A three-dimensional mathematical model was developed to calculate the thermal condition of the continuous caster supporting rollers in the secondary cooling zone and to determine the conditions ensuring the physical integrity of the scale on the surface of a continuous casting during the casting process, through avoiding the scale «coiling» by the continuous caster rollers. 

The mathematical model was developed to describe heat transfer and continuous casting solidification processes under various conditions. 

The software was developed based on an original technique os choosing rational geometric parameters for designing the processing lines of curved continuous casters:

• position of the continuous caster processing line (vertical section and mould dimensions, laq and length of the bending and unbending zones, radial section basic radius and length, horizontal section length, overall metallurgical length, liquid phase length for each steel section and steel grade);
• speed of the casting elongation (maximum permissible and nominal);
• distances and diameters of the secondary cooling zone rollers, their segmentation.

Field of application: steelmaking plants of metallurgical works.

Purpose: to improve the quality of steel-teeming ladles lining by realizing the specified temerature variation law (during drying) with high accuracy; gas saving.

System components: instrumentation and control equipment, programmable logic controllers, industrial computers, operator's workstations.

A three-dimensional mathematical model was developed to describe hydrodynamical and thermophysical processes in the intermediate ladle (one-, two- and six-strand continuous casters). 

Conception of Application in Steelmaking

Creation and application of multifunctional systems of sliding ladle gates requires the use of slide-type teeming devices which allow, along with the main manufacturing operation - dosed steel tapping from the steel-teeming ladle, - to carry out a number of supplementary ones: to inject gas powder mixtures into the molten metal during its flowing out of the steel-making unit into the steel-teeming ladle; to inject crushed alloying additions under the steel stream; to provide gas-dynamic protection of the molten metal stream against the negative influence of the atmospheric oxygen, to vacuum in the space around the stream (if submerged nozzles are used for continuous casting).

The developed multifunctional system of sliding gates includes the basic unit - a two-plate balancer-type sliding gate. Several auxiliary units can be mounted on the basic one according to the structure chart (see below), to carry out the above-mentioned manufacturing operations.

The cutoff of the final slag during steel tapping steel-making units is particularly important for «furnace-ladle» facilities which are widely used now. The said problem's solution depends on technical capabilities of the equipment ensuring slagless steel tapping into the steel-teeming ladle.

RPC «Donix» in collaboration with Donetsk National Technical University (DonNTU) and CJSC «Novokramatorsk Machine Building Works», develops, produces and implements high-performance devices for slag cutoff during steel tapping basic oxygen furnaces, open-hearth and arc furnaces.

Two techniques were developed for basic oxygen furnaces to prevent the penetration of a large quantity of the molten slag into the steel-teeming ladle.

Technology of unkilled and semikilled steel deoxidation with granulated aluminum through the riser was implemented at the open-hearth plant of CJSC "Makeevka Metallurgical Works" in 2007.

The technology ensures reduction of metal consumption for castings production due to reduction of rejects of the first process stage and of additional crops.

Ratio of mass velocity of granulated aluminum to its consumption depending on the steel rimming intensity during ingot body filling was determined for uphill casting at the open-hearth plant.

The developed technology of producing slabs and blooms unkilled and semikilled steel grades poured into big-end-down mold ensures yield increase up to 1.035-1.050 t/t for blooms, and up to 1.065-1.090 t/t for slabs, depending on the casting method (downhill or uphill casting). Mold life is increased by over than 10%.

The developed technology gives the above-mentioned advantages and, which is important, provides for improvement of the rolled stock macro- and microstructure.