How to electromagnetically stir in the slab continuous casting mould

Fluid flow plays a significantly important role in the continuous casting process which has a great influence on the steel quality. Electromagnetic stirring (EMS) has become a fairly established technology to control the flow behaviour within the mould. However, there still exist two important questions need to be answered, that is, what kind of flow pattern is the best one to achieve the high steel quality under EMS, and how to determine the optimal EMS parameters. Therefore, in order to clarify these questions, a methodology based on numerical simulation in an actual slab continuous casting mould has been developed to select an optimal EMS current, and three evaluation criteria are proposed in this paper, including: (1) a free surface rational criterion, (2) a uniformity criterion of the flow velocity distribution, (3) an inclusion removal criterion. By synthetically considering these evaluation criteria, the optimal EMS current is determined under different operating parameters. Meanwhile, this methodology can also be applied to optimize other operating conditions of continuous casting. Tables 1, Figs 8, Refs 13.