Effect of electromagnetic stirrer centered outside the mold on steel flow field of bloom continuous casting

Abstract

Mold electromagnetic stirring technology for optimizing the flow of molten steel is now widely used in the continuous casting production process of high-quality steels. However, studies on the case that the center of the electromagnetic stirrer is located outside the mold have not been reported. Herein, the effect of the electromagnetic stirrer centered outside the mold on the steel flow field was studied in detail by means of numerical simulations. A Gauss meter was used to measure the magnetic induction intensity at different positions, currents, and frequencies. The test results were compared with the simulation results of electromagnetic stirring to calibrate and verify the accuracy of the electromagnetic model. Then, electromagnetic force was introduced into the flow field model as a source term to study its effect on the flow field under anomalous conditions. The results show that when the center of the electromagnetic stirrer is located outside the mold, the magnetic field strength is about twice as strong as that located inside the mold. This also leads to an increase in the flow velocity near the electromagnetic stirrer. As a result, the optimal electromagnetic stirring parameters (200 A, 2.5 Hz) were specified when the center of the electromagnetic stirrer is located outside the mold.