| 1. |
- Alevanau, Aliaksandr, 1965-
(författare)
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Study of pyrolysis and gasification of biomass from the self-organization perspective
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis focuses on the analysis of kinetics of i) low-temperature pyrolysis of gaseous hydrocarbons, ii) high-temperature steam gasification of char of wood pellets (>700oC), iii) high temperature pyrolysis of straw pellets in an atmosphere of argon and steam, and iv) high temperature pyrolysis of slices of transversally cut wooden sticks. The results of the kinetic measurements in the high-temperature cases are approximated using a least-square based optimization software, which was specially developed to analyse kinetics prone for deviation from the Arrhenius law.In the thesis a general analysis of the researched materials and kinetics of their pyrolysis and gasification is presented from the self-organization perspective. The energy transfer phenomena in both the pyrolysis and gasification processes of biomass are discussed with an emphasis on an analysis of basic phenomena involving the self-organized dynamics on fractal structures in the chosen biomass samples.
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| 2. |
- Bai, Haitong, 1986-
(författare)
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A Study of the Swirling Flow Pattern when Using TurboSwirl in the Casting Process
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The use of a swirling flow can provide a more uniform velocity distribution and a calmer filling condition according to previous studies of both ingot and continuous casting processes of steel. However, the existing swirling flow generation methods developed in last decades all have some limitations. Recently, a new swirling flow generator, the TurboSwirl device, was proposed. In this work, the convergent nozzle was studied with different angles. The maximum wall shear stress can be reduced by changing the convergent angle between 40º and 60º to obtain a higher swirl intensity. Also, a lower maximum axial velocity can be obtained with a smaller convergent angle. Furthermore, the maximum axial velocity and wall shear stress can also be affected by moving the location of the vertical runner. A water model experiment was carried out to verify the simulation results of the effect of the convergent angle on the swirling flow pattern. The shape of the air-core vortex in the water model experiment could only be accurately simulated by using the Reynolds Stress Model (RSM). The simulation results were also validated by the measured radial velocity in the vertical runner by the ultrasonic velocity profiler (UVP). The TurboSwirl was reversed and connected to a traditional SEN to generate the swirling flow. The periodic characteristic of the swirling flow and asymmetry flow pattern were observed in both the simulated and measured results. The detached eddy simulation (DES) turbulence model was used to catch the time-dependent flow pattern and the predicted results agree well with measured axial and tangential velocities. This new design of the SEN with the reverse TurboSwirl could provide an almost equivalent strength of the swirling flow generated by an electromagnetic swirling flow generator. It can also reduce the downward axial velocities in the center of the SEN outlet and obtain a calmer meniscus and internal flow in the mold.
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| 3. |
- Bu, Junfu, 1982-
(författare)
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Advanced BaZrO3-BaCeO3 Based Proton Conductors Used for Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (ITSOFCs)
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this thesis, the focus is on studying BaZrO3-BaCeO3 based proton conductors due to that they represent very promising proton conductors to be used for Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (ITSOFCs). Here, dense BaZr0.5Ce0.3Y0.2O3-δ (BZCY532) ceramics were selected as the major studied materials. These ceramics were prepared by different sintering methods and doping strategies. Based on achieved results, the thesis work can simply be divided into the following parts:1) An improved synthesis method, which included a water-based milling procedure followed by a freeze-drying post-processing, was presented. A lowered calcination and sintering temperature for a Hf0.7Y0.3O2-δ (YSH) compound was achieved. The value of the relative density in this work was higher than previously reported data. It is also concluded that this improved method can be used for mass-production of ceramics.2) As the solid-state reactive sintering (SSRS) represent a cost-effective sintering method, the sintering behaviors of proton conductors BaZrxCe0.8-xLn0.2O3-δ (x = 0.8, 0.5, 0.1; Ln = Y, Sm, Gd, Dy) during the SSRS process were investigated. According to the obtained results, it was found that the sintering temperature will decrease, when the Ce content increases from 0 (BZCLn802) to 0.3 (BZCLn532) and 0.7 (BZCLn172). Moreover, the radii of the dopant ions similar to the radii of Zr4+ or Ce4+ ions show a better sinterability. This means that it is possible to obtain dense ceramics at a lower temperature. Moreover, the conductivities of dense BZCLn532 ceramics were determined. The conductivity data indicate that dense BZCY532 ceramics are good candidates as either oxygen ion conductors or proton conductors used for ITSOFCs.3) The effect of NiO on the sintering behaviors, morphologies and conductivities of BZCY532 based electrolytes were systematically investigated. According to the achieved results, it can be concluded that the dense BZCY532B ceramics (NiO was added during ball-milling before a powder mixture calcination) show an enhanced oxygen and proton conductivity. Also, that BZCY532A (NiO was added after a powder mixture calcination) and BZCY532N (No NiO was added in the whole preparation procedures) showed lower values. In addition, dense BZCY532B and BZCY532N ceramics showed only small electronic conductivities, when the testing temperature was lower than 800 ℃. However, the BZCY532A ceramics revealed an obvious electronic conduction, when they were tested in the range of 600 ℃ to 800 ℃. Therefore, it is preferable to add the NiO powder during the BZCY532 powder preparation, which can lower the sintering temperature and also increase the conductivity.4) Dense BZCY532 ceramics were successfully prepared by using the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) method at a temperature of 1350 ℃ with a holding time of 5 min. It was found that a lower sintering temperature (< 1400 ℃) and a very fast cooling rate (> 200 ℃/min) are two key parameters to prepare dense BZCY532 ceramics. These results confirm that the SPS technique represents a feasible and cost-effective sintering method to prepare dense Ce-containing BaZrO3-BaCeO3 based proton conductors.5) Finally, a preliminary study for preparation of Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ (SDC) and BZCY532 basedcomposite electrolytes was carried out. The novel SDC-BZCY532 based composite electrolytes were prepared by using the powder mixing and co-sintering method. The sintering behaviors, morphologies and ionic conductivities of the composite electrolytes were investigated. The obtained results show that the composite electrolyte with a composition of 60SDC-40BZCY532 has the highest conductivity. In contrast, the composite electrolyte with a composition of 40SDC-60BZCY532 shows the lowest conductivity.In summary, the results show that BaZrO3-BaCeO3 based proton-conducting ceramic materials represent very promising materials for future ITSOFCs electrolyte applications.
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| 4. |
- Chen, Chao, 1989-
(författare)
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Some Aspects on Macroscopic Mixing in a Tundish
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Two aspects on macroscopic mixing in a continuous flow system – metallurgical tundish were studied. Specifically, 1) the first focus was on salt solution tracer mixing, which is important for tundish design from perspectives of tracer technology and Residence Time Distributions (RTD) as well as for the understanding of the macroscopic mixing in tundishes. The different amounts of salt solution tracer mixing in a tundish were studied by using both physical models and mathematical models. The disturbance of KCl salt tracer on the flow in the tundish with respect to different amounts is like the “butterfly effect”, i.e. only a slight increase of the amount of tracer, the flow field might be disturbed. This, in turn, will result in a shifted RTD curve. 2) The second focus was on Eulerian modeling of inclusions macroscopic transport and removal, which is important for tundish design from perspectives of inclusions removal and to provide information of macroscopic removal of inclusions. In the study, an approach that combined the meso-scale inclusions deposition at turbulent boundary layers of steel-slag interface and the macroscopic transport of inclusions in the tundish was used. The theoretical calculation results showed that the effect of the roughness on the deposition velocity of small inclusions (radius of 1 μm) were more pronounced than that for the big inclusions (up to the radius of 9 μm). The dynamic inclusions removal studies showed that the tundish with a weir and a dam exhibited a better performance with respect to the removal of bigger inclusions (radii of 5 μm, 7 μm and 9 μm) than that of the case without weirs and dams. However, the tundish without weirs and dams showed a higher removal ratio of smaller inclusions (radius of 1 μm).
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| 5. |
- Kasedde, Hillary, 1984-
(författare)
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Towards the Improvement of Salt Extraction from Lake Katwe Raw Materials in Uganda
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Uganda is well endowed with economic quantities of mineral salts present in the interstitial brines and evaporite deposits of Lake Katwe, a closed (endorheic) saline lake located in the western branch of the great East African rift valley. Currently, rudimentally and artisanal methods continue to be used for salt extraction from the lake raw materials. These have proved to be risky and unsustainable to the salt miners and the environment and they have a low productivity and poor product quality. This work involves the investigation of the salt raw materials that naturally occur in the brines and evaporites of Lake Katwe. The purpose is to propose strategies for the extraction of improved salt products for the domestic and commercial industry in Uganda.The literature concerning the occurrence of salt and the most common available technologies for salt extraction was documented. Also, field investigations were undertaken to characterize the salt lake deposits and to assess the salt processing methods and practices. The mineral salt raw materials (brines and evaporites) were characterized to assess their quality in terms of the physical, chemical, mineralogical, and morphological composition through field and laboratory analyses. An evaluation of the potential of future sustainable salt extraction from the lake deposits was done through field, experimental, and modeling methods. Moreover, the mineral solubilities in the lake brine systems and dissolution kinetics aspects were investigated.The results reveal that the salt lake raw materials contain substantial amounts of salt, which can be commercialized to enable an optimum production. The brines are highly alkaline and rich in Na+, K+, Cl-, SO42-, CO32-, and HCO3-. Moreover, they contain trace amounts of Mg2+, Ca2+, Br-, and F-. The lake is hydro-chemically of a carbonate type with the brines showing an intermediate transition between Na-Cl and Na-HCO3 water types. Also, the evaporation-crystallization is the main mechanism controlling the lake brine chemistry. These evaporites are composed of halite mixed with other salts such as hanksite, burkeite, trona etc, but with a composition that varies considerably within the same grades. The laboratory isothermal extraction experiments indicate that various types of economic salts such as thenardite, anhydrite, mirabilite, burkeite, hanksite, gypsum, trona, halite, nahcolite, soda ash, and thermonatrite exist in the brine of Lake Katwe. In addition, the salts were found to crystallize in the following the sequence: sulfates, chlorides, and carbonates.A combination of results from the Pitzer’s ion-interaction model in PHREEQC and experimental data provided a valuable insight into the thermodynamic conditions of the brine and the sequence of salt precipitation during an isothermal evaporation. A good agreement between the theoretical and experimental results of the mineral solubilities in the lake brine systems was observed with an average deviation ranging between 8-28%. The understanding of the mineral solubility and sequence of salt precipitation from the brine helps to control its evolution during concentration. Hence, it will lead to an improved operating design scheme of the current extraction processes. The dissolution rate of the salt raw materials was found to increase with an increased temperature, agitation speed and to decrease with an increased particle size and solid-to-liquid ratio. Moreover, the Avrami model provided the best agreement with the obtained experimental data (R2 = 0.9127-0.9731). In addition, the dissolution process was found to be controlled by a diffusion mechanism, with an activation energy of 33.3 kJ/mol.Under natural field conditions, the evaporative-crystallization process at Lake Katwe is influenced by in-situ weather conditions. Especially, the depth of the brine layer in the salt pans and the temperature play a significant role on the brine evaporation rates. With the optimal use of solar energy, it was established that the brine evaporation flux can be speeded up in the salt pans, which could increase the production rates. Moreover, recrystallization can be a viable technique to improve the salt product purity. Overall, it is believed that the current work provides useful information on how to exploit the mineral salts from the salt lake resources in the future.
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| 6. |
- Ni, Peiyuan
(författare)
-
A Study on Particle Motion and Deposition Rate : Application in Steel Flows
- 2015
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Non-metallic inclusions in molten steel have received worldwide attention due to their serious influence on both the steel product quality and the steel production process. These inclusions may come from the de-oxidation process, the re-oxidation by air and/or slag due to an entrainment during steel transfer, and so on. The presence of some inclusion types can cause a termination of a casting process by clogging a nozzle. Thus, a good knowledge of the inclusion behavior and deposition rate in steel flows is really important to understand phenomena such as nozzle clogging. In this thesis, inclusion behaviors and deposition rates in steel flows were investigated by using mathematical simulations and validation by experiments.A ladle teeming process was simulated and Ce2O3 inclusion behavior during a teeming stage was studied. A Lagrangian method was used to track the inclusions in a steel flow and to compare the behaviors of inclusions of different sizes. In addition, a statistical analysis was conducted by the use of a stochastic turbulence model to investigate the behaviors of different-sized inclusions in different nozzle regions. The results show that inclusions with a diameter smaller than 20 μm were found to have similar trajectories and velocity distributions in the nozzle. The inertia force and buoyancy force were found to play an important role for the behavior of large-size inclusions or clusters. The statistical analysis results indicate that the region close to the connection region of the straight pipe and the expanding part of the nozzle seems to be very sensitive for an inclusion deposition.In order to know the deposition rate of non-metallic inclusions, an improved Eulerian particle deposition model was developed and subsequently used to predict the deposition rate of inclusions. It accounts for the differences in properties between air and liquid metals and considers Brownian and turbulent diffusion, turbophoresis and thermophoresis as transport mechanisms. A CFD model was firstly built up to obtain the friction velocity caused by a fluid flow. Then, the friction velocity was put into the deposition model to calculate the deposition rate.For the case of inclusion/particle deposition in vertical steel flows, effects on the deposition rate of parameters such as steel flow rate, particle diameter, particle density, wall roughness and temperature gradient near a wall were investigated. The results show that the steel flow rate/friction velocity has a very important influence on the rate of the deposition of large particles, for which turbophoresis is the main deposition mechanism. For small particles, both the wall roughness and thermophoresis have a significant influence on the particle deposition rate. The extended Eulerian model was thereafter used to predict the inclusion deposition rate in a submerged entry nozzle (SEN). Deposition rates of different-size inclusions in the SEN were obtained. The result shows that the steel flow is non-uniform in the SEN of the tundish. This leads to an uneven distribution of the inclusion deposition rates at different locations of the inner wall of the SEN. A large deposition rate was found to occur at the regions near the SEN inlet, the SEN bottom and the upper region of two SEN ports.For the case of an inclusion/particle deposition in horizontal straight channel flows, the deposition rates of particles at different locations of a horizontal straight pipe cross- section were found to be different due to the influence of gravity and buoyancy. For small particles with a small particle relaxation time, the gravity separation is important for their deposition behaviors at high and low parts of the horizontal pipe compared to the turbophoresis. For large particles with a large particle relaxation time, turbophoresis is the dominating deposition mechanism.
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| 7. |
- Ekengård, Johan, 1976-
(författare)
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Slag/Metal Metallurgy in Iron and Steel Melts
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this work, the metal and slag phase mixing in three steps of a ladle refining operation of steel melts and for an oxygen balance during cooling of cast iron melts have been studied at two Swedish steel plants and at two Swedish cast iron foundries, respectively. In order to predict the oxygen activity in the steel bulk in equilibrium with the top slag as well as in metal droplets in the top slag in equilibrium with the top slag, three slag models were used. In addition, the assumptions of a sulphur-oxygen equilibrium between steel and slag and the dilute solution model for the liquid steel phase were utilized in the calculations. Measured oxygen activities in steel bulk, which varied between 3.5-6 ppm, were compared to predicted oxygen activities. The differences between the predicted and measured oxygen activities were found to be significant (0-500%) and the reasons for the differences are discussed in the thesis. Slag samples have been evaluated to determine the distribution of the metal droplets. The results show that the relatively largest numbers of metal droplets are present in the slag samples taken before vacuum degassing. Also, the projected interfacial area between steel bulk and top slag has been compared to the interfacial area between the metal droplets and slag.The results show that the droplet-slag interfacial area is 3 to 14 times larger than the flat projected interfacial area between the steel and top slag. Furthermore, the effect of the reactions between top slag and steel and the slag viscosity on the metal droplet formation is discussed. The results show significant differences between the steel bulk and steel droplet compositions and the reasons for the differences are discussed in the thesis. The oxygen activity in different cast irons was studied. Plant trials were performed at three occasions for lamellar, compacted and nodular iron melts. The results show that at temperatures close to the liquidus temperature the oxygen activities were 0.03-0.1 ppm for LGI, around 0.02 ppm for CGI, and 0.001ppm for SGI. In addition, it was found that as the oxygen activities increased with time after an Mg treatment, the ability to form a compact graphite or a nodular graphite in Mg-treated iron melts was decreased. Also, extrapolated oxygen activity differences up to 0.07 ppm were found for different hypoeutectic iron compositions for lamellar graphite iron at the liquidus temperature. Overall, the observed differences in the dissolved oxygen levels were believed to influence how graphite particles are incorporated into the austenite matrix and how the graphite morphology will be in the cast product.
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| 8. |
- Janis, Diana, 1984-
(författare)
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A Study of Different Methods for Inclusion Characterization towards On-line use during Steelmaking
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The interest of gaining on-line information related to non-metallic inclusions during the steelmaking process has recently increased due to the development as well as the promising results of the Pulse Distribution Analysis with Optical Emission Spectroscopy method (PDA/OES). Even though, the time from sampling to presented results on inclusions is only about 5-10 minutes, the method has also shown limitations with respect to the determination of some inclusion characteristics.Therefore, a first step was to perform a study on other methods such as the cross-section method (CS) on a polished sample surface, the cross-section after etching method (CSE), the bromine-methanol extraction method (BME), and the electrolytic extraction method (EE). This study focused on the evaluation of these methods with respect to the time consumption for preparation and analysis of a sample, the analyzed volume and the determination of inclusion and cluster characteristics such as size, number, particle size distribution (PSD) and composition. The CS and CSE methods were found to be suitable in the determination of the largest cluster in a sample which can be recommended in order to select proper extraction parameters for further studies. The BME method was considered to be fast with the possibility of analyzing a large volume. However, the used solution is chemically stronger compared to electrolytic extraction solutions, which can affect the results. In most aspects, the EE method was found to be the most stable, reliable and accurate method with some limitations regarding the time aspect.Based on this conclusion, the EE method was selected for a comparative study with the PDA/OES method. Reliably detected size ranges by using the PDA/OES method were defined for two low-alloyed steel grades. These are 2.0-5.7 μm and 1.4-5.7 μm for steel samples taken before and after a Ca-addition during the secondary steelmaking, respectively. Moreover, agreements between the EE and PDA/OES methods were observed in the average size and number of detected inclusions when only inclusions with the size > 2 μm were considered. Also, a theoretical minimum size and a maximum number ofinclusions present in the steel sample, which can be detected by using the PDA/OES method, were estimated.The work continued by successfully applying the EE method to study correlations between inclusions observed in the liquid steel samples and in a clogged nozzle (clogging material). It was found that the average sizes of spherical and non-spherical inclusions observed in the steel corresponded well with those observed in the clogging material. However, there were some differences in the frequencies of these inclusions. This was explained by a possible transformation of the present inclusions due to a reoxidation and a reaction with the nozzle refractory of the steel melt. The results of this study may contribute in the selection of proper process parameters or inclusion characteristics for future studies on the improvement and application of on-line methods.Finally, suggestions on how to present and interpret data obtained by the PDA/OES method during production of stainless steels were given in the present thesis. More specifically, the possibilities of defining operating windows with respect to inclusion composition and the use of a B-factor for Al (the total content of Al in inclusions detected by using the PDA/OES method) during the secondary steelmaking were discussed. In addition, a correlation study between B-factors for Al and numbers of inclusions (dV > 4 μm) obtained by using the PDA/OES method on process samples, and corresponding slivers indices from plate products was performed. The results showed a moderate correlation between these parameters as well as an increase of the slivers index with increased values of the chosen PDA/OES data. This indicates that it could be possible to predict when there is an increased risk of having slivers on the final rolled product at an early stage of the steelmaking process.
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| 9. |
- Kohlstädt, Sebastian, 1986-
(författare)
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On determining lost core viability in high-pressure die casting using Computational Continuum Mechanics
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The subject of this thesis work is to investigate whether Computational ContinuumMechanics (CCM) can serve as a valuable tool for the casting engineerto determine a priori whether a housing concept with inlying geometries thatso far only exists in Computer Aided Design (CAD) will have the desired coolingperformance and will be manufacturable with an acceptable number ofrejects.As of spring 2019, no application in serial production of lost cores, i.e.cores that are destroyed during deforming, in high-pressure die casting isknown. The reason for this is believed to be the absence of an engineeringtool that can tell upfront whether a concept of casting and process combinedwill be viable. This thesis aims to ll precisely that void by presenting, implementingand testing a CCM model inside the OpenFOAM toolbox in order todetermine upfront whether a design of a housing will be manufacturable withlost cores. The two-phase ow of air and melt is modeled with the volumeof-uid-concept. Turbulence modeling is done via the Reynolds-Averaged-Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach, mostly using the Menter SST k-omega-model.An isotropic linear elastic model was assumed for the solid mechanics.Industrial operators and managers like short and easy to grasp conclusions. As it, however, turned out during the process of this research project, there is no clear and easy answer to the question whether salt cores in high-pressuredie casting are a viable concept and will lead to sound castings. First of all, it was proven that housings made with lost cores can improve the heat transfer capabilities of castings. It was possible to produce castingswith cores up to an impact velocity of 30 ms^-1. The impact velocity wasfound to be the most decisive parameter. But the reader should bear in mindthat this limit is only valid for the given setup. Each conguration has to betested with the introduced model separately. The slamming events at rstimpact of the melt were found to be not failure-critical if crack-free coresare used. It was also found that the approach of evaluating only the peakforce does not go far enough. Eects later in the process may have a moreimportant impact due to larger force-time integrals. Also, dierent from theoriginal assumptions, the heat transferred from the melt to the core maynot be neglected even though filling times are below 0.1 s. Dening generalnumerical constraints for conditions under which salt cores are a viabletechnology is very dicult as geometry alterations play an important roletoo. This underscores the power and usefulness of the presented model evenIfurther as the engineer is now capable of testing each setup individually.It soon became clear that a fully comprehensive model is still for futureresearchers to develop. It was found that it is not benecial to attach the shotsleeve to the casting model with currently available open-source CFD technology.The presented strategy in this thesis together with the developed CCMtools can therefore provide a powerful tool for the casting or CAD-engineerto decide case by case whether a concept for a casting will be producible ornot. The tools range from a limited CFD approach for evaluating only theforces to a fully coupled FSI methodology describing the core deformationover time. All models have been tested and validated with high-pressure diecasting experiments and are in line with previously published ndings withdeviations of 5-10 % at maximum.
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| 10. |
- Liu, Hailong
(författare)
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A Study of the Particle Transport Behavior in Enclosed Environments
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The main purpose of the present work is to increase the fundamental understanding of the particle transport behavior in an enclosed environment and to provide knowledge to the estimate and measure the particle emission from pellets during a steel production process.A laboratory study focused on the effect of the high sliding velocity on the particle generation from dry sliding wheel-rail contacts has been conducted. The particle concentration and the size distribution were acquired online by using particle number counters during the tests. After the completion of each test, the characteristics of pin worn surfaces and collected particles were analyzed with the aid of SEM (scanning electron microscopy) combined with EDS (energy disperse X-ray analysis). The results show that the amount of the particle generation increases significantly as the sliding velocity increases from 0.1 to 3.4 m/s. Moreover, the particle size distribution results indicate that the majority of the generated particles are submicron (ultrafine and fine) particles in the case of a high sliding velocity (1.2 and 3.4 m/s). The observations of iron oxide layers within the pin worn surface and the collected iron-oxide containing particles reveal that these substantial small particles can be attributed to an oxidative wear between the dry sliding wheel-rail contacts under high sliding velocities.The effect of the particle transport behavior with respect to submicron particles in the test chamber on the measurements taken at the outlet was studied by a three dimensional mathematical model. With the assistance of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulations, the airflow pattern was found to have a major effect on the particle transport during the tests. By estimating the particle loss rate, 30% of generated particles failed to be captured at the outlet. The reason for that could be a temporary suspension and a deposition onto the surfaces. It should be noted that the particles were assumed to follow the air stream as a result of the small particle size. In addition, the Lagrangian tracking results reveal that the limiting size for particles to become airborne during tests is around 10 µm. However, the computational cost is found to be significant high when the Lagrangian method is adopted.To consider the measurements of micron particles and to reduce the computational time, a coupled drift flux and Eulerian deposition model was developed. In this model, the effects of the gravitational sedimentation and deposition on the particle dispersion were included. The simulation results are in a good agreement with the available experimental data. The value of APD (average percentage deviation) is in the range of 7.7% to 21.2%. Therefore, a set of simulation cases have been carried out to investigate the influential factors (particle size, wall roughness, source location and duration). The results show that the homogeneity of the particle concentration distribution in the model room declines with an increased particle size (0.01 to 10 µm). An almost uniform particle concentration field is formed for submicron particles (0.01 and 0.1 µm) and for fine particles (1 and 2 µm). However, a clear concentration gradient is obtained for coarse particles (4, 6, 8 and 10 µm). This is due to that the gravitational settling dominates the motion of coarse particles. As a result, a large deposited amount and a high deposition fraction was predicted for coarse particles. Moreover, the surface roughness was found to enhance the deposition of submicron particles (0.1 and 0.01 µm) for a given friction velocity. On the contrary, the deposition of micron particles is much less sensitive to the variation of the surface roughness. For a case of an internal source in the room, where a release over a long duration is considered, the particle dispersion strongly depends on the release location. However, this is not the case for a short release time.The dispersions and depositions of micron particles were explored in a laboratory test focused on the particle emission from the wear between the pellets. The simulation results were compared to the measured data with respect to the particle flux at the outlet. A good agreement (4.92% < APD < 12.02%) is obtained. In addition, the influence of the air flow rate at the inlet and the particle size on the sampling results at the outlet was investigated carefully. The results show that a stronger air supply at the inlet can push more particles to the outlet for any given particle sizes. However, the resulted increase of the measurable fraction is more significant for 4, 6, 8 10 µm particles compared to 1, 2 and 20 µm particles. Moreover, it is apparent that 20 µm particles are unable to be measured in such a measurement system.
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| 11. |
- Mu, Wangzhong, 1985-
(författare)
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Microstructure and Inclusion Characteristics in Steels with Ti-oxide and TiN Additions
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Non-metallic inclusions in steels are generally considered to be detrimental for mechanical properties. However, it has been recognized that certain inclusions, such as Ti-oxide and TiN, can serve as potent nucleation sites for the formation of intragranular ferrite (IGF) in low-alloy steels. The formation of IGF could improve the toughness of the coarse grained heat affected zone (CGHAZ) of weld metals. Thus, the present thesis mainly focuses on the effect of size of nucleation sites on the IGF formation. Quantitative studies on the composition, size distribution and nucleation probability for each size of the inclusions as well as the area fraction, starting temperature and morphology of an IGF have been carried out.In the present work, the Ti-oxide and TiN powders were mixed with metallic powders. The mixed powders were heated up to the liquid state and cooled with a slow cooling rate of 3.6 ºC/min. These as-cast steels with Ti-oxide and TiN additions were used to simulate the IGF formation in the CGHAZ of weld metals. Specifically, the inclusion and microstructure characteristics in as-cast steels have been investigated. The results show that the nucleant inclusion was identified as a TiOx+MnS phase in steels with Ti2O3 additions and as a TiN+Mn-Al-Si-Ti-O+MnS phase in steels with TiN additions. In addition, the TiOx and TiN phases are detected to be the effective nucleation sites for IGF formation. It is clearly shown that an increased inclusion size leads to an increased probability of IGF nucleation. This probability of IGF nucleation for each inclusion size of the TiOx+MnS inclusions is clearly higher than that of the complex TiN+Mn-Al-Si-Ti-O+MnS inclusions. In addition, the area fraction of IGF in the steels with Ti2O3 additions is larger than that of the steels with TiN additions. This result agrees with the predicted tendency of the probability of IGF nucleation for each inclusion size in the steels with Ti2O3 and TiN additions.In order to predict the effective inclusion size for IGF formation, the critical diameters of the TiO, TiN and VN inclusions, which acted as the nucleation sites of IGF formation, were also calculated based on the classical nucleation theory. The critical diameters of TiO, TiN and VN inclusions for IGF formation were found to be 0.192, 0.355 and 0.810 μm in the present steels. The calculation results were found to be in agreement with the experiment data of an effective inclusion size. Moreover, the effects of the S, Mn and C contents on the critical diameters of inclusions were also calculated. It was found that the critical diameter of the TiO, TiN and VN inclusions increases with an increased content of Mn or C. However, the S content doesn’t have a direct effect on the critical diameter of the inclusions for IGF formation. The probability of IGF nucleation for each inclusion size slightly decreases in the steel containing a higher S content. This fact is due to that an increased amount of MnS precipitation covers the nucleant inclusion surface.In the as-cast experiment, it was noted that an IGF can be formed in steels with Ti2O3 and TiN additions with a cooling rate of 3.6 ºC/min. In order to control the microstructure characteristics, such as the area fraction and the morphology of an IGF, and to investigate the starting temperature of IGF and grain boundary ferrite (GBF) formation, the dynamic transformation behavior of IGF and GBF was studied in-situ by a high temperature confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). Furthermore, the chemical compositions of the inclusions and the morphology of IGF after the in-situ observations were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) which equipped wavelength dispersive spectrometer (WDS). The results show that the area fraction of IGF is larger in the steels with Ti2O3 additions compared to the steels with TiN additions, after the same thermal cycle has been imposed. This is due to that the TiOx phase provides more potent nucleation sites for IGF than the TiN phase does. Also, the area fraction of IGF in the steels is highest after at an intermediate cooling rate of 70 ºC/min, since the competing phase transformations are avoided. This fact has been detected by using a hybrid methodology in combination with CLSM and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In addition, it is noted that the morphology of an IGF is refined with an increased cooling rate.
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| 12. |
- Samuelsson, Peter
(författare)
-
Management of technology in the process industries: Matching market and machine
- 2017
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The process industries span multiple industrial sectors and constitute a substantial part of the entire manufacturing industry. Since companies belonging to this family of industries are often very asset intensive, their ability to respond to changes is often limited in the short term.The adaptation of the capabilities of existing processes, and conversely finding products and market segments to match the production system capabilities, are an important part of product- and market development activities in the process industry. The importance to companies in the process industry of having a well-articulated manufacturing strategy congruent with the business strategy is second to none. However, to facilitate manufacturing strategy developments, it is essential to start with an improved characterization and understanding of the material transformation system.To that end an extensive set of variables was developed and related measures and scales were defined. The resulting configuration model, focusing on company generic process capabilities in the process industries, is to be regarded as a conceptual taxonomy and as a proposition available for further testing. The usability of the model was subsequently assessed using “mini-cases” in the forestry industry, where the respondents confirmed that the company’s overall strategy could benefit from this kind of platform as a possible avenue to follow.The model was deployed as an instrument in the profiling of company material transformation systems to facilitate the further development of companies' functional and business strategies. The use of company-generic production capabilities was studied in three case companies representing the mineral, food and steel industries. The model was found by the respondents to be usable as a knowledge platform to develop production strategies. In the final analysis of the research results, a new concept emerged called “production capability configuration":A process-industrial company’s alignment of its generic production capabilities in the areas of raw materials, process technology and products to improve the consistency among the variable elements that define operations and improve the congruence between operations and its environment.From the perspective of value creation and capture, firms must be able to manufacture products in a competitive cost structure within the framework of a proper business model. By using the configuration model, the relationship between manufacturing and innovation activities has been studied in the previously mentioned three case studies.In many cases the gap in capability appears as a limitation in the production system, requiring development efforts and sometimes investments to overcome. This is illustrated with two examples from the steel industry, where development efforts of the production system capabilities are initiated to better match the market demands. One example is the increase the volume- and product flexibility of an existing stainless steel melt shop, resulting in a proposed oblong Argon Oxygen Decarburisation (AOD) converter configuration that was subsequently verified using water modelling. The second example is from a carbon steel mill, where the target was to increase the raw material- and volume flexibility of another melt shop, by modifying the capabilities of the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF). Enabling EAF technologies are further described and evaluated using operational data and engineering type of estimates.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Wang, Jing, 1985-
(författare)
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Development of Graphitic Carbon Nitride based Semiconductor Photocatalysts for Organic Pollutant Degradation
- 2015
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- As a potential solution to the global energy and environmental pollution, design and synthesis of artificial photocatalysts with high activities have attracted increasing scientific interests worldwide. In recent years, the graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has shown new possible applications in the photocatalytic field due to its unique properties. However, the photocatalytic efficiency of the pristine g-C3N4 is greatly limited by the high recombination rate of the photo-induced electron-hole pairs. In this thesis, the aim is to design and fabricate efficient g-C3N4 based photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic activities under a visible light irradiation.In order to achieve this goal, two strategies have been employed in the present thesis. First, the as-obtained g-C3N4 was used as the host material to construct staggered-aligned composite photocatalysts by selecting semiconductors with suitable band positions. By this method, three kinds of g-C3N4-based composite photocatalysts such as g-C3N4/ZnS nanocage, g-C3N4/m-Ag2Mo2O7 and g-C3N4/MIL-88A were successfully fabricated. Second, the microstructure of the g-C3N4 was modified by the H2O2-treatment at an elevated temperature and ambient pressure.In this study, the g-C3N4 was prepared by a simple pyrolysis of urea. As for all the as-synthesized phtocatalysts, the structures, morphologies and the optical properties were carefully characterized by the following techniques: XRD, SEM, TEM, FT-IR and DRS. Also, the band edge positions of m-Ag2Mo2O7 and MIL-88A were studied by the Mott-Schottky methods. Thereafter, the photocatalytic activities were evaluated by using a solution of rhodamine B (RhB) as a target pollutant for the photodegradation experiments performed under a visible light irradiation. The results showed that all the aforementioned g-C3N4-based photocatalysts exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activities in comparison with the pristine g-C3N4. For the case of the g-C3N4-based composite photocatalysts, the enhancement factor over the pristine g-C3N4 can achieve values ranging from 2.6 to 3.4. As for the H2O2-treated g-C3N4, the degradation rate constant can be 4.6 times higher than that of the pristine g-C3N4.To understand the key factors in new materials design, we also devote a lot of efforts to elucidate the basic mechanisms during the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant. Based on the results of the active species trapping (AST) experiments, the main active species in each photocatalytic system were determined. In the g-C3N4/m-Ag2Mo2O7 and the g-C3N4/MIL-88A system, three kinds of active species of ·O2-, h+ and ·OH were found to be involved in the photocatalytic reaction. Among them, the ·O2- and h+ were the main active species. In the g-C3N4/ZnS and H2O2-treated g-C3N4 photocatalytic systems, the main active species was determined as the ·O2-. The reaction pathways of these active species were also demonstrated by comparing the band edge positions with the potentials of the redox couple. In addition, the relationship between the active species and the photocatalytic behaviors of N-de-ethylation and conjugated structure cleavage were studied. Finally, possible mechanisms to explain the enhanced photocatalytic activities were proposed for each photocatalytic system.The results in this thesis clearly confirm that the photocatalytic activity of the g-C3N4 based photocatalyst can efficiently be enhanced by constructions of staggered-aligned composites and by modification of the microstructure of the g-C3N4. The enhanced photocatalytic performance can mainly be ascribed to the efficient separation of the photo-induced electron-hole pairs and the increase of the active sites for the photocatalytic reaction.
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| 15. |
- Xuan, Changji
(författare)
-
Wettability and Agglomeration Characteristics of Non-Metallic Inclusions
- 2016
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this thesis, both the wettability and the agglomeration characteristics of non-metallic inclusions in liquid iron/steel were studied by using both experimental results and thermodynamic considerations. The mechanisms of the wettability of different types of inclusions were discussed. Also, the agglomeration behaviors of the inclusions were analyzed.Firstly, the wettability of different types of inclusions (including Al2O3, MgO, Ti2O3, TiO2 and TiN) in contact with the liquid iron/steel was studied. For the TiNcase, there is no reaction formation at the interface between TiN and pureiron/steel. In the caseo f pure Fe, the oxygen increase is the main factor for a contact angle decrease. As for the steel case, a sharp decrease of the contact angle is due to the effects of both an increased oxygen content in the liquid steel and a formation of a Ti(N,C,O) phase at the interface. For the Al2O3 and MgO cases, the formation of a FeAl2O4 and a MgO-FeO reaction layer at the interface, respectively, lead to a contact angle decrease. In the case of the Ti2O3/pure Fe case, the reaction at the interface cannot be identified. For the Ti2O3/steel case, the formation of an Al2TiO5 reaction layer is the main reason for a steep decrease of the contact angle. In the TiO2 case, the melting region appears at the temperature below the melting point of pure iron. This is due to the strong formation of a solid solution TiOx-FeO. The main source of the oxygen for the solid solution formationis due to a TiO2 substrate decomposition and a low partial pressure of oxygen in the chamber.Regarding to the non-metallic particle additions (TiO2 and TiN) into the molten steel, the steel composition should be controlled to have a small Al content (<0.005mass%) and a high Ti content (>0.035mass%), so as togeta high number of Ti-rich oxide inclusions with a small size. This conclusionis supported from the view point of the van der Waals force, liquid-capillary force and wettability.Regarding the Ti/Al complex deoxidation in the melt, the “mainly occupied clustered inclusions” with spherical shape is due to a TiOx-FeO liquid inclusion precipitation after an addition of Ti as a pre-deoxidizer. The much lower cluster number in the Ti/Al case than that in the Al case is mainly due to a coagulation of single TiOx-FeO liquid inclusions. Also, the cluster formation in a complex Ti/Al deoxidation is started after an Al addition rather than after a Ti addition.Regarding the Al2O3 cluster formation in deoxidation, the cavity bridge forceis larger than the van der Waals force. However, the difference between them is smaller than 7 times. In the reoxidation process, the influence of the cavity bridge force due to the wettability decreased, and became similar to that of the liquid-capillary force.
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| 16. |
- Yang, Ying, 1982-
(författare)
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Inclusion Motion under a Swirl Flow in the Continuous Casting Process and Wire Feeding in the Induction Furnace
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The thesis includes the studies of two phenomena related to continuous casting. One subject is the inclusion motion in the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) and mold when using a swirl flow. The swirl flow is generated in a SEN by using an electromagnetic swirl flow generator (EMSFG). The other subject is focused on FeSiRE particles (powder) that are added into the molten steel by using a wire feeding method, which in the future could be used in a continuous casting mold.Firstly, two kinds of a full type and a half type EMSFG were designed based on mathematical modeling. Then, the distributions of the magnetic flux intensity and the Lorentz force were obtained for two types of EMSFG devices. Based on the results of the Lorentz force, the flow field, temperature field and inclusion motion in the SEN and the mold were studied by using a full type and a half type EMSFG. Moreover, a comparison from the above aspects was investigated between a full type EMSFG and a half type EMSFG. In addition, the effect of different inclusion parameters such as the densities, sizes and boundary conditions, on the inclusion behavior was studied. It was found that light Al2O3 inclusion moves towards the rotational center by a centrifugal force and that a swirl flow prevents nozzle clogging. The heavy CeO2 inclusion more or less moves outwards towards the SEN wall and they may stick to the wall. It was also found that the inclusion separation to a mold meniscus increased and that the inclusions being trapped into a solidified shell decreased when using a swirl flow compared to when not using a swirl flow.A study of a wire feeding into molten steel in an induction furnace was done to determine the potential to implement wire feeding into a mold in the future. A major difference compared to a traditional solid wire is that the wire contains particles (powder). Firstly of all, the wire melting behavior in the molten steel was studied. More specially, the influence of the different wire materials (aluminum, copper and 316L stainless steel wires) on the dissolution time in the molten steel was modeled. Moreover, these simulation results were compared to experimental results. In addition, the FeSiRE particle (powder) motion in the induction furnace was also simulated. The results showed that the copper wire is more suitable to apply in the continuous casting mold when a small addition and a lower wire feeding speed are used. Conversely, if a large amount and a higher feeding speed are needed, the aluminum wire may be recommended for injections in the mold. The results also indicated that the thermal properties of particle (powder) have an influence on the wire melting behavior in the molten steel.
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| 17. |
- Ånmark, Niclas, 1987-
(författare)
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Inclusion Characteristics and Their Link to Tool wear in Metal Cutting of Clean Steels Suitable for Automotive Applications
- 2015
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis covers some aspects of hard part turning of carburised steels using a poly‑crystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) cutting tool during fine machining. The emphasis is on the influence of the steel cleanliness and the characteristics of non‑metallic inclusions in the workpiece on the active wear mechanisms of the cutting tool. Four carburising steel grades suitable for automotive applications were included, including one that was Ca‑treated.A superior tool life was obtained when turning the Ca-treated steel. The superior machinability is associated with the deposition of lubricating (Mn,Ca)S and (CaO)x-Al2O3-S slag layers, which are formed on the rake face of the cutting tool during machining. Moreover, the transfer of work material to the rake face crater is characteristic in hard part turning of clean steels. It can be because of the lack of sulfides that protect the cutting edge when turning machinability treated steels. This corresponds to the more pronounced crater wear caused by the low‑sulfur steels than that of the steels with higher sulfur contents. It was also concluded that the composition of the non‑metallic inclusions in the Ca‑treated steel is a more important factor than the inclusion number and size, in hard part turning using a PCBN cutting tool. Also, a 3D analysis after electrolytic extraction was found to give a more precise characterisation of non‑metallic inclusions than the conventional 2D analysis by SEM‑EDS. In turn, better correlations to machinability and mechanical properties can be obtained. Hence, the use of this technique is beneficial for future material development.Finally, the challenge for future metallurgy is to manufacture high‑performance steels with improved combined properties of mechanical strength and machinability.
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| 18. |
- Ånmark, Niclas, 1987-
(författare)
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Steel characteristics and their link to chip breaking and tool wear in metal cutting
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The vision of this thesis is to study how it is possible to obtain optimised workpieces during metal cutting processes in industry. Specifically, the work is aimed to increase the understanding between the steel characteristics and their link to the chip breaking and tool wear during metal cutting. The emphasis is on the influence of the cleanliness and the characteristics of non-metallic inclusions in the workpiece on the machinability of carburising steel grades. The machinability of a case hardening steel is improved by a M-treatment (additions of Ca). Also, the improved machinability of the M-steels offers an attractive potential to save money which makes it possible to reduce the tooling costs with up to 50%. The improved machinability of Ca-treated steels is correlated to the formation of lubricating slag layers consisting of Ca-enriched sulfide inclusions and oxy-sulfide inclusions, which are formed on the rake face during the machining operation. It is proposed that the formations of slag layers from the workpiece constituents are essential to minimise the chemical degradation of the tool edge due to a contact with the chip. During this process, sulfur minimises the material transfer from the chip flow, whilst Ca-treated impurities have a stabilising effect on the protective deposits made of slag layers.Since there is a remaining industrial need to increase the production rate, whilst maintaining a high quality of the finished parts, the future production will continue to require extreme demands on the quality of workpieces. If the emphasis is focused on the workpiece, it should be possible to obtain a robust manufacturing process. Therefore, the challenge for future steel metallurgists is to develop high performance grades with optimised combined properties.
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| 19. |
- Jarnerud, Tova, 1976-
(författare)
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Utilization of recovered lime-containing materials from pulp and paper industries as slag formers in stainless steel production
- 2019
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In recent years, major efforts have been made to develop a more circular economy. The desire to reuse, remanufacture and recycle materials are important for the development towards a sustainable society. An extended lifespan of materials helps to reduce the amount of waste kept in landfills, as well as to reduce the extraction of natural resources. Pulp and paper and steel industries are two of the largest export industrial sectors in Sweden. It is well known that the pulp and paper industries also generates large amounts of organic and inorganic wastes, of which a significant part is kept in landfills. Year by year deposit of wastes in landfills is becoming more difficult to handle and expensive due to stronger regulations and requirements regarding the environment. During Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) and Argon Oxygen Decarburization (AOD) stainless steelmaking operations, burnt lime (primary lime) is charged together with other slag forming materials in the furnace or converter to attain a specific basicity of the slag and to achieve purification from unwanted elements by chemical reactions in the steel.However, a number of CaO-containing wastes from pulp/paper mills can be used as slag formers in steelmaking processes to replace the currently used burnt natural lime, since the use of this primary lime does not conform with the closing the loop idea that is being prioritized in modern society. This thesis presents results from preliminary experiments for examining the replacement of primary lime with secondary lime from pulp and paper production waste as slag formers in EAF and AOD converters. The obtained results showed a possibility of using up to 30% CaO from secondary lime as a replacement for primary lime in the EAF. Furthermore, the amount of ferrosilicon alloys additions can be decreased by up to 3kg/ton of steel. For the AOD process the use of secondary lime doesn´t have any negative effects on the decarburization process and reduction process. Furthermore, it has similar desulphurization functions as the primary lime. However, the phosphorus content in the metal was slightly increased. Thus, the replacement ratio of secondary lime will be limited by the acceptable phosphorus level in the final steel due to higher phosphorus content in wastes from pulp and paper mills compared to that in primary lime. Moreover, it was revealed during this study that slags from AOD converters can be used as binding agents for briquetting of these secondary lime materials. These results shows that waste/by products from two major industries can be used to make metallurgical briquettes, uniting two major industrial sectors in a circular symbiosis towards a more sustainable future.
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| 20. |
- Kellner, Hans, 1989-
(författare)
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Study of Non-metallic Inclusion in Alloy 825
- 2017
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- It is well known that inclusions affect the properties of steels and alloys. Therefore, it is important to understand what type of inclusions that exist and how they behave and especially with a focus on large size inclusions. Thus, the large size non-metallic inclusions in ferroalloy FeTi70R were investigated in two dimensions (2D) by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with an energy dispersive technique (EDS). It was found that the FeTi70R ferroalloy contain complex oxide inclusions consisting mostly of CaO, SiO2 and TiOx. Furthermore, experimental trials were performed to investigate how these inclusions behaved when entering a melt. More specifically, a comparison between pure Fe and an Alloy 825 grade were made. These results determined the parameters effect on the transformation of the inclusions in the melt.The large size non-metallic inclusions in Alloy 825 during the ladle treatment were investigated during industrial trials by using both two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) microscopic investigations. The results showed that inclusions consisted of spherical oxides and clusters made up of oxides and nitrides. Further investigations found that the spherical inclusions were transformed from existing NMI in the FeTi70R ferroalloy and slag particles. As for the clusters, they originate from deoxidation products. Furthermore, small inclusions precipitated in the local zones around the added FeTi70R ferroalloy and titanium nitrides. Investigations also found that only Al2O3-MgO and TiN clusters exist after casting.Industrial trials were performed during the last period of the ladle treatment and using a combined electromagnetic (EMS) and gas (GS) stirring. The purpose to investigate the effect of different EMS directions on the agglomeration and on the removal of Al2O3-MgO and TiN clusters. The investigations were then performed in 3D after an electrolytic extraction of the metal samples. The results show that electromagnetic stirring in the upwards direction is best for the agglomeration of the Al2O3-MgO and TiN clusters. However, electromagnetic stirring in the downwards direction is more effective to remove clusters from the melt. This is in agreement with the theoretical predictions based on Stokes’, Brownian and Turbulent collisions. Also, the calculations showed that for Al2O3-MgO clusters with sizes <20 μm the Turbulent collision is the defining factor for agglomeration. However, both Stokes’ and Turbulent collisions are dominant for larger inclusions. For the TiN clusters, turbulent collisions is the dominant factor.Further investigations with more heats and stirring modes were done by using 2D microscopic investigations. More specifically, the number, size, composition and morphology of different inclusions were determined by using SEM in combination with EDS and Inca Feature analyses. The results show that the EMS in downwards direction with a 0.04 m3 min-1 gas flow rate promotes a general removal of Al2O3-MgO and TiN inclusions. Furthermore, that the upwards EMS direction promotes a drastically increase of inclusions having an equivalent size smaller than 11.2 μm. Moreover, the stirring with a 0.02 m3 min-1 gas flow rate has a better removal rate for both downwards and upwards stirring directions compared to the stirring with a 0.04 m3 min-1 gas flow rate. However, no influence on the inclusion composition and morphology could be seen from the different stirring modes.
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| 21. |
- Khan, Fareed Ashraf, 1967-
(författare)
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Some aspects of convection as well as graphite and carbide formations during casting.
- 2018
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- It is an established fact that segregation during casting affects the physical properties of carbon-based ferro alloys; this motivates the study of the segregation behaviour of carbon and carbide-forming solute elements. In this context, this thesis investigates two different situations: the effects of cooling rate and turbulence on the precipitation behaviour of the graphite nodules in nodular cast iron; the nature of carbide precipitation in a bearing steel grade and the effects of subsequent soaking on these carbides.The structures of boiling water reactor inserts cast by the uphill and downhill casting of nodular cast iron were examined. The samples were taken from representative locations in the top, middle and bottom cross sections of the castings. It was observed that in uphill-cast inserts the nodules were larger but fewer in number the bottom section, whereas in downhill-cast inserts the nodules in the bottom section were smaller, but greater in number. Variation in volume fraction of the graphite nodules across the inserts was also observed. The probable cause of this variation was the difference in cooling rate in different sections of the insert. Between the steel tubes located at the central part of the casting, the fraction of graphite was lower, which could be the result of carburization of the steel tubes.To study the effects of melt stirring during the solidification of nodular cast iron, several experiments were conducted at variable cooling rates and for different stirring times. Examination of the microstructure was conducted using Light Optical Microscope (LOM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). It was observed that during stirring the melt oxidized and oxide nuclei were formed. The number of nucleation sites for the precipitation of graphite nodules increased, which raised the nodule count and the fraction of the graphite precipitated. The matrix transformed from pearlite to ferrite, which could be due to the fact that more carbon had diffused out of the matrix.The segregation behaviour in hypereutectoid bearing steel produced by ingot casting was also studied. The effects of soaking on micro and macro segregation was investigated in samples taken from as cast and soaked ingots; emphasis was laid on the bulk matrix and A-segregation channels. Samples were also taken from ingots which were soaked and then hot worked. The micro and macro examination of the microstructure was conducted using LOM and SEM. Quantitative and qualitative composition analysis was performed using Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and an electron micro probe analyzer (EMPA). It was observed that M3C, M2C and M6C had precipitated. The carbide morphology in the bulk matrix was different to that in the A-segregation channels. All the primary carbides in the bulk matrix were found to have dissolved after 4 hours of soaking at 1200oC.
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| 22. |
- Médioni, Charlotte
(författare)
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Influence of Stirring on the Inclusion Characteristics during Vacuum Degassing in a Ladle
- 2015
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Steel cleanliness as a function of stirring practice during vacuum degassing treatment have been investigated in industrial studies at the steel plants of SSAB Special Steels in Oxelösund and Uddeholm AB in Hagfors. The cleanliness was examined with regards to the contents of sulphur, nitrogen and large inclusions (>10µm).The stirring practice during the vacuum degassing treatment has been studied with respect to time, namely by shortening the vacuum degassing treatment time from 24 to 15 minutes. Furthermore, the effect of the stirring intensity was studied by measuring the open eye zone using camera recordings. The focus has been to study the effect of a shortened vacuum degassing time as well as a controlled stirring intensity on the steel cleanliness. Moreover, study the effect of subsequent induction stirring, after vacuum degassing, on the amount of inclusions. By taking steel and slag samples taken before and after the vacuum degassing treatment, the different stirring practices could be investigated. It should be noted that all heats reached the desired composition regardless of the treatment time and stirring practice.The results from the trials at SSAB Special Steels showed that the stirring practice during vacuum degassing have an effect on the total number of inclusions. The strong argon stirring during vacuum degassing with visible open eyes resulted in an average increase of 400% of the total amount of inclusions >10µm. However, no difference between a vacuum degassing time of 24 or 15 minutes was seen with respect to the increased amount of inclusions, denitrogenization or desulphurization. During the subsequent induction stirring, which was softer with no open eyes, the effect of the stirring practice was unclear due to overlapping confidence intervals. An average decrease of 65% of the total amount of inclusions >10 µm was seen for the heats with non-overlapping confidence intervals. Based on these results it can be suggested that the use of a soft induction stirring after the vacuum degassing treatment as a possible process change to reach lower amounts of large inclusions.The stirring intensity during the vacuum degassing treatment was measured as the average ladle eye size during the trials at Uddeholm AB. This, due to that stronger stirring results in larger ladle eye zone. The results show that the amount of smaller inclusions (<11.2 μm) decrease by up to 90% compared to the original amount, regardless of the stirring intensity. A stronger stirring showed tendency to increase the amount of large inclusion (>22.4 μm). Moreover, the denitrogenization and desulphurization was not affected by the changed stirring intensity during vacuum degassing. It was also found that the average ladle eye size did not correlate to the logged average argon flow.
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| 23. |
- Steneholm, Karin
(författare)
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The Effect of Ladle Treatment on Steel Cleanness in Tool Steels
- 2016
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of the present work was to get an overview of the steel cleanness in tool steel. Plant trial studies of three steel grades were done with different focuses.Firstly the change of the inclusion characteristics during the vacuum degassing in the ladle was looked upon. The top slag composition was altered and sampling was made before and after vacuum degassing and the results showed that the top slag composition has an effect on the inclusion composition. Thermodynamic calculations indicated that the oxygen activity for the steel/inclusion was twice as large as that of the steel/top slag before vacuum degassing. However, after vacuum degassing the oxygen activity values were close.In order to study the inclusion characteristics during vacuum degassing the process was interrupted at five pre-determined time points for sampling. During vacuum the number of the smaller inclusions was decreased. However, for the larger inclusions (>11.2µm) the number of inclusions had increased. Throughout the degassing process the inclusion composition was found to approach the top slag composition and at the end of the process only one type of inclusion composition was found.The removal of hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur was studied. Samples were taken before and after vacuum degassing. It was found that the removal kinetics of hydrogen and nitrogen can be described with first-order reactions. When 10 minutes of vacuum degassing have passed, the removal of hydrogen and nitrogen is more or less finished for the studied steel grades.Two steel grades with similar process route and with only a few differences in steel composition were studied. The sum of FeO and MnO was found to be a clear indicator for when reoxidation had taken place. The results from oxygen activity calculations indicate that calculations of oxygen activities with multivalence slag species such as Fe and Cr requires measurements for validations to ensure that reliable results are obtained.
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| 24. |
- Svensson, Jennie, 1987-
(författare)
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An Experimental Study to Improve the Casting Performance of Steel Grades Sensitive for Clogging
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this study, the goal is to optimize the process and to reduce the clogging tendency during the continuous casting process. The focus is on clogging when the refractory base material (RBM) in the SEN is in contact with the liquid steel. It is difficult or impossible to avoid non-metallic inclusions in the liquid steel, but by a selection of a good RBM in the SEN clogging can be reduced. Different process steps were evaluated during the casting process in order to reduce the clogging tendency. First, the preheating of the SEN was studied. The results showed that the SEN can be decarburized during the preheating process. In addition, decarburization of SEN causes a larger risk for clogging. Two types of plasma coatings were implemented to protect the RBM, to prevent reactions with the RBM, and to reduce the clogging tendency. Calcium titanate (CaTiO3) mixed with yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) plasma coatings were tested in laboratory and pilot plant trials, for casting of aluminium-killed low-carbon steels. For casting of cerium alloyed stainless steels, YSZ plasma coatings were tested in laboratory, pilot plant and industrial trials. The results showed that the clogging tendency was reduced when implementing both coating materials. It is also of importance to produce clean steel in order to reduce clogging. Therefore, the steel cleanliness in the tundish was studied experimentally. The result showed that inclusions originated from the slag, deoxidation products and tundish refractory and that they were present in the tundish as well as in the final steel product.
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| 25. |
- Xu, Yonggui
(författare)
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A Study of Bubble and Inclusion Behaviors in a Liquid Steel Bath
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The bubble formation processes in a water model experiment were measured by a high-speed camera. Nozzle diameters of 0.5 mm, 1 mm and 2 mm were investigated under both wetting and non-wetting conditions. The bubble sizes and formation frequencies as well as the bubbling regimes were identified for each nozzle size and for different wettabilities. The results show that the upper limits of the bubbling regime were 7.35 L/h, 12.05 L/h and 15.22 L/h under wetting conditions for the 0.5 mm, 1 mm and 2 mm nozzle diameters, respectively. Meanwhile, the limits were 12.66 L/h, 13.64 L/h and 15.33 L/h for the non-wetting conditions. In addition to experiments, numerical modeling was performed. The Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method was used to track the interface between the gas and liquid. The simulation results were compared to experimental observations from an air-water system. The comparisons show a satisfactory good agreement between the two methods (maximum difference is 0.029 s during a bubble formation period). Simulations from the argon-steel system show that the effect of the nozzle size on the bubble formation is insignificant for the current studied metallurgical conditions. The upper limits of the bubbling regime were approximate 60 L/h and 80 L/h for a 2 mm nozzle for wetting and non-wetting conditions, respectively. In addition, a poor wettability leads to a bigger bubble size and a lower frequency compared to a good wettability, for the same gas flow rate. The fundamental aspects of rising argon bubbles in molten metal flow were investigated by numerical simulations. The results show that 3~10 mm bubbles rise in a spiral way with strong instabilities which cause them to change their instantaneous shapes. In addition, 10~20 mm bubbles rise rectilinearly and their shapes are kept almost steady. All these bubbles’ terminal velocities are around 0.3 m/s, which are in accordance with literature data. The simulation results of bubble bursting at the liquid surface show that when the surface tension is 1.4 N/m, the critical bubble size is 9.3 mm. Also, the ejection is found to increase with an increased surface tension value, unless a critical bubble size is reached. The single bubble passage through the liquid-liquid interface was numerically simulated. The calculation results show that the passing patterns at the steel-slag interface are oscillation-pass, oscillation-breakup, oscillations-pass, pass and pass-breakup for the 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 (20) mm bubbles, respectively. For a 5 mm bubble, it was found that an increase of the interfacial tension from 0.04 to 0.8 N/m results in a delayed bubble passage time. The results also show that the bubble experiences an oscillations-breakup process if the interfacial tension value is up to 1.15 N/m. However, a higher interfacial value (1.8 N/m) can make the bubble pass again but with a longer passage time. The inclusion removal mechanism due to a bubble wake flow was studied using a water model and using a three dimensional numerical model. The individual particle motion was tracked by the discrete phase model (DPM). The average bubble velocity and particle velocity from simulation are of 2.5% and 28.9% differences compared to the water model experimental results. The predictions in an argon-steel-inclusion system show that the removal rate per bubble is increased with an increased bubble size. However, the inclusion removal rate per unit bubble volume can be improved by decreasing the bubble size. Also, the particle rising zone was found to be 1.625 and 5 times of the bubble size in width and height, respectively. It is also shown that the bigger inclusions are more easily removed compared to the smaller ones. The Euler-Euler two-phase simulation model was used to investigate gas stirring in a ladle. In addition, water model experiments were carried out to validate the predicted flow field by using the UVP velocity measurement method. The simulation results show a maximum 0.04 m/s difference in axial velocity compared to the experimental observations. The flow patterns under different gas flow rates were obtained. Simulations for 120 s without the stochastic turbulent motions show that more than 30% of the 400 μm light inclusions can be removed. Also, that the 1~100 μm light inclusions have their highest removal percent for a 3 m3·h-1 gas flow rate. The size (1~100 μm) of heavy inclusion shows little effect on the inclusion removal percent. The 400 μm heavy inclusions are harder to remove compared to the smaller inclusions when the gas flow rate is or higher than 2 m3·h-1. Also, the inclusion transport behavior with the stochastic turbulent motions shows that both light and heavy inclusions are removed by up to 94% with a 1 m3·h-1 gas flow rate after 40 s. When the gas flow rate is 3 m3·h-1, the inclusion removal percent can be improved from 77% to 90% after 20 s and it reaches to almost 99% after 40 s. A further increase of the gas flow rate reduces the inclusion removal percent slightly.
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| 26. |
- Xu, Yonggui
(författare)
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A study of bubble behaviors in a liquid steel bath
- 2015
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The fundamental aspects of rising argon bubbles in molten metal flow were investigated by numerical simulations. The process of a bubble rising in the molten metal includes two steps, one is the bubble rising inside the liquid, and the other one is the bubble rising across the liquid surface. The bubbling dynamics inside the liquid phase was studied in terms of the bubble’s trajectory, shape and terminal velocity over a wide range of bubble diameters. The flow was assumed to be laminar. The results show that 3~10 mm bubbles rise in a spiral way with strong instabilities which cause them to change their instantaneous shapes. In addition, 10~20 mm bubbles rise rectilinearly and their shapes are kept almost steady. All these bubbles’ terminal velocities are around 0.3 m/s, which are in accordance with literature data. For a bubble with a specific size, small metal droplets can be formed due to the bubble bursting which takes place at the free surface. In a situation when the top surface of the bubble is ruptured, the remains of the bubble will collapse and jet droplets may be formed. Therefore, the simulations of jet droplets were qualitatively analyzed. The results show that when the surface tension is 1.4 N/m, the critical bubble size is 9.3 mm. Also, the ejection is found to increase with an increased surface tension value, unless a critical bubble size is reached.The bubble formation during gas injection into liquids was studied by using a water model and a three-dimensional numerical model. In the experiment, a high-speed camera was used to record the bubble formation processes. Nozzle diameters of 0.5 mm, 1 mm and 2 mm were investigated under both wetting and non-wetting conditions. The bubble sizes and formation frequencies as well as the bubbling regimes were identified for each nozzle size and for different wettabilities. The results show that the upper limits of the bubbling regime were 7.35 L/h, 12.05 L/h and 15.22 L/h under wetting conditions for the 0.5 mm, 1 mm and 2 mm nozzle diameters, respectively. Meanwhile, the limits were 12.66 L/h, 13.64 L/h and 15.33 L/h for the non-wetting conditions. In the numerical model, the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method was used to track the interface between the gas and liquid. The simulation results were compared with the experimental observations in the air-water system. The comparisons show a satisfactory good agreement between the two methods. The mathematical model was then applied to simulate the argon-steel system. Simulation results show that the effect of nozzle size is insignificant for the current studied metallurgical conditions. The upper limits of the bubbling regime were approximate 60 L/h and 80 L/h for a 2 mm nozzle and for wetting and non-wetting conditions, respectively. In addition, a poor wettability leads to a bigger bubble size and a lower frequency compared to a good wettability, for the same gas flow rate.
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| 27. |
- Yoshioka, Takanori
(författare)
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Parameters influencing inclusion compositions in Al-killed steel melts during a secondary refining process
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study was carried out to clarify the factors influencing the evolution of inclusions in Al-killed steel melts during a secondary refining process. First, a case-hardening steel was the subject of study to understand the factors influencing the inclusion compositions in the steel melt. During the LF process, inclusions were transformed from the Al2O3 phase, which was the primary deoxidation product, to both MgO·Al2O3 and CaO-Al2O3-MgOliq phases simultaneously. This composition transition during the LF process occurred by composition evolutions toward thermodynamically stable phases. After the RH process, the inclusion compositions primarily consisted of the Al2O3 and CaO-Al2O3 phases. MgO·Al2O3 inclusions were removed, while the CaO-Al2O3 inclusions remained during the RH process. This behavior can be understood in terms of the interfacial properties of the oxide phases in a steel melt. The detected Al2O3 inclusions were considered to be generated by reoxidation during the RH treatment. Thus, it was confirmed that the equilibrium states, removal, and generation of inclusions determine the inclusion compositions in an Al-killed steel melt during an LF-RH refining process. Subsequently, the effect of high Al contents in a steel melt on the change in inclusion compositions during the LF-RH process was studied. Due to the high Al content in the steel melt, the thermodynamic driving forces for Al2O3 modification became lower than those in ordinary Al-killed steels. Therefore, the degree of inclusion evolution was restricted. This contributed to the low CaO contents in the inclusions. Due to the low CaO contents, the removability of the inclusions remained high throughout the LF-RH process. According to thermodynamic calculations, the low T.O contents in this steel grade are due to the low insoluble O contents. This can be explained by the fast removal of inclusions. Because the inclusions were removed smoothly, the CaO content in the inclusions was lower than that in the thermodynamically stable phase. In addition, a study was carried out to understand the formation and behavior of the CaS phase in an Al-killed high-S steel during the LF-RH process without Ca-treatment. In the initial stage of the LF process, a CaS phase was formed on the existing inclusions by a reaction between Ca and S. As the desulfurization of the steel melt progressed, the CaS phase started to be transformed into a CaO phase in the inclusions, which resulted in the formation of CaO-Al2O3-CaS inclusions. After desulfurization of the steel melt, the Al2O3 phase in the inclusions was transformed to the CaO-Al2O3liq phase without being hindered by a CaS phase. During the following RH process, the addition of FeS increased the activity of S, which then reacted with both CaO in the inclusions and with Ca, forming a CaS phase. Consequently, the majority of the inclusions consisted of the Al2O3-CaS phase. Thus, a CaS formation during the LF-RH process without Ca-treatment progresses under the thermodynamic driving forces of the following two reactions: the reaction between CaO in the inclusions and S and the reaction between Ca and S. Due to the formation of a CaS phase during the RH process, inclusions in the high S steel melt were covered by a CaS phase, which is difficult to remove from steel melts. Therefore, the castability of the high S steels can be deteriorated by the CaS inclusions, even without using Ca-treatment. In summary, it can be concluded that the removal of inclusions, generation, and composition evolution should be considered in order to control the inclusion compositions in Al-killed steel melts. In addition, steel components, such as Al and S, are important to monitor to control the inclusion evolution during secondary refining processes.
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| 28. |
- Zhou, Xiaobin, 1985-
(författare)
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Mathematical and Physical Simulations of BOF Converters
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this study is to develop mathematical models to explore the mixing and its related phenomena in converter bath. Specifically, first, a mathematical model of a physical model converter, which was scaled down to 1/6th of a 30 t vessel, was developed in this study. A number of parameters were studied and their effects on the mixing time were recorded in a top blown converter. Second, a mathematical model for a combined top-bottom blown was built to investigate the optimization process. Then, a side tuyere was introduced in the combined top-bottom blown converter and its effects on the mixing and wall shear stress were studied. Moreover, based on the above results, the kinetic energy transfer phenomena in a real converter were investigated by applying the mathematical models.A simplified model, in which the calculation region was reduced to save calculation compared to simulations of the whole region of the converter, was used in the mathematical simulation. In addition, this method was also used in the simulation of real converters. This approach makes it possible to simulate the Laval nozzle flow jet and the cavity separately when using different turbulence models.In the top blown converter model, a comparison between the physical model and the mathematical model showed a good relative difference of 2.5% and 6.1% for the cavity depth and radius, respectively. In addition, the predicted mixing time showed a good relative difference of 2.8% in comparison to the experimental data. In an optimization of a combined top-bottom blown converter, a new bottom tuyere scheme with an asymmetrical configuration was found to be one of the best cases with respect to a decreased mixing time in the bath. An industrial investigation showed that the application effects of the new tuyere scheme yield a better stirring condition in the bath compared to the original case. Furthermore, the results indicated that the mixing time for a combined top-bottom-side blown converter was decreased profoundly compared to a conventional combined top-bottom blown converter. It was found that the side wall shear stress is increased by introducing side blowing, especially in the region near the side blowing plume.For a 100 t converter in real, the fundamental aspects of kinetic energy transfer from a top and bottom gas to the bath were explored. The analyses revealed that the energy transfer is less efficient when the top lance height is lowered or the flowrate is increased in the top blowing operations. However, an inverse trend was found. Namely, that the kinetic energy transfer is increased when the bottom flowrate is increased in the current bottom blowing operations. In addition, the slag on top of the bath is found to dissipate 6.6%, 9.4% and 11.2% for the slag masses 5, 9 and 15 t compared to the case without slag on top of the surface of the bath, respectively.
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