Fluid dynamics

RINA technological offer in the fluid dynamics sector is aimed at giving problem solving support to steel makers, improving process and product characteristics through new lay-out solutions and developing new advanced applications.

The context

The role of fluid dynamics’ modelling in steel making has strongly increased as a consequence of the stringent market demand for superior steels in terms of cleanliness and mechanical characteristics, which is to be obtained at a lower development and production cost.

This has progressively made manufacturers aware of the strong benefits, and the money savings, achievable through assessing new processes, optimising layouts and improving products through the broad use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).

Today, it has become a focus aspect for each step of the manufacturing cycle where fluids are fundamental and, so far, a wide set of different physical situations are taking advantage of these modelling applications.

For example, understanding the multi-phase flow phenomena occurring in direct iron ore smelting reduction vessels or in blast furnaces makes it possible to both set the best stirring and mixing conditions and to model how these contribute to the wear rate of refractory materials.

Deliverables

• Steelmaking vessels operating conditions’ optimization (management of gas flow rates and injection features for the enhancement of steel quality and productivity)
• Adjustment of casting units’ operating conditions
• Design of suitable components (special baffles, pads in tundish, nozzles for mould casting) for innovative technologies (strip casting, thin slab production)
• Fluid dynamics’ modelling.

Focus on labs & facilities

Our Fluid Dynamics Laboratory offers the following modelling facilities:

• Water modelling tools to investigate phenomena occurring during the whole fabrication route (steelmaking- converters, reduced scale ladle treatments with facilities for gas injection, full scale casting tundish and mould, and thin slab and strip casting technologies)
• Numerical modelling tools (computational fluid dynamics’ codes based on Phoenics and Fluent packages)

Our simulation capability mainly concerns the following physical phenomena:

• Single and multiphase flow
• Mass and heat transfer
• Mixing related phenomena.