Numerical Analysis of Slag-Steel-Air Four-Phase Flow in Steel Continuous Casting Model Using CFD-DBM-VOF Model

Argon injection is usually applied in the continuous casting mold to prevent submerged entry nozzle (SEN) clogging. However, the stability of the slag-steel interface is affected by the injected gas, even leading to the formation of the slag eye. A computational fluid dynamics-discrete bubble model-volume of fluid (CFD-DBM-VOF) model is established to predict the argon-slag-steel-air four-phase flow in the continuous casting mold. The bubble behavior is treated with the Lagrangian approach considering bubble coalescence and breakup. The movement behavior of the slag-steel interface is analyzed with and without argon blowing, validated with the water model. The results show that the large bubble tends to float up into the slag-steel interface near the SEN with argon injection, resulting in fluctuations in the slag-steel interface near the SEN. The bubble distribution, flow field, fluctuation height of the slag-steel interface and configuration of the slag eye in the mold are analyzed. Furthermore, the effect on the casting speed, gas flow rate and thickness of the slag layer is obtained based on the result. The mathematical prediction results showcase a combination of well-established phenomena and newly generated predictions.