Modeling study of molten steel turbulence control by SEN design improvement in a conventional slab caster

A research study to improve the fluidynamics of a typical slab caster mould by redesigning the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) ports through a complete mathematical analysis was carried out, selected geometries are deeply tested and analyzed by physical modeling. For that a 1:1 scale analogue water model was constructed; PIV techniques, red dye tracer injections, and ultrasonic sensors are employed to study the molten steel flow patterns behavior. A comparison between the original and the improved SEN designs indicate that both geometries show weak double roll flow pattern at shallow position, but the two-roll flow pattern is well developed at a deeper position. The original design induces vortexes formation at either, shallow or deep immersion. In the other hand, the proposed improved design, where the backflow is eradicated, maintains good free surface stability without any vortex formation. The physical results indicate that the backflow phenomenon induces jet fluctuations, which are reflected in a more turbulent free surface, and its elimination provides more stable flow patterns in the mould. A study to improve the fluidynamics of a slab mould by redesigning the SEN ports is carried out. The results indicate that the original design induces vortexes formation at the free surface and the backflow phenomena. The proposed design eliminates the formation of this phenomenon. Additionally, the backflow induces jet fluctuations, and its elimination provided stable flow patterns.