Patent ID: 8651168

Claim:
A method, comprising: supplying molten metal to a continuous casting mold; as the molten metal solidifies in the mold, directing a metallic strand received from the mold along a cooling pathway, the strand including an outer cooling shell; flowing a coolant through the mold; from time to time, taking measurements representative of heat transfer through the mold as the metallic strand advances from the mold, the measurements including flow rate of the coolant through the mold, an inlet temperature of the coolant, an outlet temperature of the coolant and a temperature of the molten metal that is supplied to the mold; providing a plurality of different independently-controllable cooling fluid discharge devices at different positions along the pathway to provide a plurality of different strand cooling zones; generating a real-time strand temperature estimate along the pathway wherein the strand temperature estimate is established as a function of strand casting speed, the measurements representative of heat transfer through the mold, and the volumetric flow rate of cooling fluid discharged by each one of the different cooling fluid discharge devices; adjusting the strand temperature estimate in response to a change in at least one of the strand casting speed, the measurements representative of heat transfer through the mold and the respective volumetric flow rates of the cooling fluid discharged by each one of the different cooling fluid discharge devices; comparing the strand temperature estimate to a desired temperature distribution to determine any differences between the strand temperature estimate and the desired temperature distribution, wherein the desired temperature distribution includes a plurality of temperature setpoints for the shell along the pathway, each setpoint representing a target value; for each one of the cooling fluid discharge devices, regulating operation as a function of the differences with a closed-loop, feedback controller; estimating, in real-time, a shell thickness profile along the pathway for the shell and a metallurgical length for the strand based on the strand temperature estimate, and visually displaying a real-time representation of the strand temperature estimate, the shell thickness profile, and the metallurgical length of the strand.