Model of Combustion and Melting of Continuous Casting Mold Powders

In continuous casting of steel, mold powder is added to the top surface to provide thermal insulation, lubrication and to prevent liquid metal oxidation. Understanding powder melting behavior is key to maintaining a stable liquid slag pool thickness. A model of temperature distribution, combustion and gas reactions in the powder/slag layers has been developed. The powder/slag is modeled with a 1-D, fixed-grid, transient, advection-diffusion model, including phase changes, melting, powder densification, carbon burning, gas evolution, transport, and exhaust behaviors. The model is validated with measurements in a lab-scale sintering experiment, and with plant measurements in a commercial caster.

Lipsa Das | Colorado School of Mines
 

Adnan Akhtar | ANSYS
 

Brian G. Thomas | Colorado School of Mines