Induction channel furnace (ICF) is widely used for melting, holding and casting metals and alloys in many processing industries because it has high overall efficiency, low electric power consumption and operation costs, better degassing and homogenization of melt and low oxide and slag formation. However, thermal stresses in the refractory lining caused by high temperature and flow of molten metal may cause premature erosion of the lining and failure of the inductor, and so it is difficult to repair the furnace. In addition, the furnace for steel melting often experiences shortened operating life and quicker needs for a repair cycle due to high temperature of molten metal and severe erosion of lining, so it is rarely used.
In order to solve these problems and make easy operation, it is important to improve the structure and to numerically simulate Joule heat generation and molten metal flow in the channel.
Song Hak Myong, a lecturer at the Mechanical Engineering Department, has designed a new type of channel of three-phase ICF for steel melting and investigated temperature distribution of the channel by a coupled simulation on the electromagnetism-heat-fluid using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4.
ICF consists of molten metal bath and induction unit that is made up of iron core, inductor and channel. If one three-phase induction unit is fixed to the furnace body, it will lead to decrease in electrical unbalance and ease of furnace repair.
According to his simulation results, the optimal design parameters (with maximum S/N ratio) for three-phase ICF are as follows:
• Type of channel: Elliptic
• Dimensions of channel: 85×90 mm2
• Existence of protruding part: Yes
• Setting angle of channel: 30°
The local superheating temperature is relatively low (20.8–22.9K) and the maximum local superheating temperature is similar to the maximum local superheating temperature 33K in the channel of the twin channel induction furnaces.
It is one of the ways to prevent early erosion and expansion of refractory lining by local superheating in the channel and to increase its repair cycle.
The proposed method could be used for reducing manufacturing cost and regularizing operation through optimizing the parameters of induction furnace needed for aimed melting and flow.
If further information is needed, please refer to his paper “ Simulation on Temperature in Channel of Three-phase Induction Channel Furnace for Steel Melting Using COMSOL Multiphysics and Taguchi Method” in “International Journal of Metalcasting” (SCI).
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