and the volume-of-fluid method is used to track the location of the flow domain. The model demonstrates that a seven-baffle tip performs better than a nine-baffle tip. Practical applications also verified that this model could provide the correct simulation results and help find the optimal tip geometry.