Influence of Modern Ladle Shroud on Hydrodynamic Structure in One Strand Slab Tundish

In the presented work, the numerical simulations results of the liquid steel flow in the one strand tundish were shown. Influence of the modification and immersion depth in the liquid steel of the ladle shroud and subflux turbulence controller on hydrodynamic structure of the liquid steel movement in the working space of tundish were examined. The ladle shroud shape modification consisted on the decompression and compression of the main supplying stream of the tundish. The mathematical model used in the numerical simulations through physical modeling and industrial trials were validated. The numerical simulation results (using four variants of the modified ladle shroud immersion depth in the liquid steel) in the isothermal conditions using laboratory experiments on the water model were verified. Whereas, the numerical simulation results (using one of the tundish research variant) for non-isothermal were compared with the results from the industrial measurements. Three turbulence models: Realizable k-ε, RNG k-ε and SST k-ω were used in the computer calculations (performed via the Ansys-Fluent computer program). In order to obtain the actual view of the liquid steel flow hydrodynamic structure in the examined tundish for the two mathematical models using different turbulence models, which were most similar to the laboratory experiments and industrial measurements, the numerical simulations were performed in the non-isothermal conditions. The application in the computer calculations of the SST k-ω turbulence model caused the smallest differences between the numerical simulations, laboratory experiments and industrial measurements. Performed tests showed that ladle shroud can be used as a flow control device and the modified ladle shroud immersion at a depth of 0.1 m in the liquid steel caused the shortest range of the transition zone among the tested cases.