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Inclusion removal by bubble flotation in a continuous casting mold

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Abstract

Fundamentally based computational models are developed and applied to quantify the removal of inclusions by bubbles during the continuous casting of steel. First, the attachment probability of inclusions on a bubble surface is investigated based on fundamental fluid flow simulations, incorporating the turbulent inclusion trajectory and sliding time of each individual inclusion along the bubble surface as a function of particle and bubble size. Then, the turbulent fluid flow in a typical continuous casting mold, trajectories of bubbles, and their path length in the mold are calculated. The change in inclusion distribution due to removal by bubble transport in the mold is calculated based on the computed attachment probability of inclusions on each bubble and the computed path length of the bubbles. In addition to quantifying inclusion removal for many different cases, the results are important to evaluate the significance of different inclusion-removal mechanisms. The modeling approach presented here is a powerful tool for investigating multiscale phenomena in steelmaking and casting operations to learn how to optimize conditions to lower defects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 8, Alfred Getz vei 2, N-7491, Trondheim, Norway

    Lifeng Zhang (Professor)

  2. the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 W. Green Street, 61801, Urbana, IL, U.S.A.

    Jun Aoki (Visiting Scholar)

  3. Researcher with Nippon Steel, Japan

    Jun Aoki (Visiting Scholar)

  4. the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 W. Green Street, 61801, Urbana, IL, U.S.A.

    Brian G. Thomas (Professor)

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  1. Lifeng Zhang
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  2. Jun Aoki
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  3. Brian G. Thomas
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Zhang, L., Aoki, J. & Thomas, B.G. Inclusion removal by bubble flotation in a continuous casting mold. Metall Mater Trans B 37, 361–379 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-006-0021-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-006-0021-z

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