9th ECCC European Continuous Casting Conference – ECCC 2017

Superheat is essential for the continuous casting process. It is the amount of temperature above the Liquidus temperature, which ensures to keep the steel in liquid form until it reaches the mold. Once at the mold the superheat is removed and the steel is allowed to solidify in a controlled manner. If superheat is too high, the steel might not solidify in the mold causing breakouts. If superheat is too low, the steel might solidify prior to reaching the mold causing tundish nozzle choking and cast abort. Therefore, there is an optimum range of superheat temperature for a smooth casting process. Steel plants have a tendency to cast with high superheat, which brings a loss of opportunity. The benefits of lowering the superheat include increasing productivity by casting at higher speeds, reducing the risk of breakouts, improving quality, and energy saving. The objective of this work was to investigate superheat practices at Hadeed, and recommend ways to improve the superheat practice. A trial of Heraeus Electro-Nite is Castemp Continuous Temperature Measurement system for better process control is also explored.