Fluid flow modelling in a 55\% Al-Zn coating metal pot (Q2641650)

Summary: Numerical simulations were carried out using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to model fluid flow and temperature distribution in two channel inductor pots used for manufacturing 55\% Al-Zn coated steel at BlueScope Steel's metal coating lines, some of which suffer from excessive bottom dross formation. The software used for this work was developed by the Industrial Materials Institute (IMI) of the National Research Council of Canada (IMI-NRC) and included \(k\)-\(\varepsilon\) turbulence modelling for fluid flow and heat transfer. The model included detailed pot geometry, immersed hardware and the traversing steel strip. Fluid flow arising from the moving strip in the molten bath was also modelled and the simulations included particle tracking. Numerical solutions are presented for two pots: one with excessive bottom dross build-up and one without. Differences in fluid flow and temperature distributions between the two pots, which are likely to contribute to different propensities to bottom dross formation, are compared and discussed.