Design and implementation of an automated secondary cooling system for the continuous casting of billets

• Published in: ISA transactions Vol. 49; no. 1; pp. 121 - 129
• Main Authors: Chaudhuri, Subhasis, Singh, Rajeev Kumar, Patwari, Kuntal, Majumdar, Susanta, Ray, Asim Kumar, Singh, Arun Kumar Prasad, Neogi, Nirbhar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Algorithms; Analytical and numerical techniques; Applied sciences; Automation; Billet caster; Devices using thermal energy; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Foundry engineering; Fracture mechanics (crack, fatigue, damage...); Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Heat exchangers (included heat transformers, condensers, cooling towers); Heat transfer; Heat transfer equations; Metallurgy - instrumentation; Metallurgy - standards; Metallurgy - statistics & numerical data; Metals. Metallurgy; Other casting methods. Solidification; Physics; PLC; Production techniques; Quality Control; Secondary cooling; Software; Solid mechanics; Steel - standards; Structural and continuum mechanics; Temperature; Water; Water Movements; Heat transfer equations; Billet caster; Secondary cooling; PLC; Internal crack; Automation; Cooling; Heat equation; Ductility; Continuous casting machine; Continuous casting; Surface temperature; Water flow; Metal; Steel; Modeling; Edge crack; Cooling system; Flow control; Programmable logical controller; Secondary flow; Strand; Temperature fluctuation; Heat transfer
• ISSN: 0019-0578; 1879-2022
• DOI: 10.1016/j.isatra.2009.09.005

This paper describes a heat transfer model based automatic secondary cooling system for a billet caster. The model aims to minimize the variation in surface temperature and excessive reheating of the billet strands. It is also used to avoid the low ductility trough of the solidifying steel, which aggravates the tendency of steel to crack. The system has been designed and implemented in an integrated steel plant. A Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) based automation system has been developed to control the water flow in the secondary cooling zones of the strand. The results obtained through field trials have shown complete elimination of internal and off-corner cracks for the fifty billet samples that were monitored.