Effect of SEN Asymmetric Clogging on Mold Level Fluctuation and Mold Slag Distribution During Continuous Casting

In the continuous casting process, clogging of the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) significantly increases the risk of slag entrainment and the incidence of defects in the slab. A water model at 0.6 scale was created for this study. Acrylic glass particles of different sizes were pasted on the inner walls of the SEN to simulate different clogging rates. Wavelet transform combined with energy was used to analyze the mold level fluctuation. The mold flow field and the distribution of the mold slag were observed. According to the findings, it is necessary to monitor fluctuations on both sides of the narrow face of the mold (NF). An accurate assessment of the bias flow may be made by the wavelet transform combined with energy to analyze the mold level fluctuation at the NF on both sides of the mold. This is a promotion and innovation in traditional fluctuations analysis methods. The frequency at NF is higher on the side with a larger clogging rate when asymmetric clogging occurs in SEN. The upper circulating flow (UCF) velocity on the side with lower clogging is more significant. The mold slag cannot completely cover the molten steel because of the velocity difference. The UCF vortex center on the severe side of the clogging shifts toward the NF as the asymmetric clogging increases, and the velocity of the molten steel there gradually rises. This increases the frequency of slag entrainment and the range of molten steel exposure.