Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, Primetals Technologies is advancing industrial cooling system optimisation with a new type of heat-transfer test facility. This solution delivers deep insights into the behaviour of the hot strand during the cooling process, supporting the enhancement of cooling systems in continuous casting and other industrial applications where cooling is critical.
In any cooling system, effective cooling depends on both the distribution and volume of water. A better understanding of machine and system performance enables targeted optimisation.
The test facility is designed to replicate real industrial cooling scenarios. During testing, a measuring plate equipped with temperature probes moves beneath the nozzles, allowing tests at any angle to monitor temperature reduction, i.e., the cooling effect. Tests can be conducted at various speeds, and the equipment can be fully rotated to simulate any cooling position along the continuous casting machine. The nozzle configuration, including water distribution, nozzle type and position, can be adjusted. Caster rolls can also be used to mimic actual casting conditions.
The measuring plate features dozens of measuring points, which are automatically recorded and analysed using a cooling model to create a heat transfer map. This data is used to optimise nozzle design and arrangement and to further refine Primetals Technologies’ Dynacs 3D online cooling model. This model calculates the full 3D temperature profile at any position along the strand, enabling precise secondary cooling adjustments.
