Increasing efficiency of rail steel refining in CCM tundish based on rational organization of hydrodynamic processes

Quality and operational properties of rails determine duration of their operational service. The main parameters that determine quality of steel are chemical heterogeneity and presence of non-metallic inclusions in metal. Efficiency of homogenization of metal melt and its refining from non-metallic inclusions in tundish is largely determined by organization of hydrodynamic processes, internal geometry of ladle, and presence of additional refractory elements. Using physical and mathematical modeling, study of the influence of additional refractory elements of various configurations of intermediate ladle on processes of melt flow was carried out. Physical modeling of hydrodynamic processes in the tundish taking into account requirements of similarity theory was made on specially created laboratory-experimental complex. Numerical experiments were carried out using computational fluid dynamics methods (finite volumes) on three-dimensional turbulent mathematical model with a singlephase representation of metal melt flow in tundish. To evaluate efficiency of melt homogenization according to results of physical and mathematical modeling, new technique has been developed based on analysis of distribution of time of liquid placement in continuous flow reactor. According to the results of experiments, configuration of the internal volume of tundish of four-strand CCM is proposed. A construction is considered that provides effective homogenization of molten rail steel and its refining from non-metallic inclusions. The design of full-profile compartments was developed and tested under industrial conditions, which ensure rational organization of melt flows, its homogenization and efficient refining of rail steel from non-metallic inclusions in the tundish. Industrial research was carried out under the conditions of four-strand CCM No. 1 of EAF shop at JSC “EVRAZ ZSMK”.

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