Heat-Transfer Phenomena Across Mold Flux by Using the Inferred Emitter Technique

An investigation was carried out to study the heat-transfer phenomena across mold flux film by using infrared emitter technique (IET). With IET, it is possible to develop the mold fluxes with a liquid layer at the top and a solid layer in contact with copper mold with the degree of varying crystallization. The dynamic crystallization and melting process of the mold fluxes as well as their effects on the overall heat-transfer rate in the mold were successfully conducted. The single hot thermocouple technique (SHTT) was also employed in this investigation to study the melting and crystallization behaviors of mold fluxes for the interpretation of IET results. The results suggested that the interfacial thermal resistance between the solidified mold flux and copper mold would significantly influence the heat-transfer rate in continuous casting and the melting of the mold flux tends to enhance the overall heat-transfer rate. The technique established in this article by utilizing the IET can be well applied to the investigation of mold flux thermal properties, which in turn gives guidelines for the design of new mold flux for continuous casting.