Water modeling of molten steel flow in a multi-strand tundish with gas blowing

Fluid flow characteristics in a four-strand tundish with gas blowing were studied by water modeling experiments. It is found that gas blowing can greatly improve the flow characteristics in the tundish with a turbulence inhibitor. It dramatically increases the peak concentration time, and greatly decreases the dead volume, and reduces the minimum residence time. The gas blowing location, gas flow rate, and porous plug area greatly influence the flow characteristics in the tundish; the gas blowing location near the baffle, smaller gas flow rate, and smaller porous plug area are better for improving the fluid flow characteristics. Using gas blowing can reduce the difference of flows at the middle outlets and side outlets for the multi-strand tundish. Bubbles produced by gas blowing can absorb small inclusions and provide the condition for inclusion collision and aggregation. Therefore, introducing gas blowing into a tundish and combining the turbulence inhibitor can improve inclusion floating and removal, and the cleanness of molten steel can be advanced.