Heat Transfer and Solidification of Molten Iron in a Pipe
Miguel A. Barron *
Department of Material, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Azcapotzalco Av. 180 San Pablo, Col. -Reynosa Tamaulipas, Mexico, D.F., 02200, Mexico
Cesar Lopez
Center Research and Innovation Technology, IPN, Closed CECATI s/n, Col. Santa Catarina, Mexico, D.F., 02250, Mexico
Dulce Y. Medina
Department of Material, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Azcapotzalco Av. 180 San Pablo, Col. -Reynosa Tamaulipas, Mexico, D.F., 02200, Mexico
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The effect of the pipe wall temperature on the heat transfer and the internal solidification phenomena during the pouring of pure molten iron in a pipe is studied in this work. A mathematical model consisting in the motion, mass balance and heat equations is proposed. The Reynolds Stress Model is employed to simulate turbulence. The mathematical model considering transient three-dimensional simulations is numerically solved using the Computational Fluid Dynamics technique. To simplify the mushy zone problem, pure iron considered. Numerical simulations show that a pipe wall temperature of 300 K promotes early solidification and blockage, and yields strong internal gradients of velocity and temperature. Besides, a pipe wall temperature of 1000 K prevents solidification and promotes a more homogeneous flow and temperatures contours of molten iron in the pipe.
Keywords: CFD, heat transfer, metal solidification, molten iron, pipe blockage