Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flow in a Round Bloom Mold with In-Mold Rotary Electromagnetic Stirring

In this article, an electromagnetic field simulation and a flow analysis model are performed to describe the three-dimensional electromagnetic field distribution and the electromagnetically driven flow characteristics in a round-bloom mold with a low-frequency in-mold rotary electromagnetic stirrer. The interaction between the induced flow and the inertial impinging jet from a straight-through submerged entry nozzle (SEN) of the caster is considered. The effects of stirrer current and frequency on the electromagnetic field and the flow in the round-bloom mold are investigated, and a strategy to optimize the stirring parameters is proposed. The results show that the distributions of magnetic flux density and electromagnetic force magnitude are nonuniform in a three-dimensional electromagnetic stirring (EMS) configuration. There exists a significant axial induced component of electromagnetic force. The flow in the in-mold EMS system is characterized by a dominant swirling movement at the transverse sections, coupled with the recirculating flows in the axial direction. An upper recirculation zone and a lower recirculation zone with the reverse melt flowing are found near the strand wall at the axial location close to the middle of the stirrer, and another recirculation zone is formed due to the interference of the induced flow with the jet from SEN. The meniscus surface has a swirl flow, and the meniscus level rises near the bloom strand wall and sinks around the SEN wall. All of these flow features are closely associated with metallurgical performances of the in-mold rotary stirrer. With the increase of stirring current and the decrease of frequency, the magnetic flux magnitude increases. There is an optimum frequency to obtain a peak of electromagnetic force magnitude and maximum tangential velocity. For a mold rotary EMS system, to determine the optimum stirring intensity, it is necessary to make a compromise between a larger tangential velocity and a relatively quiescent meniscus surface.