TY - JOUR

T1 - Numerical modelling of metallurgical processes using les

AU - Baake, Egbert

AU - Umbrashko, Andrejs

AU - Jakovics, Andris

N1 - Copyright: Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2005

Y1 - 2005

N2 - Comprehensive knowledge of the heat and mass transfer processes in the melt of induction furnaces is required to realize efficient and reliable melting and casting processes. Experimental and numerical studies of the melt flow in induction furnaces show that the flow pattern, which comprise several vortexes of the mean flow, and the temperature distribution in the melt are significantly influenced by low-frequency large scale flow oscillations. The experimental and numerical investigations of the turbulent melt flow are carried out in various laboratory and industrial sized induction furnaces, like induction crucible furnace and induction furnace with cold crucible. Two-and three-dimensional hydrodynamic calculations of the melt flow, using two-equation turbulence models based on Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes approach, do not predict the large scale periodic flow instabilities obtained from the experimental data. That's why the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) numerical technique, which is considered to be some kind of compromise between the k-ε model with relative low mesh quality requirements and Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) method based on non-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, was approved to be an alternative for the various k-ε model modifications. The results of the transient 3D LES simulation of the turbulent melt flow revealed the large scale periodic flow instabilities and the temperature distribution in the melt, which both are in good agreement with the expectations based on the data from the experiments. In order to investigate convective scalar transport mechanism in the considered flow the discrete particle tracing approach has been carried out. The studies, presented in this paper, content the numerical simulation of turbulent melt flow of experimental and industrial size induction furnaces and demonstrate the possibility of using the three-dimensional transient LES approach for successful simulation of heat and mass transfer processes in metallurgical applications.

AB - Comprehensive knowledge of the heat and mass transfer processes in the melt of induction furnaces is required to realize efficient and reliable melting and casting processes. Experimental and numerical studies of the melt flow in induction furnaces show that the flow pattern, which comprise several vortexes of the mean flow, and the temperature distribution in the melt are significantly influenced by low-frequency large scale flow oscillations. The experimental and numerical investigations of the turbulent melt flow are carried out in various laboratory and industrial sized induction furnaces, like induction crucible furnace and induction furnace with cold crucible. Two-and three-dimensional hydrodynamic calculations of the melt flow, using two-equation turbulence models based on Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes approach, do not predict the large scale periodic flow instabilities obtained from the experimental data. That's why the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) numerical technique, which is considered to be some kind of compromise between the k-ε model with relative low mesh quality requirements and Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) method based on non-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, was approved to be an alternative for the various k-ε model modifications. The results of the transient 3D LES simulation of the turbulent melt flow revealed the large scale periodic flow instabilities and the temperature distribution in the melt, which both are in good agreement with the expectations based on the data from the experiments. In order to investigate convective scalar transport mechanism in the considered flow the discrete particle tracing approach has been carried out. The studies, presented in this paper, content the numerical simulation of turbulent melt flow of experimental and industrial size induction furnaces and demonstrate the possibility of using the three-dimensional transient LES approach for successful simulation of heat and mass transfer processes in metallurgical applications.

KW - Induction melting

KW - Large eddy simulation

KW - Metallurgical processes

KW - Numerical modelling

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33645779299&partnerID=8YFLogxK

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:33645779299

VL - 54

SP - 425

EP - 437

JO - Archives of Electrical Engineering

JF - Archives of Electrical Engineering

SN - 0004-0746

IS - 214

ER -