Speed Disturbance Compenation in the Secondary Cooling Zone in Continuous Casting

The continuous casting process is crucial for the solidification of molten steel into semi-finished shapes. One of the major control issues in this process has been mould level oscillations, which cause defects due to the irregular filling of mould flux. This paper explores an innovative approach to improve the steel's surface and interior quality by implementing control strategies in the secondary cooling zone. Due to challenges like reheating and improper cooling profiles, this study focuses on speed disturbance rejection through a dynamic model of strand temperature. A feedforward control scheme is proposed, addressing the limitations of temperature measurements in the cooling zone affected by scale and steam. The methodology involves analyzing the continuous casting process, developing a dynamic model, and discussing the implications of the proposed feedforward control. Results indicate that this new control method could effectively mitigate the adverse effects of reheating and improve the overall quality of the steel produced. The findings provide a significant contribution towards optimizing the continuous casting process for enhanced output quality.