Influence of heat transfer boundary conditions on the temperature field of the continuous casting ingot

Abstract

Steel solidification in the continuous casting process starts in the mould, follows in the secondary cooling zones and finishes under air cooling conditions. Casting technology requires very effective heat transfer from the strand surface to the water cooling system. Design and control of the casting process is possible if the ingot temperature is known with a suitable accuracy. Measurements of the ingot temperature are complicated and expensive and due to these reasons are not common in practice. Numerical simulation have to be used to provide data which can be used to design and control of the ingot solidification. In the case of the temperature field modeling heat transfer boundary conditions have to be specified. In the literature wide range of formulas can be found and this may lead to essential errors in the heat transfer coefficient determination. In the paper the selected formulas have been employed in the finite element model to compute the ingot temperature field in the mould and secondary cooling zones. It has been shown that inaccurate determination of the heat flux transferred from the ingot surface to the mould leads to essential errors in the determination of the ingot temperature and solidification. Therefore empirical formulas or complex heat transfer models at ingot-mould interface ought to be employed in finite element models.