Numerical simulation of a metallic load in continuous movement during heating in an experimental vertical-type furnace

The present work shows the results of a numerical simulation, in the transient 3D state, of heating a block of stainless steel AISI 304 in continuous movement in the interior of an experimental vertical furnace. The model considers the heat transfer by radiation between the furnace walls and the surface of the block using the model P-1, implemented in CFD Fluent® commercial software. The thermal boundary conditions were experimentally determined by sectioning and recording the furnace wall temperatures at different heights. In turn, the conditions were implemented through a user-defined function. The displacement of the block was modeled using two methods: the field assignment method and the layering dynamic mesh method. The simulated thermal histories obtained with both methods were compared with the experimental thermal history of the block during continuous movement in the interior of the furnace. The results show that the layering dynamic mesh method predicts the thermal history of the block heating during continuous movement more accurately than the field assignment method, providing a viable alternative for the simulation of continuous processes at high temperatures, such as the process of reheating a steel billet.