Modeling of electro-hydraulic processes in a linear asynchronous engine when mixing a melt

The relevance of the work is due to the need to improve the methods for calculating electromagnetic and hydraulic processes in the melting of an arc furnace for the purpose of reducing energy consumption for mixing metal and increasing the performance of arc furnaces. Objective: analysis of existing methods for calculating electromagnetic and hydraulic processes in the stator-melt system and the development of improved economical options. A set of questions on the modeling of electromagnetic and hydraulic processes in the “statormelt” system in the modes of mixing liquid metal and slag loading is considered. Melt mixing processes occur during the formation of vortices in the horizontal and vertical planes, which affects the requirements for distributed forces in the entire volume of the metal. To improve the efficiency of mixing, a set of modeling problems was considered. Research methods. Calculations of electromagnetic and hydraulic processes in the melt are performed using the finite element method using the Comsol software package. The analysis of the structures of the linear motor stator is carried out to assess the nature of the melt movement and identify the possibility of switching from the mixing mode to the slag loading mode. Taking into account the non-magnetic properties of the furnace body, a simplified geometric model for the coupled electrohydraulic problem, which does not contain the linings and the furnace body, is proposed. The three-dimensional task is implemented for the hydraulic process when defining internal forces in a limited volume, corresponding to the flow of currents in the melt. Results. Numerical models of the electromagnetic and hydraulic processes in the melt were developed, the dependence of the velocity of the liquid metal on the force generated by the engine was determined, the parameters of the models for stationary modes were determined. On the basis of a two-dimensional coupled electrohydraulic model of a melt in a furnace, the distributions of electromagnetic forces and speeds for the modes of metal mixing and slag loading are obtained. Simulation of hydraulic processes in the threedimensional region confirmed the effectiveness of melt mixing in the zone of the frontal parts of the stator winding.