Created in COMSOL Multiphysics 6.

Continuous Casting —
Ar bi t r a r y L a gran gi an –E u l eri an Met h od

This model is licensed under the COMSOL Software License Agreement 6.3.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. See www.comsol.com/trademarks.
Introduction
This example simulates the process of continuous casting of a metal rod from a molten
state (Figure 1) using the Phase Change Interface boundary condition. Continuous Casting
— Apparent Heat Capacity Method is a variant of this model using the Phase Change
Material domain condition.

To optimize the casting process in terms of casting rate and cooling, it is helpful to model
the thermal and fluid dynamic aspects of the process. To get accurate results, you must
model the melt flow field in combination with the heat transfer and phase change. The
model includes the phase transition from melt to solid, both in terms of latent heat and
the varying physical properties.

die
Holding furnace
Brake ring

mould
Mould (water
cooled)

Modeled geometry
air exposure

Strand

Saw

Figure 1: Continuous metal-casting process with a view of the modeled section.

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This example simplifies the rod’s 3D geometry in Figure 1 to an axisymmetric 2D model
in the rz-plane. Figure 2 shows the dimensions of the 2D geometry.
inlet

die
brake ring

mold
air exposure
z

Figure 2: 2D axisymmetric model of the casting process.

As the melt cools down in the mold it solidifies. The phase transition releases latent heat,
which the model includes. For metal alloys, the transition is often spread out over a
temperature range. However, using the ALE approach to model the phase transition, a
sharp interface is assumed between the two phases, and the latent heat of phase change is
released at the corresponding boundary.

This example models the casting process with a transient study until it reaches a stationary
state. The Heat Transfer in Fluids interface combined with the Laminar Flow interface are
used.

Model Definition
The transient heat transport is described by the equation:

T
C p + C p u  T +    – kT  = Q
t

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where k, , Cp, and Q denote thermal conductivity, density, specific heat, and heating
power per unit volume (heat source term), respectively.

As the melt cools down in the mold, it solidifies. During the phase transition, a significant
amount of latent heat is released. The total amount of heat released per unit mass of alloy
during the transition is given by the change in enthalpy, H. In addition, the specific heat
capacity, Cp, also changes considerably during the transition.

In this example, the Phase Change Interface boundary condition is used to model the phase
change interface. This feature uses the Stefan Condition, which derives the normal
interface velocity from the incoming heat fluxes, the melting latent heat and the solid
density. To allow this interface to move in the geometry according to the calculated
normal velocity, this feature is used along with a Deformed Geometry interface.

This example models the laminar flow by describing the fluid velocity, u, and the pressure,
p, according to the equations

u
+ u   u =   – pI +   u +  u   –  2
------- –     u I
T

t  3 

 +    u  = 0
t

where  is the density (in this case constant),  is the viscosity, and is the dilatational
viscosity (here assumed to be zero).

Table 1 reviews the material properties in this model.

TABLE 1: MATERIAL PROPERTIES.

PROPERTY SYMBOL MELT SOLID

Density  (kg/m3) 8500 8500

Heat capacity at constant pressure Cp (J/(kg·K)) 530 380
Thermal conductivity k (W/(m·K)) 200 200
Dynamic viscosity  (N·s/m2) 0.0434 -

Furthermore, the melting temperature, Tm, and enthalpy of phase change, H, are set to
1356 K and 205 kJ/kg, respectively.

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Results and Discussion

Figure 3: Velocity field with streamlines near the inlet part of the process.

In Figure 3, velocity streamlines are plot along with the phase change interface that
delimits the fluid outlet. This interface stretches out toward the center of the rod because
of poorer cooling in that area. With the modeled casting rate, the rod is fully solidified
before leaving the mold (the first section after the die). This means that the process
engineers can increase the casting rate without running into problems, thus increasing the
production rate.

To help determine how to optimize process cooling, Figure 4 plots the conductive heat
flux. It shows that the conductive heat flux is very large in the mold zone. This is a
consequence of the heat released during the phase transition, which is cooled by the water-
cooling jacket of the mold. An interesting phenomenon of the process is the peak of
conductive heat flux appearing in the center of the flow at the transition zone.

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Figure 4: The cooling viewed as conductive heat flux in the domains (top), and through the
outer boundary (the cooling zones) after the die (bottom).

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Furthermore, by plotting the conductive heat flux at the outer boundary for the process
as in the lower plot in Figure 4, you can see that a majority of the process cooling occurs
in the mold. More interestingly, the heat flux varies along the mold wall length. This
information can help in optimizing the cooling of the mold (that is, the cooling rate and
choice of cooling method).

This method allows a coarser mesh compared to the Continuous Casting — Apparent
Heat Capacity Method model and by consequence a faster calculation. It provides also
transient results hence the ability to compute the response of the system with time varying
input (typically the casting velocity).

Application Library path: Heat_Transfer_Module/Thermal_Processing/

continuous_casting_ale

Modeling Instructions
From the File menu, choose New.

NEW
In the New window, click Model Wizard.

MODEL WIZARD
1 In the Model Wizard window, click 2D Axisymmetric.
2 In the Select Physics tree, select Fluid Flow > Nonisothermal Flow > Laminar Flow.
3 Click Add.
4 Click Study.
5 In the Select Study tree, select General Studies > Stationary.
6 Click Done.

GLOBAL DEFINITIONS

Parameters 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Global Definitions click Parameters 1.
2 In the Settings window for Parameters, locate the Parameters section.
3 Click Load from File.

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4 Browse to the model’s Application Libraries folder and double-click the file
continuous_casting_ale_parameters.txt.

DEFINITIONS

Piecewise 1 (pw1)
1 In the Definitions toolbar, click Piecewise.
2 In the Settings window for Piecewise, locate the Definition section.
3 From the Smoothing list, choose Continuous function.
4 In the Size of transition zone text field, type 0.01.
5 Find the Intervals subsection. Click Load from File.
6 Browse to the model’s Application Libraries folder and double-click the file
continuous_casting_ale_pw1.txt.

7 Locate the Units section. In the Arguments text field, type m.

8 In the Function text field, type W/m^2/K.

Piecewise 2 (pw2)
1 In the Definitions toolbar, click Piecewise.
2 In the Settings window for Piecewise, locate the Definition section.
3 From the Smoothing list, choose Continuous function.
4 In the Size of transition zone text field, type 0.01.
5 Find the Intervals subsection. Click Load from File.
6 Browse to the model’s Application Libraries folder and double-click the file
continuous_casting_ale_pw2.txt.

7 Locate the Units section. In the Arguments text field, type m.

8 In the Function text field, type 1.

Since the boundary edges will be translated due to the deformed geometry sliding
conditions, add variables to impose spatially fixed boundary condition coefficients.

Variables 1
1 In the Definitions toolbar, click Local Variables.
2 In the Settings window for Variables, locate the Variables section.

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3 In the table, enter the following settings:

Name Expression Unit Description

h_rod pw1(Z) W/(m²·K) Heat transfer coefficient
along the rod
eps_rod pw2(Z) Surface emissivity along the
rod

GEOMETRY 1

Rectangle 1 (r1)
1 In the Geometry toolbar, click Rectangle.
2 In the Settings window for Rectangle, locate the Size and Shape section.
3 In the Width text field, type 0.065.
4 In the Height text field, type 0.1.
5 Locate the Position section. In the z text field, type -0.1.
6 In the Geometry toolbar, click Build All.

Rectangle 2 (r2)
1 In the Geometry toolbar, click Rectangle.
2 In the Settings window for Rectangle, locate the Size and Shape section.
3 In the Width text field, type 0.0625.
4 In the Height text field, type 0.025.
5 Locate the Position section. In the z text field, type -0.125.
6 In the Geometry toolbar, click Build All.

Rectangle 3 (r3)
1 In the Geometry toolbar, click Rectangle.
2 In the Settings window for Rectangle, locate the Size and Shape section.
3 In the Width text field, type 0.11575.
4 In the Height text field, type 1.4075.
5 Locate the Position section. In the z text field, type -1.5725.
6 Click to expand the Layers section. In the table, enter the following settings:

Layer name Thickness (m)

Layer 1 0.04

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7 Clear the Layers on bottom checkbox.
8 Select the Layers on top checkbox.
9 In the Geometry toolbar, click Build All.
10 Click the Zoom Extents button in the Graphics toolbar.

Polygon 1 (pol1)
1 In the Geometry toolbar, click Polygon.
2 In the Settings window for Polygon, locate the Coordinates section.
3 In the table, enter the following settings:

r (m) z (m)
0 -0.125
0 -0.165
0.11575 -0.165
0.0625 -0.125
0 -0.125

4 In the Geometry toolbar, click Build All.

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5 Click the Zoom Extents button in the Graphics toolbar.

This completes the geometry modeling stage.

MATERIALS
Now, add the following two materials to the model, labeled Solid Metal Alloy and Liquid
Metal Alloy. The solid metal alloy is used in the Heat Transfer with Phase Change feature for
the solid phase, while the liquid metal alloy is used for the liquid phase. The liquid metal
alloy also defines fluid properties used in the Laminar Flow interface.

Solid Metal Alloy

1 In the Materials toolbar, click Blank Material.
2 In the Settings window for Material, type Solid Metal Alloy in the Label text field.
3 Locate the Material Contents section. In the table, enter the following settings:

Property Variable Value Unit Property

group
Dynamic viscosity mu 0.0434[Pa Pa·s Basic
*s]
Heat capacity at constant Cp Cp_s J/(kg·K) Basic
pressure

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Property Variable Value Unit Property
group
Thermal conductivity k_iso ; kii = 200[W/(m* W/(m·K) Basic
k_iso, kij = 0 K)]

Density rho 8500[kg/ kg/m³ Basic

m^3]

Liquid Metal Alloy

1 In the Materials toolbar, click Blank Material.
2 In the Settings window for Material, type Liquid Metal Alloy in the Label text field.
3 Select Domains 2–5 only.
4 Locate the Material Contents section. In the table, enter the following settings:

Property Variable Value Unit Property

group
Dynamic viscosity mu 0.0434[Pa Pa·s Basic
*s]
Heat capacity at constant Cp Cp_l J/(kg·K) Basic
pressure
Thermal conductivity k_iso ; kii = 200[W/(m* W/(m·K) Basic
k_iso, kij = 0 K)]

Density rho 8500[kg/ kg/m³ Basic

m^3]

COMPONENT 1 (COMP1)

Deforming Domain 1
In the Physics toolbar, click Deformed Geometry and choose Free Deformation.

Symmetry/Roller 1
1 In the Deformed Geometry toolbar, click Symmetry/Roller.
2 Select Boundaries 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 only.

Prescribed Normal Mesh Displacement 1

1 In the Deformed Geometry toolbar, click Prescribed Normal Mesh Displacement.
2 Select Boundaries 16 and 17 only.

Fixed Boundary 1
1 In the Deformed Geometry toolbar, click Fixed Boundary.
2 Select Boundaries 2 and 11–15 only.

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LAMINAR FLOW (SPF)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) click Laminar Flow (spf).
2 Select Domains 2–5 only.

Initial Values 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) > Laminar Flow (spf) click
Initial Values 1.
2 In the Settings window for Initial Values, locate the Initial Values section.
3 Specify the u vector as

0 r
v_cast z

Inlet 1
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Inlet.
2 Select Boundary 11 only.
3 In the Settings window for Inlet, locate the Boundary Condition section.
4 From the list, choose Pressure.

Outlet 1
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Outlet.
2 Select Boundary 4 only.
3 In the Settings window for Outlet, locate the Boundary Condition section.
4 From the list, choose Velocity.
5 Locate the Velocity section. Click the Velocity field button.
6 Specify the u0 vector as

0 r
v_cast z

DEFINITIONS

Ambient Properties 1 (ampr1)

1 In the Physics toolbar, click Shared Properties and choose Ambient Properties.
2 In the Settings window for Ambient Properties, locate the Ambient Conditions section.

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3 In the Tamb text field, type 300[K].
This defines the ambient temperature for heat transfer between the outer surfaces and
the surroundings.

HEAT TRANSFER IN FLUIDS (HT)

Initial Values 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) > Heat Transfer in Fluids (ht)
click Initial Values 1.
2 In the Settings window for Initial Values, locate the Initial Values section.
3 In the T text field, type T_in.

Solid with Translational Motion 1

1 In the Physics toolbar, click Domains and choose Solid with Translational Motion.
2 Select Domain 1 only.

Translational Motion 1
1 In the Model Builder window, click Translational Motion 1.
2 In the Settings window for Translational Motion, locate the Translational Motion section.
3 Specify the utrans vector as

0 r
v_cast z

Inflow 1
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Inflow.
2 Select Boundary 11 only.
3 In the Settings window for Inflow, locate the Upstream Properties section.
4 In the Tustr text field, type T_in.

Heat Flux 1
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Heat Flux.
2 Select Boundaries 16 and 17 only.
3 In the Settings window for Heat Flux, locate the Heat Flux section.
4 From the Flux type list, choose Convective heat flux.
5 In the h text field, type h_rod.
6 From the Text list, choose Ambient temperature (ampr1).

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Surface-to-Ambient Radiation 1
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Surface-to-Ambient Radiation.
2 Select Boundaries 16 and 17 only.
3 In the Settings window for Surface-to-Ambient Radiation, locate the Surface-to-
Ambient Radiation section.
4 From the  list, choose User defined. In the associated text field, type eps_rod.
5 From the Tamb list, choose Ambient temperature (ampr1).

Phase Change Interface 1

1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Phase Change Interface.
2 Select Boundary 4 only.
3 In the Settings window for Phase Change Interface, locate the Phase Change Interface
section.
4 In the Tpc text field, type T_m.
5 In the Lsf text field, type dH.
6 From the Solid side list, choose Downside.

MESH 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) click Mesh 1.
2 In the Settings window for Mesh, locate the Physics-Controlled Mesh section.
3 From the Element size list, choose Finer.
4 Click Build All.

STUDY 1

Step 1: Stationary
1 In the Model Builder window, under Study 1 click Step 1: Stationary.
2 In the Settings window for Stationary, locate the Physics and Variables Selection section.
3 In the Solve for column of the table, under Component 1 (comp1), clear the checkboxes
for Laminar Flow (spf) and Deformed Geometry.
4 In the Solve for column of the table, under Component 1 (comp1) > Multiphysics, clear
the checkbox for Nonisothermal Flow 1 (nitf1).

Step 2: Time Dependent

1 In the Study toolbar, click Study Steps and choose Time Dependent >
Time Dependent.

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2 In the Settings window for Time Dependent, locate the Study Settings section.
3 From the Time unit list, choose h.

A fully coupled solver is more robust and faster for this model. Tweak the solver sequence
accordingly with the instructions below.

Solution 1 (sol1)
1 In the Study toolbar, click Show Default Solver.
2 In the Model Builder window, expand the Solution 1 (sol1) node.
3 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 1 > Solver Configurations >
Solution 1 (sol1) > Time-Dependent Solver 1 node.
4 Right-click Study 1 > Solver Configurations > Solution 1 (sol1) > Time-Dependent Solver 1
and choose Fully Coupled.
5 In the Settings window for Fully Coupled, click to expand the Method and Termination
section.
6 In the Damping factor text field, type 0.9.
7 From the Jacobian update list, choose Once per time step.
8 From the Stabilization and acceleration list, choose Anderson acceleration.
9 In the Study toolbar, click Compute.

RESULTS

Velocity (spf)
To reproduce the plot in Figure 3, plot the velocity field as a combined surface and
streamline plot.

Surface
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Velocity (spf) node, then click Surface.
2 In the Settings window for Surface, locate the Expression section.
3 From the Unit list, choose mm/s.

Velocity (spf)
In the Model Builder window, click Velocity (spf).

Streamline 1
1 In the Velocity (spf) toolbar, click Streamline.
2 In the Settings window for Streamline, locate the Streamline Positioning section.
3 From the Positioning list, choose Magnitude controlled.

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4 In the Minimum distance text field, type 0.004.
5 In the Maximum distance text field, type 0.08.
6 Locate the Coloring and Style section. Find the Point style subsection. From the Type list,
choose Arrow.
7 In the Velocity (spf) toolbar, click Plot.

Pressure (spf)
The second default plot shows the pressure profile in the 2D slice.

Velocity, 3D (spf)
The third default plot shows the velocity magnitude in 3D obtained by revolution of the
2D axisymmetric dataset.

Temperature (ht)
The fourth default plot shows the temperature profile in the 2D slice.

Duplicate the default temperature plot to create a new plot combining temperature and
flow streamlines.

Temperature and Streamlines

1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Temperature (ht) and choose Duplicate.
2 In the Settings window for 2D Plot Group, type Temperature and Streamlines in the
Label text field.

Streamline 1
1 In the Temperature and Streamlines toolbar, click Streamline.
2 In the Settings window for Streamline, locate the Streamline Positioning section.
3 From the Positioning list, choose Magnitude controlled.
4 In the Minimum distance text field, type 0.004.
5 In the Maximum distance text field, type 0.08.
6 Locate the Coloring and Style section. Find the Point style subsection. From the Type list,
choose Arrow.
7 In the Temperature and Streamlines toolbar, click Plot.

Proceed to reproduce the heat flux plots shown in Figure 4.

Conductive Heat Flux

1 In the Results toolbar, click 2D Plot Group.
2 In the Settings window for 2D Plot Group, type Conductive Heat Flux in the Label text
field.

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Surface 1
1 In the Conductive Heat Flux toolbar, click Surface.
2 In the Settings window for Surface, click Replace Expression in the upper-right corner of
the Expression section. From the menu, choose Component 1 (comp1) >
Heat Transfer in Fluids > Domain fluxes > ht.dfluxMag - Conductive heat flux magnitude -
W/m².
3 In the Conductive Heat Flux toolbar, click Plot.

Conductive Heat Flux

In the Model Builder window, click Conductive Heat Flux.

Streamline 1
1 In the Conductive Heat Flux toolbar, click Streamline.
2 In the Settings window for Streamline, locate the Streamline Positioning section.
3 From the Positioning list, choose Magnitude controlled.
4 In the Minimum distance text field, type 0.004.
5 In the Maximum distance text field, type 0.08.
6 Locate the Coloring and Style section. Find the Point style subsection. From the Type list,
choose Arrow.
7 In the Conductive Heat Flux toolbar, click Plot.
The following steps reproduce the lower plot in the same figure, showing the
conductive heat flux through the outer boundaries.

Conductive Heat Flux Through Outer Boundaries

1 In the Results toolbar, click 1D Plot Group.
2 In the Settings window for 1D Plot Group, type Conductive Heat Flux Through
Outer Boundaries in the Label text field.
3 Locate the Data section. From the Time selection list, choose Last.
4 Click to expand the Title section. From the Title type list, choose Manual.
5 In the Title text area, type Conductive heat flux through outer boundaries.
6 Locate the Plot Settings section.
7 Select the x-axis label checkbox. In the associated text field, type z-coordinate (m).
8 Select the y-axis label checkbox. In the associated text field, type Normal conductive
heat flux (W/m²).

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Line Graph 1
1 In the Conductive Heat Flux Through Outer Boundaries toolbar, click Line Graph.
2 Select Boundaries 16 and 17 only.
3 In the Settings window for Line Graph, click Replace Expression in the upper-right corner
of the y-Axis Data section. From the menu, choose Component 1 (comp1) >
Heat Transfer in Fluids > Boundary fluxes > ht.ndflux - Normal conductive heat flux - W/
m².
4 Click Replace Expression in the upper-right corner of the x-Axis Data section. From the
menu, choose Component 1 (comp1) > Geometry >
Coordinate (spatial and material frames) > z - z-coordinate.
5 Click to expand the Quality section. From the Resolution list, choose No refinement.
6 Click to collapse the Quality section. In the Conductive Heat Flux Through Outer
Boundaries toolbar, click Plot.
Compare the result with the lower plot of Figure 4.
Add a plot from the Result Templates showing the temperature distribution in 3D.

RESULT TEMPLATES
1 In the Results toolbar, click Result Templates to open the Result Templates window.
2 Go to the Result Templates window.
3 In the tree, select Study 1/Solution 1 (sol1) > Heat Transfer in Fluids > Temperature (ht).
4 Click the Add Result Template button in the window toolbar.
5 In the Results toolbar, click Result Templates to close the Result Templates window.

RESULTS

Temperature 3D (ht)
1 In the Settings window for 3D Plot Group, type Temperature 3D (ht) in the Label text
field.
2 Click the Zoom Extents button in the Graphics toolbar.

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