ISSN 1068-798X, Russian Engineering Research, 2007, Vol. 27, No. 5, pp. 256–259. © Allerton Press, Inc., 2007.

Original Russian Text © V.I. Kadoshnikov, I.M. Yachikov, V.I. Zav’yalov, A.A. Podosyan, 2007, published in Vestnik Mashinostroeniya, 2007, No. 5, pp. 25–27.

Calculating the Heat Transfer in the Wall of a Continuous

Casting Machine with Cylindrical and Slotted Channels
V. I. Kadoshnikova, I. M. Yachikova, V. I. Zav’yalovb, and A. A. Podosyanb
Nosov GTU, Magnitogorsk a
b
ZAO Mekhanoremontnyi Kompleks OAO MMK, Magnitogorsk
DOI: 10.3103/S1068798X07050048

The crystallizer is the most critical component of the
continuous casting machine (CCM) and determines its
technical and economic characteristics. The forming of
the shell of the billet and the removal of from 20 to 25%
of the heat of crystallization of the metal take place in
the crystallizer. Its service life, the productivity of the
CCM, and the number of the surface defects of the slabs
essentially depend on the thermal operation of the crys-
tallizer.
At the present time, the crystallizers (Fig. 1a) that
are used on the CCM at OAO MMK have walls that are
made of hot-rolled copper of the mark M1P or MC of
thickness H = 70 mm, in which there are drilled chan-
nels with a diameter of d = 20 mm, through which water
is pumped to remove the heat from the working surface.
With the water flowrate Qw = 500 m3/h, its average flow
velocity is about 3.2 m/s. The distance δ between the
axes of the channels is about 40 mm. The holes are
drilled as far as possible from the working surface in
order to facilitate the future overhauls, but this does not
provide adequate thermal loading. According to the
developers of the CCM [1], the maximal allowable dis-
tance from the working wall to the channel surface is
c1 = c – 0.5d ≈ 40 mm, and the minimal allowable dis-
tance is 20 mm. This makes it possible to perform five
However, the crystallizers that are in use are difficult
to fabricate (it is necessary to drill long holes); in addi-
tion, the technology of the removal of the scale from the
channels that is performed in the course of the mainte-
nance of the crystallizer walls is labor-intensive.
The composite crystallizers are simpler in opera-
tion and fabrication (Fig. 1b); they consist of a copper
working wall with slot-type milled channels and a
steel outer body. In this case the thickness of the cop-
per plate is b + c < H, which leads to savings in copper
billets. The dimensions a, b, and δ are selected so that
overall clear opening for the cooling water is the same
as in the case of the use of the cylindrical channels.
We shall examine the problem of determining the
heat transfer in the wall of the CCM crystallizer having
either cylindrical or slotted channels.
We shall find the thermal resistance of the wall of
the crystallizer with the rectangular channels, for which
we examine an element of the wall (Fig. 2b). We can
determine the thermal power that is transferred from
the working surface to the cooling fluid with the use of
the integral form of the Fourier law:
∂t
∂n ∫
Q = – λ f ------ dF,
F

or six reborings in order to restore the working surface where ∂t/∂n is the temperature gradient of the thin fluid
of the crystallizer. layer that is in direct contact with the solid wall; λf is

(a) 1 (b) 2 3
1 2
c1
c1

d
c
H

3
δ 4
δ a

Fig. 1. Crystallizers with cylindrical (a) and slotted (b) channels: (1) working surface; (2) copper crystallizer; (3) channel; (4) steel
plate.

256
 CALCULATING THE HEAT TRANSFER IN THE WALL 257

(a) (b)
A Y
M(0, Yp)
Y

c
Nb

b
Ma

αN

αMa
Na X

b
b
N(Xk, a)

αM
Mb

X δ
δ

Fig. 2. Elements of the walls of the crystallizers with cylindrical (a) and slotted (b) channels.

the thermal conductivity of the fluid; and F is the area
of the heat transfer surfaces of the channels.
We shall consider that the temperature on the work-
ing surface 1 and on the coolant boundaries is indepen-
dent of the coordinate and the time. In this case the tem-
perature gradient will be determined only by the dis-
tance between the boundaries of the cooling zone and
the points of the working surface.
To obtain the computational relation, we shall find
the integral-average distance the heat flux travels from
the working surface of the wall to the surface of the
cooling channel. We denote the following: M(0, Yp) and
N(Xk, Yk) are arbitrary points on the working surface of
the wall and on the surface of the channel.
The amount of the heat that is removed through the
outer body is negligible in comparison with the heat
flux that is removed by the cooling water. It was shown
in [2] that these losses are 0.01 to 0.02% for the cylin-
drical channels and 0.05 to 0.08% for the slotted chan-
nels. We shall consider that the entire heat flux travels
from the working surface of the area (a + δ)L to the
water-cooled surface of the area (a + b)L, where L is
unit of the length of the crystallizer.
For the determination of the integral-average thick-
ness β of the working wall, it is convenient to break the
surface of the slotted channel down into two zones [3]:
1
β = ---------------------------------- [ β 1 a ( a + δ ) + β 2 bδ ];
(a + b)(a + δ)
a a+δ
1
∫ ∫
β 1 = -------------------- dY k c + ( Y p – Y k ) dY p ;
2 2
a(a + δ)
0 0
b+c a+δ
1
β 2 = ------ ∫ ∫ X k + ( Y p – a ) dY p .
2 2
dX k
bδ
c a
metal to the walls of the crystallizer. This assumption is
valid, since we are comparing the two water-cooling
techniques, and the parameters of the CCM do not
change. The total thermal resistance
β a+δ
R = --- + --------------------- ,
λ α(a + b)
where λ is the thermal conductivity of copper; and α is
the heat transfer coefficient.
We can determine the coefficient of heat transfer
from the inner surface of the channel using the Mikheev
formula [1]:
αd eq
- = 0.021Re Pr f ( Pr f /Pr w ) ,
0.8 0.43 0.25
Nu = ---------- (1)
λf
where Nu is the dimensionless heat transfer coefficient
(the Nusselt number); deq = 4f/P = 2ab/(a + b) is the
equivalent diameter of the cylindrical tube (here f is the
area of the clear cross section of the tube; P is the wet-
ted perimeter of the cross section); Prf is the Prandtl
number for the averaged parameters of the fluid flow;
Prw is the Prandtl number for the parameters of the fluid
flow near the channel wall; and Re is the flow regime
criterion (the Reynolds number). The heat transfer
coefficient with referral of the heat flux to the area of
the working surface:
K = 1/R. (2)
We find similarly the thermal resistance of the crys-
tallizer wall with the cylindrical channels, for which we
examine an element (Fig. 2a) of the wall. We shall find
the equations of the tangents to the circle of radius r that
pass through the point B(X, Y) of the working surface
with the coordinates X = δ – r and Y = c, for which we
determine the coordinates of the points Nb and Mb, solv-
ing the system of equations:
⎧ ( δ – r )x 0 + cy 0 = r ;
2

In calculating the total thermal resistance, we shall ⎨ 2

⎩ x0 + y0 = r .
2 2
ignore the resistance to heat transfer from the molten

RUSSIAN ENGINEERING RESEARCH Vol. 27 No. 5 2007

258 KADOSHNIKOV et al.

K, kW/(m2 K)
16 15
(a) (b)
12 11
3 4 6
4 5
8 2 3 7 2
1
1
4 3
10 20 30 40 50 10 20 30 40 50
c1, mm c1, mm

Fig. 3. Dependences of the heat transfer coefficient K on the distance c1 from the working wall to the surface of the cylindrical (a)
and slotted (b) channel of the crystallizer wall that is made of hot-rolled copper M1P (curves 1 and 3) and copper MC (curves 2, 4,
5, 6): (a) Qw = 491 (curves 1 and 2) and 1330 m3/h (curves 3 and 4); (b) curves 1 to 4: a = 15 mm, b = 21 mm; curves 5 and 6: a =
40 mm, b = 8 mm; Qw = 491 (curves 1, 2, 6) and 1330 m3/h (curves 3, 4, 5).

We obtain the coordinates of the two points: the integral-average thickness of the zone 2:
Nb( X N b , Y N b ) and Mb( X M b , Y M b ), and the angles α N b =
XM
δ–r
arctan| Y N b / X N b | and α M b = arctan| Y M b / X M b |.
a
1 2 2
β 2 = ------- ∫ dX ∫ ( X p – X k ) + ( c – r – X k ) dX p;
2 2
l2 δ k
For the tangents to the circle that pass through the XN –r
b
point A(X, Y) with the coordinates X = –r and Y = c,
solving the system of equations the integral-average thickness of the zone 3:
2
⎧ – rx 0 + cy 0 = r ;
YM
a

⎨ 2 1
⎩ x0 + y0 = r ,
2 2 β 3 = -------
l3 δ ∫ dY k
YM
b

we obtain the coordinates of the points Na( X N a , Y N a ) and δ–r

∫
2 2
× ( X p – ( r – Y k ) + ( c – Y k ) dX p;
2 2
Ma( X M a , Y M a ) and the angle α M a = arctan| Y M a / X M a |.
2
r – cY
For the calculation of the integral-average thickness --------------------k
2 2
of the working wall, it is convenient to break the region r – Yk
of the cylindrical surface down into three zones: (1) the
arc NaNb of the length l1 = r α N b ; (2) the arc NbMa of the β δ
the total thermal resistance R = --- + -------------------------------- .
length l2 = r(π – α N b – α M a ); and (3) the arc MaMb of λ α ( l1 + l2 + l3 )
the length l3 = r( α M b + α M a ). The coefficient α of heat transfer from the inner sur-
face of the cylindrical channel can be determined from
The integral-average thickness of the working wall the formula (1), and the heat transfer coefficient K can
be determined from the formula (2).
1
β = ------------ [ β 1 l 1 + β 2 l 2 + β 3 l 3 ],
l1 l2 l3 The foregoing technique was used to compile the
calculation program in the MathCAD Professional
where the integral-average thickness of the zone 1: environment, making it possible to determine (using
the known geometric and technological parameters) the
XN
b heat transfer coefficient for the walls with the cylindri-
1
β 1 = -------
l1 δ ∫ dX k
cal and slotted channels. The results of the calculations
are shown in Fig. 3.
XN
a

2
r –c r –
2 2
Xk
Thus, we have created a mathematical model for
-----------------------------------
Xk determining the heat transfer coefficient in the wall of
2 2 the crystallizer of the CCM with the cylindrical and
× ∫ ( X p – X k ) + ( c – r – X k ) dX p;
2 2
slotted channels. This model makes it possible to select
–r the optimal geometric parameters of the slotted crystal-

RUSSIAN ENGINEERING RESEARCH Vol. 27 No. 5 2007

 CALCULATING THE HEAT TRANSFER IN THE WALL
lizer in its thermal operation in comparison with the
crystallizer having the cylindrical channels.
It has been established by mathematical modeling
that the replacement of the cylindrical channels with
the slotted channels of the same clear area provides
approximately the same heat transfer coefficients.
Other conditions being the same, this makes it possible
to reduce the thickness of the crystallizer wall, thereby
reducing the consumption of the copper–containing
materials by 30% and reducing the labor involved in
removing the scale from the openings.
RUSSIAN ENGINEERING RESEARCH Vol. 27 No. 5
259
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mizing the Hydraulic Characteristics and Thermal Oper-
ation of a Slab Crystallizer for High–Speed Continuous
Steel Casting, Metallurg., 2001, no. 1, pp. 41–43.
3. Kalyagin, Yu.A., Man’ko, O.V., Shestakov, N.I., et al.,
Heat Transfer in the Working Wall of the Crystallizer of
a Continuous Casting Machine, in: Proc. of First Scien-
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