REAL-TIME SIMULATION AND CONTROL-SYSTEM FOR THE CONTINUOUS-CASTING PROCESS

In this paper we present a real-time system which is used to simulate the unsteady-state continuous casting process and to control the secondary cooling water sprays. The aim of the control system is to keep the surface temperature of the slab constant with respect to time in spite of casting speed variations, and in this way minimize the formation of cracks in the final product. The simulator calculates the temperature distribution using a mathematical model based on a heat conduction formula with phase changes. The optimal spray water flow rates for each spray cooling zone will be calculated by minimizing the deviation between the target surface temperature and the calculated actual surface temperature. The system has been implemented on microcomputers.