Energy Saving Induction Melting by Electromagnetic Containment

Are you interested in assisting the development of more energy efficient metal casting processes? Induction furnaces are widely used in the metal casting industry. These furnaces melt alloys through electromagnetic induction generated by an alternating current passing through coils. Interactions of induced currents in the melt and the magnetic field create a constraining ‘Lorentz force’ that also drives fluid flow. This repulsive force pushes the melt radially inwards and upwards forming a dome and as a result the melt moves away from the coils reducing the electromagnetic induction effect and consequently the efficiency of the furnace. It is hypothesised that by adding a reverse turn or a phase-shifted coil above the melt at the top of the furnace, the melt dome will be pushed back downwards increasing the efficiency. The idea will be tested in a real furnace at Cranfield University guided by modelling performed at Greenwich, in two concurrent PhD projects.

Role:
You will join CSEG (http://cnmpa.gre.ac.uk/group_cseg.html), a research team with many years’ experience in the processing of metals. The study will introduce you to multi-disciplinary modelling; building on existing software and models, the full Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) process will be resolved numerically coupling heat transport, electromagnetic fields, fluid flow, phase change, free surface deformation and material property dependencies. In addition to working with the team at Greenwich there will be opportunity to join experiments conducted in a concurrent experimental PhD undertaken at Cranfield University on the environmentally important CRIMSON (https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/8218) process. This will give you vital experience in collaboration in an academic setting on a real industrial process.

This project would most suit someone with an interest in mathematical modelling and metallurgy with a first degree background in physics, mathematics, engineering or material science.

For more details please visit:
https://docs.gre.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1663827/VCS-FLAS-04-19-Energy-Saving-Induction-Melting-by-Electromagnetic-Containment.pdf