Numerical Investigation of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Phenomenon Inside a Single Strand Tundish of Slab Caster

The tundish design is an important factor which governs the steel quality. An effective tundish design can enhance inclusion flotation through development of required liquid steel flow pattern. The well‐shaped bottom is one of the developments in the area of tundish design. This tundish is in practice and has significantly contributed towards improving the productivity of the steel plants. The current work investigates the liquid steel flow phenomenon in this type of tundish. The 3D CFD model was used for present investigation. The results obtained shows that well‐shaped bottom tundish produces better performance as compared to tundishes having flat bottom. The effect of bath height, throughput and depth of well on flow behavior inside the tundish having well‐shaped bottom was studied in the current work. The results of RTD analysis show the need to optimize these parameters. CFD simulations were also performed to capture the non isothermal phenomenon in a well‐shaped bottom tundish. The current work investigates different aspects of well‐shaped bottom tundish. The results obtained shows that well‐shaped bottom tundish produces better performance as compared to tundishes having flat bottom. It is also noticed that throughput effect(between 2 and 3.5 tonnes min−1) on flow characteristics of this tundish will not be significant and will only lead to change in theoretical residence time.