Continuous Casting Process Optimization and Fluid Dynamics
Summary
The continuous casting process has become central to modern steel and non-ferrous metal production, enabling high-throughput formation of semi-finished shapes with tightly controlled microstructures. Central to optimisation is the management of fluid flow within the tundish and mould regions, where jet impact, recirculation patterns and turbulence dictate heat transfer, solidification and solute distribution. Advanced electromagnetic techniques—such as mould electromagnetic stirring and braking—offer contactless control of melt motion, reducing surface defects, macrosegregation and shell inhomogeneity. Numerical methods, ranging from coupled finite‐element/volume solvers to large‐eddy simulations, now capture multiphysics interactions among flow, heat transfer, phase change and species transport. Precision in nozzle design, cooling practices and electromagnetic field application has led to refined control of meniscus behaviour, shell stability and grain structure, thereby improving yield, product quality and process efficiency on a global scale.
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Recent three‐phase volume‐averaging simulations have deepened understanding of how in-mould electromagnetic stirring promotes central equiaxed crystal formation. Modelling reveals that stirring accelerates superheat dissipation in the mould, drives crystal fragmentation and undercooling in the lower region, and thereby governs the emergence of a central equiaxed zone and associated negative and positive macrosegregation bands. Complementary studies of electromagnetic braking have characterised induced current loop closures under insulating and conductive boundaries, showing that turbulence is either damped or destabilised according to the electrical nature of the mould and solid shell, with implications for vortex formation and flow uniformity. Foundational large‐eddy simulations of multiphase flow have identified the mechanisms and stages of slag entrainment in the mould, highlighting the roles of vortex dynamics, shear‐layer instability and meniscus fluctuations in defect formation and offering guidelines for flow control to minimise slag inclusion.
Continuous Casting Process Optimization and Fluid Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in continuous casting process optimization and fluid dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Continuous casting: A semi-continuous process in which molten metal is solidified into a semi-finished shape by withdrawal through a water-cooled copper mould.
Mould electromagnetic stirring (M-EMS): The application of alternating magnetic fields to induce rotational flow in the liquid metal within the mould, enhancing heat and solute transport.
Electromagnetic braking (EMBr): The use of steady magnetic fields to generate Lorentz forces that dampen turbulent flow, stabilising the liquid surface and reducing defects.
Submerged entry nozzle (SEN): A refractory conduit that guides molten metal from the tundish into the mould, whose geometry and orientation strongly influence jet impingement and flow pattern.
Macrosegregation: The non-uniform distribution of alloying elements on a scale larger than individual grains, caused by convective flow and solidification front interactions.
Large-eddy simulation (LES): A turbulence modelling approach that resolves large-scale eddies directly while modelling smaller scales, enabling detailed study of unsteady flow phenomena.
References
- Modeling of the as-cast structure and macrosegregation in the continuous casting of a steel billet: Effect of M-EMS. Journal of Materials Processing Technology (2022).
- Electric Current Distribution During Electromagnetic Braking in Continuous Casting. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B (2020).
- Large Eddy Simulation of Multi-Phase Flow and Slag Entrapment in a Continuous Casting Mold. Metals (2018).
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