SINOPSIS

In the steel industry precise temperature control is of crucial importance. There is strong evidence that control of ladle temperature is the main factor governing the continuous casting process. This work formulates a model, considering transient heat transfer and liquid steel flow in the ladle during holding, and taking into account not only conventional heat balance assumptions, but also the important effects of temperature stratification, and the coupling between heat transfer and fluid flow equations. A numerical solution employing finite element techniques together with the software ANSYS/FLOTRAN has been employed. Typical results include temperature and velocity profiles, for different holding periods, and also according to the thickness of the slag cover floating on top of the melt. Good agreement is reached with values supplied by other references, strongly hinting at the reliability and consequent usefulness of the method, for producing quality steel.