Continuous casting transforms molten metal into solid continuously and includes a variety of important commercial processes. Continuous casting is a relatively new process in historical terms. The metals like 500 million tons of steel, 20 million tons of aluminum, and 1 million tons of copper, nickel and other metals in the world, are mass-produced using a continuous casting process. Continuous casting generally has higher capital costs but lower operating costs. It is the most cost and energy-efficient method to mass-produce semi-finished metal products with consistent quality in a variety of sizes and shapes.

The current thesis project aims to develop a 1:1 scaled water model for a continuous slab caster capable of predicting surface waves, including both wave magnitude and traveling depth — where the results obtained from the thesis work used to validate 3D numerical models developed in OpenFOAM CFD toolbox.

In the water model, probes are used on both the left and right sides of SEN to study the flow velocities; the air injected into the SEN to visualize the flow pattern. Likewise, the LES model is used to simulate the flow pattern in the numerical model.  

The results from the water model experiment are compared with the numerical model.