Physical water model and CFD studies of fluid flow in a single strand tundish

Abstract Flow characteristics in a continuous casting tundish is one of the key parameters producing a high quality clean steel. In this study, the fluid flow analyses of a single-strand tundish model were carried out using the commercial CFD software ANSYS FLUENT 14.0 and experimentally verified by physical water model. The realizable k-ɛ equation was utilized to model turbulent phenomenon. The behavior and performance of the flow in tundish with and without flow modifiers were investigated by the residence time distribution (RTD) curves which were obtained from the tracer concentration measurement at the outlet. The results from CFD are in agreement with the experiment results. The results show that the flow modifier plays an important role in increasing residence time and enhancing flow performance which could feasibly promote the inclusion removal potentials in the tundish process. The peak and the minimum residence time of RTD curves of the tundish model with flow modifiers were improved for more than 20%. With the comparison of the four flow modifier configurations (bare tundish, dam, baffle and turbostop) in the current tundish model, it could be concluded that the turbostop could provide the optimal flow characteristic in which could improve the level of inclusion removable.