2012 Volume 98 Issue 1 Pages 10-18
Alumina adhesion to the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) causes serious problems in continuous casting, as it has a negative influence on the flow pattern in the mold and causes inflow of alumina inclusions to mold. The purpose of this research is to prevent alumina adhesion to the SEN. A new type of SEN which enables control of the interfacial tension gradient at the interface of the SEN and molten steel was developed. Removing sulfur on the SEN interface controlled interfacial tension, preventing alumina adhesion. Various experiments were performed to evaluate the quality of the SEN material. As a result, the optimum refractory material for preventing alumina adhesion was clarified. After evaluating the thermal shock characteristics of nozzles using the developed material, experiments were performed at an actual continuous casting machine, and reduced alumina adhesion was confirmed under commercial operating conditions.