Effect of Inlet Position and Transverse Wall Inclination on the Behaviour of Inclusions in Four-Strand Curved Shaped Tundish for Steelmaking

Clean steel is the primary requirement of modern industries. The melt coming out from the furnace and ladle contains a high amount of eroded refractory particles. Thus, tundish is the last metallurgical reactor where the molten metal can be cleaned through various mechanisms. Both metallic and non-metallic types of inclusions are present inside the tundish affecting the quality of steel. The fluid flow properties of a four-strand billet caster tundish with one curved side have been studied using a three-dimensional mathematical model in this study. The impact of the position of the inlet and the inclination angle of the transverse wall in a curved shape tundish was investigated. The distance of inlet and TIB from outlet plane varied from 530 to 620 mm and also the transverse wall inclination angle from 7° to 12° to get the modified shapes of tundish. For six distinct types of tundishes, simulations were run. It was discovered that by optimizing the position of the entrance, fluid flow properties could be enhanced. The effect of particle size and density on the behaviour of inclusions in tundish has been investigated using a parametric study. It has been seen that inlet position and inclination angle of transverse wall have very less impact on the inclusion motion inside the tundish. Further, it was found that by increasing inclination angle of transverse wall has slight impact on lighter inclusion particles removal efficiency of the tundish. The mathematical model has been validated by the grid independence test.