Simulation of the effect of continuous casting tundish filter on removing inclusions in steel

Abstract

Abstract The control of inclusions in clean steel production is one of the key processes and a key factor determining the quality of high-end steel materials. The inhomogeneous hydrodynamic equations have been numerically solved to obtain a transient and multiphase field inside the caster tundish with filter to predict the inclusion movement track and percentage of inclusion removal during continuous casting process. The simulation result is validated with the samples taken during casting continuous process in X steelworks. The method of bulk-sample-electrolysis is taken to analyze the percentage of inclusion removal of the samples. The results imply: the inclusions through the filter are influenced on velocity and separated from liquid steel with high turbulence. Thus the inclusions’ residence time in tundish is prolonged, which causes the probability of inclusion removal increasing. The fluctuations on percentage of inclusion removal are found when the diameter of inclusions is less than 80μm. However, the fluctuation is not so severely for the inclusions of more than 100μm. The percentage of inclusion in tundish as 100 tones remaining in ladle is larger than that as 200 tones remaining in ladle. The percentage of inclusion removal is proportional to time. The filter can reduce the irregular inclusions to improve the quality of product.