Coupled turbulent flow, heat, and solute transport in continuous casting processes with an electromagnetic brake

Abstract

dThis study describes the numerical modeling of coupled turbulent fluid flow, heat, and solute transport in a continuous slab caster with an electromagnetic brake (EMBr). Transport equations of total mass, momentum, energy, and species for a binary iron-carbon alloy system are solved using a continuum model. The turbulent effects are taken into account using the standard k-epsilon equations, where coefficients are appropriately modified for phase change. The electromagnetic field is described by Maxwell equations. A finite-volume method is employed to solve the conservation equations associated with appropriate boundary conditions. The process variables considered are the casting speed, magnetic flux density, and carbon segregation. The effects of these process variables on the velocity, temperature, and solute distributions are reported and discussed.