Control and Design of the Steel Continuous Casting Process Based on Advanced Numerical Models

The process of continuous casting of steel is a complex technological task, including issues related to heat transfer, the steel solidification process, liquid metal flow and phase transitions in the solid state. This involves considerable difficulty in creating the optimal process control system, which would include the influence of all the physico-chemical phenomena which may occur. In parallel, there is an intensive development of new mathematical models and an increase in computer performance, therefore complex numerical simulations requiring substantial computing time can be conducted. This paper presents a review of currently applied numerical methods allowing the phenomena accompanying the process of continuous casting of steel to be accurately represented. Special attention was paid to the selection of appropriate methods to solve the technological problem selected. The possibilities of applying selected numerical models were analysed in order to modify and improve the existing process or to design a new one linked to the implementation of new steel grades in the current production. The description of the method of defining the boundary conditions, initial conditions and material parameters as vital components ensuring that numerical calculations based upon them in the finite element method, which is that most frequently applied, are correct is an important element of the paper. The possibility of reliably defining the values of boundary parameters on the basis of information on the intensity of cooling in individual zones of the continuous casting machine was analysed