In-Mold Shell Thickness Estimation for Continuous Casting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for predicting solidified shell thickness in continuous steel casting, such as those described in Patent Literature 1, fail to accurately account for the effects of air gaps and molten steel flow dynamics, leading to inaccuracies in heat flux calculations and subsequent shell thickness estimations.
Innovation Solution
An in-mold solidified shell thickness estimation apparatus and method that uses a heat transfer model calculator to solve a three-dimensional unsteady heat transfer equation, correcting for errors in mold copper plate temperature and heat removal by adjusting the overall heat transfer coefficient and thermal conductivity, and calculating solidification shrinkage to accurately estimate shell thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high-speed casting is implemented to improve productivity, then casting speed increases, but solidified shell thickness decreases and nonuniformity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary estimation of solidified shell thickness distribution before the strand exits the mold using thermal conduction equations and heat flux measurements. This early prediction allows operators to adjust casting parameters in advance to prevent breakout and maintain shell uniformity during high-speed casting.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously measures heat flux through the mold copper plate and feeds this information back to the estimation algorithm. The measured heat flux is used to calculate thermal conduction and predict shell thickness in real-time, creating a closed-loop feedback system that enables dynamic adjustment of casting parameters to maintain shell uniformity at high casting speeds.
2Ease of operation
If heat flux measurement is used to estimate solidified shell thickness, then estimation can be performed, but accuracy decreases due to unsteady molten steel flow effects
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and separately analyzes the effects of unsteady molten steel flow from the total heat flux measurement. By identifying and isolating the sensible heat component resulting from flow unsteadiness, the system can compensate for this effect in the thermal conduction calculation, thereby improving estimation accuracy while maintaining the ease of operation provided by heat flux measurement.
3Reliability
If heat flux calculation includes both air gap effect and molten steel flow effect, then more comprehensive modeling is achieved, but separation and calibration of these effects becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the heat flux into distinct components: conductive heat flux through the solidified shell and sensible heat flux from unsteady molten steel flow. By measuring total heat flux through the mold copper plate and separately estimating the sensible heat component based on flow conditions, the system can isolate the conductive heat flux component needed for accurate shell thickness estimation, simplifying the calibration process while maintaining modeling completeness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables precise estimation of solidified shell thickness, reducing the risk of breakout and improving productivity in high-speed continuous steel casting by accurately accounting for air gap and flow effects.
Implementation Method 1
calculating temperature distributions of the mold and of the molten steel inside the mold by solving a three-dimensional unsteady heat transfer equation
Implementation Method 2
cooled inside a mold with embedded water-cooling pipes
Implementation Method 3
solidification reaction of the molten steel inside the mold
Data Source
AI summary
An in-mold solidified shell thickness estimation apparatus includes: an input device; a model database configured to store a model formula and a parameter related to a solidification reaction of a molten steel inside a mold of a continuous casting facility; and a heat transfer model calculator configured to estimate an in-mold solidified shell thickness by calculating temperature distributions of the mold and of the molten steel inside the mold by solving a three-dimensional unsteady heat transfer equation. The heat transfer model calculator is configured to correct errors in a temperature of a mold copper plate and in an amount of heat removed from the mold, by correcting an overall heat transfer coefficient between the mold copper plate and the solidified shell.