Decrease of Nozzle Clogging through Fluid Flow Control

Decreasing the clogging deposition rate of alumina inclusions in continuous casting nozzles is possible through three simultaneous measures: Flow modification, use of raw materials with low impurities contents, and smoothed internal surfaces. The control of the internal flow consists on avoiding dea...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Enif Gutiérrez, Jose de Jesus Barreto, Saul Garcia-Hernandez, Rodolfo Morales, María G. González-Solorzano
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
Series:Metals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/10/11/1420
Description
Summary:Decreasing the clogging deposition rate of alumina inclusions in continuous casting nozzles is possible through three simultaneous measures: Flow modification, use of raw materials with low impurities contents, and smoothed internal surfaces. The control of the internal flow consists on avoiding dead regions and developing symmetric patterns. A mathematical model performed tests of the feasibility of these measures. The adherence of inclusions to the nozzle wall, using this model, employs a boundary condition based on the thickness of the sublaminar boundary instead of the conventional “trap” boundary condition. The use of the general boundary condition yields deposition rates that are unaffected by the inclusion size. The proposed boundary condition discriminates against the clogging deposition rate through the particle sizes. Plant trials complemented with water modeling, using these nozzles, proved that the present approach could considerably decrease the clogging occurrence.
ISSN:2075-4701