Steam exhaust ports are located around a perimeter of a direct chill casting pit, at various locations from below the top of the pit to the pit bottom to rapidly remove steam from the casting pit with addition of dry excess air. Gas introduction ports are also located around a perimeter of the casting pit and configured to introduce an inert gas into the casting pit interior.

A method for casting longitudinal cast products including casting longitudinal cast products in a semi-continuous manner using a DC casting apparatus having a mold, wherein the mold has top and bottom openings and partially solidifies molten metal that enters into the mold via the top opening and outputs the cast product via the bottom opening, recording a thermal image of the cast product output via the bottom opening, determining at least three non-overlapping temperature ranges comprising a first, second and third, determining a peak temperature in the thermal image; comparing the peak temperature with the at least three temperature ranges; and performing operations depending on where the peak temperature falls within the at least three temperature ranges.

A method for casting longitudinal cast products including casting longitudinal cast products in a semi-continuous manner using a DC casting apparatus having a mold, wherein the mold has top and bottom openings and partially solidifies molten metal that enters into the mold via the top opening and outputs the cast product via the bottom opening, recording a thermal image of the cast product output via the bottom opening, determining at least three non-overlapping temperature ranges comprising a first, second and third, determining a peak temperature in the thermal image; comparing the peak temperature with the at least three temperature ranges; and performing operations depending on where the peak temperature falls within the at least three temperature ranges.

Steam exhaust ports are located around a perimeter of a direct chill casting pit, at various locations from below the top of the pit to the pit bottom to rapidly remove steam from the casting pit with addition of dry excess air. Gas introduction ports are also located around a perimeter of the casting pit and configured to introduce an inert gas into the casting pit interior.

An apparatus and a system including a casting pit; a mold including a reservoir and a cavity; a coolant feed operable to introduce a coolant to a periphery of a metal emerging from the mold cavity; an array of water vapor exhaust ports about at least the top periphery of the casting pit; a mechanism to introduce an inert fluid into the coolant feed. A method for a direct chill casting including, after detecting a bleed out, exhausting generated gas from the casting pit at a flow volume rate that is enhanced relative to a flow volume rate prior to detecting bleed out or run out; introducing an inert gas into the casting pit; and introducing an inert fluid into a coolant feed to the casting mold.

A system for controlling the progress of the manufacture of at least one product by vertical semi-continuous direct chill casting, in particular from aluminium alloy, in a fixed mold, the control system includes a dummy bottom configured to form a movable lower bottom of the fixed mold and to carry the product during casting; a weighing cell, on which the dummy bottom is arranged to rest, the weighing cell being configured to take measurements representative of the mass of the product carried by the dummy bottom during casting; and a support of the dummy bottom, to which the weighing cell is linked, configured to lower the false bottom relative to the fixed mold, substantially in a vertical direction, during casting; and a processing unit connected to each weighing cell, and configured to process the measurements, and calculate the variation in the mass of the product over time.

A process in direct chill casting wherein molten metal is introduced into a casting mold and cooled by impingement of a liquid coolant on solidifying metal in a casting pit including a movable platen and an occurrence of a bleed-out or run-out is detected the process including exhausting generated gas from the casting pit; and introducing an inert gas into the casting pit, the inert gas having a density less than a density of air; reducing any flow of the liquid coolant.

An enclosure having a sealing device, for a casting installation, having a first body and a second body that is removably joined to the first body along a bearing axis, the first and second bodies together delimiting an internal chamber. The sealing device comprises: at least one compression member, at least one seal having a lateral contact face extending substantially parallel to the bearing axis; the compression member and the seal being arranged with respect to one another such that the compression member is in contact with the lateral contact face of the seal and exerts a compression force thereon that is oriented orthogonally to the bearing axis.

A system for controlling the progress of the manufacture of at least one product by vertical semi-continuous direct chill casting, in particular from aluminium alloy, in a fixed mold, the control system includes a dummy bottom configured to form a movable lower bottom of the fixed mold and to carry the product during casting; a weighing cell, on which the dummy bottom is arranged to rest, the weighing cell being configured to take measurements representative of the mass of the product carried by the dummy bottom during casting; and a support of the dummy bottom, to which the weighing cell is linked, configured to lower the false bottom relative to the fixed mold, substantially in a vertical direction, during casting; and a processing unit connected to each weighing cell, and configured to process the measurements, and calculate the variation in the mass of the product over time.

An enclosure having a sealing device, for a casting installation, having a first body and a second body that is removably joined to the first body along a bearing axis, the first and second bodies together delimiting an internal chamber. The sealing device comprises: at least one compression member, at least one seal having a lateral contact face extending substantially parallel to the bearing axis; the compression member and the seal being arranged with respect to one another such that the compression member is in contact with the lateral contact face of the seal and exerts a compression force thereon that is oriented orthogonally to the bearing axis.