Numerical and experimental investigation of flow and particle movement in thin slab moulds
Increasing demands on the costs and quality of continuous cast products are the motivation to continuously optimize the continuous casting process. Innovative processes such as thin slab continuous casting lead to lower costs and significantly lower energy consumption. For further optimisation of the casting process with regard to jet quality, precise knowledge of the flow and movement of contaminating particles is important. In this application, the analysis of the flow in the thin slab mould is to be carried out experimentally on a 1:1 water model in the laboratory (IOB) and numerically with the aid of coarse structure simulation (AIA). On the water model, the IOB determines stationary and transient velocity fields of the water flow by means of laser-optical measuring methods. For the simulation of the transient gravity die flow and the description of the particle movements coarse structure simulations are necessary, which are carried out at the AIA. A Lagrange model is used for the determination of particle residence times and the movement of particles. The project partners IOB and AIA coordinate the experimental and simulation parameters, whereby the experimental data serve to validate the coarse structure simulations. The results serve to increase the understanding of the process and thus the targeted further development of the process.
The project was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) under the reference number PF 394/13–1.