The article presents the results of model research concerning the change of technology of argon blowing into liquid steel at the ladle furnace, using the dual plug system. The results of numerical simulations were verified with experimental data carried out on the water model device. The verified model was used to perform numerical simulations to predict the impact of using a new gas injection technology – with different flow rates – on the time to achieve the assumed degree of metal chemical homogenization after alloy addition. Simulation results show that argon blowing metal bath in dual plug mode can effectively reduce mixing time compared to conventional technology with the same gas flow rates. Generally, the use of the dual plug system is beneficial for reducing the bath mixing time, however, the assumed optimal proportion of gas blown through individual plug should be followed. Finally, numerical predictions were used to perform experimental melt under industrial conditions. Industrial verification has clearly confirmed the validity of numerical modeling and showed that also in industrial conditions, a shorter time of chemical homogenization was obtained for the dual plug system.

The main purpose of the present work was to validate the numerical model for the pulse-step liquid steel alloying method using a physical simulator that enables the observation and recording of phenomena occurring during the continuous steel casting process. The facility under investigation was a single-nozzle tundish equipped with a dam. To physical trials the glass water model was made on a scale of 2:5. For the mathematical description of turbulence during liquid steel alloying process, the k-ε and k-ω models were employed in the simulations. Based on the computer simulations and physical trials carried out, alloy addition behaviour and mixing curves for different tundish alloy addition feeding positions were obtained. The change in the location of alloy addition feeding to the liquid steel had an effect on the process of alloy addition spread in the liquid steel bulk and on the mixing time.

The presented results of investigations are part of a larger study focused on the optimization of the flow and mixing of liquid steel in the industrial tundish of continuous casting machine. The numerical simulations were carried out concern the analysis of hydrodynamic conditions of liquid steel flow in a tundish operating in one of the national steelworks. Numerical simulations were performed using the commercial code ANSYS Fluent. The research concerns two different speeds of steel casting. In real conditions, these speeds are the most commonly used in the technological process when casting two different groups of steel. As a result of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations, predicted spatial distributions of velocity and liquid steel turbulence fields and residence time distribution (RTD) curves were obtained. The volume fractions of different flows occurring in the tundish were also calculated. The results of the research allowed a detailed analysis of the influence of casting speed on the formation of hydrodynamic conditions prevailing in the reactor.

The article presents the results of investigations performed on segregation of elements in the billets. The research were performed under standard industrial conditions, during high carbon steel production cycle. Probes (templates with the thickness of 20 mm) were taken from billets with square cross-section of 160 mm. Segregation of elements was determined based on the quantitative analysis of results performed by using spark spectrometry pursuant to PN-H-04045. Changes in concentrations of elements were analysed along two cross-sections. Element contents were performed at points distanced from each other by approx. 10 mm. The segregation of carbon, sulphur and phosphorus was determined for different billets.