A method of analyzing water in a continuous casting process and controlling chemical addition to the water may involve measuring, with a plurality of sensors, at least one characteristic of a water in a plurality of different locations of a water recycle system for the continuous casting process. The continuous casting process can have multiple spray nozzles that spray water on a metal being cast, and the water recycle system may include a gravity settling tank, a filter, and a cooling tower. A processor can determine, using the measured at least one characteristic of the water from the plurality of sensors, a composite water quality value for the water in the water recycle system. A chemical additive can be controllably added into the water recycle system based on the determine composite water quality value.

A method of heat treatment of a non-metallic or metallic item is provided. The method includes at least one step of heat transfer between the item and a heat transfer fluid A. The heat transfer fluid A includes a fluid medium and nanoparticles having a lateral size between 26 and 50 m. The heat transfer fluid has a heat transfer coefficient below the heat transfer coefficient of water.

Provided is a production method capable of producing a high-quality continuously cast material. A cooling liquid is supplied to each of outer peripheral surfaces of a plurality of ingots extracted in parallel from a plurality of molds to cool the plurality of ingots. Of the outer peripheral surfaces of the ingot, a region which is open and does not face another ingot is defined as an open region, and a region which faces another ingot is defined as an ingot facing region. The open region is cooled with weak cooling in which the degree of cooling by the cooling liquid in the open region is set to be less than the degree of cooling by the cooling liquid in the ingot facing region.

A method of producing a continuously cast metal rod capable of producing a high-quality continuously cast material is provided. In the method of producing a continuously cast metal rod, a cooling liquid is supplied to each of outer peripheral surfaces of a plurality of ingots extracted from a plurality of molds in parallel to cool each of the plurality of ingots. In a predetermined ingot, the number of adjacent ingots is the number of other ingots arranged around the predetermined so as to face the predetermined ingot, and an ingot small in the number of adjacent ingots is cooled with weak cooling in which the degree of cooling by the cooling liquid is reduced with respect to an ingot large in the number of adjacent ingots.

A method of producing a continuously cast metal rod capable of producing a high-quality continuously cast material is provided. In the method of producing a continuously cast metal rod, a cooling liquid is supplied to each of outer peripheral surfaces of a plurality of ingots extracted from a plurality of molds in parallel to cool each of the plurality of ingots. In a predetermined ingot, the number of adjacent ingots is the number of other ingots arranged around the predetermined so as to face the predetermined ingot, and an ingot small in the number of adjacent ingots is cooled with weak cooling in which the degree of cooling by the cooling liquid is reduced with respect to an ingot large in the number of adjacent ingots.

An aftercooler for horizontal continuous casting includes a plurality of aftercooler segments each of which includes a plurality of radially acting aftercooler sections. The radially acting sections each define inner surfaces which combine with, the remaining radially acting aftercooler sections to form an aftercooler passage. The, radially acting sections within each aftercooler segment are banded together by a plurality of resilient encircling bands. The bands draw the radially acting aftercooler sections together to constrain a casting within the casting passage. The plurality of aftercooler segments are provided with a surrounding coolant carrying jacket. A plurality of gas distribution passages are formed in the radially acting aftercooler sections which are provided with a flow of inert gas. The inert gas distributes itself between the surfaces of the casting and the surfaces of the aftercooler passage to prevent oxide formation and to ease the travel of the casting through the, aftercooler.

An aftercooler for horizontal continuous casting includes a plurality of aftercooler segments each of which includes a plurality of radially acting aftercooler sections. The radially acting sections each define inner surfaces which combine with, the remaining radially acting aftercooler sections to form an aftercooler passage. The, radially acting sections within each aftercooler segment are banded together by a plurality of resilient encircling bands. The bands draw the radially acting aftercooler sections together to constrain a casting within the casting passage. The plurality of aftercooler segments are provided with a surrounding coolant carrying jacket. A plurality of gas distribution passages are formed in the radially acting aftercooler sections which are provided with a flow of inert gas. The inert gas distributes itself between the surfaces of the casting and the surfaces of the aftercooler passage to prevent oxide formation and to ease the travel of the casting through the, aftercooler.

A crack-free continuous casting mold configured so that occurrence of cracks at a casting billet can be reduced even in a case where a casting speed exceeds 500 mm/min. The continuous casting mold continuously casts a casting billet while cooling molten metal by a cooling device provided at a cooling casting mold. The cooling device includes multiple cooling nozzles configured to release coolant water to the casting billet pulled out of the cooling casting mold to cool the casting billet. Multiple ejection ports of the multiple cooling nozzles are arranged along an outer circumferential direction of a surface of the casting billet. Each ejection port has a short side and a long side, and is configured such that the long side is arranged along an axial direction of the casting billet.

A side dam for a continuous metal casting apparatus includes an insulator and a belt system having an endless belt. The endless belt includes a belt surface, and the endless belt is movable relative to the insulator such that a portion of the belt surface is configured to face a casting cavity of the continuous metal casting apparatus as the endless belt is moved. In some examples, the endless belt is movable in a plane of motion that is perpendicular to the belt surface.

A system and methods are disclosed for treating cooling fluid in a continuous metal casting process having a spray chamber. In some embodiments, the system includes a first compartment with an intermittently operable outlet (e.g., valve) with an open state and a closed state, for removing particulate matter, and a second compartment that receives particle-free fluid from the first compartment. The first compartment may be tapered, conical, funnel, pyramidal shape or otherwise narrowed shape to facilitate settling of the particles. One or more sensors measure at least one property of the particle-free fluid to determine the opened or closed state of the outlet and to adjust chemical additives for the cooling fluid. In some embodiments, the system and methods reduce corrosion in spray chambers.