Numerical modeling of conjugate magnetohydrodynamic flow phenomena

Steel is found irreplaceable in many industrial applications. It is currently predicted that steel consumption will increase significantly in the coming decades. Humanity is expected to produce more and more steel-based products, such as cables, cars, railways, bridges, stadiums, skyscrapers, etc. The increased demand will pose a serious challenge to steel-producing companies. At the same time, these companies strive to reduce the amount of carbon emissions which are released during the majority of steel-making processes. Thus, the steel-producing corporations currently carry out a lot of reforms aimed at improving production efficiency and making plants environmentally friendly. Continuous casting is a very important part of the steel-making process. During the continuous casting process, steel solidifies and takes the correct shape. There are several important nodes in this process, e.g. the tundish, the mold, the turning zone, etc. Given that the mold is the first stage where the solidification starts, a deep understanding of all physical phenomena in the mold flow could potentially help researchers to increase the process efficiency and the quality of final products. Originally, the mold flow is highly turbulent and unstable due to various physical processes arising simultaneously inside the mold. To control the flow, one of the tools widely used in the steel-making industry is the electromagnetic brake (EMBr). The work of the EMBr is based on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) principles. A strong magnet is used to impose an external magnetic field on the flow of liquid steel which is highly electrically conductive. Hence, the generated electric current inside the liquid steel results in an active Lorentz force affecting the flow. The most optimal and efficient configuration of the EMBr remains an open question as well as a full understanding of processes caused by EMBr. In particular, it is not clear whether the electric interaction between the solidified shell (which has also a relatively high electrical conductivity) and the turbulent flow of liquid steel is significant.