Effect of Coil Design on the Temperature and Velocity Fields during Solidification in Electromagnetic Stirring Processes

Abstract

This paper examines the role of induction coil design on stirring of molten metal in electromagnetic (EM) solidification processes. A model is presented to describe the EM, heat transfer, and fluid flow phenomena in these processes. It is based on a dual-zone description of the mushy region, and accounts for damping of turbulence by the solidified crystallites. The electromagnetic field equations were solved using the mutual inductance technique, while the temperature and turbulent flow fields were calculated using the control volume method. Calculations were performed for solidification of an Al–Cu alloy placed in a stationary magnetic field generated by an induction coil. The effect of coil design on the flow structure was investigated for three different coil positions. It was found that changing the coil position significantly alters the flow pattern from four recirculating loops when the coil is above the midsection of the melt to two loops, typical of a travelling magnetic field, when the coil is at the base of the melt. This significantly modifies the rate of solidification across the ingot, as well as the temperature gradient, in the mushy region. The decay of the velocity and turbulent fields in the mushy region was found to be exponential, with the maximum rate of decay at the solidification front. These results indicate that through changes in coil design, it is possible to control the flow characteristics and solidification behavior in the molten metal.