Mold transient heat transfer behavior based on measurement and inverse analysis of slab continuous casting

In this present paper, a two-dimensional (2D) transient finite-difference model was developed. By solving appropriate inverse problem from the measured temperatures by thermocouples buried at various locations in the mold wall, the unknown heat flux between the strand and mold was identified. The temperature calculated in present model agreed well with actual plant data, and the results gave obvious non-uniform characteristics of heat flux and shell thickness, which could better reflect the real casting conditions of strand. The influence of casting speed on average heat flux and shell thickness at the mold outlet was calculated as follows: increase of casting speed caused increase of average heat flux and decrease of solidified shell thickness at the mold outlet. Furthermore, the relationship between average longitudinal heat flux and shell thickness of mold outlet was discussed, and it resulted in that the heat transfer from the strand to the mold remarkably determined the thickness and non-uniformity of the solidified shell.