Design and heat transfer numerical analysis of high-speed continuous casting mold water slot system

The water slot structure can reduce the temperature of the mold and increase the heat transfer between the mold and cooling water. It has significant impacts on high-speed continuous casting. Therefore, a three-dimensional model of heat transfer from mold to cooling water was used to analyze the influence of water slot size on the cooling capacity of a single water slot. Then, the fluid flow, heat transfer, and solidification three-dimensional models were used to analyze the temperature distribution and cooling effect of three kinds of water slot molds and non-water slot molds. Finally, the water slot mold was designed to achieve high-speed continuous casting. The results show that to make full use of the cooling water in the water slot, the width and height of a single water slot should be less than 8 mm. Compared with the conventional mold without the water slot structure, the temperature of the mold with the water slot structure significantly decreases. The final design of the mold water slot system is as follows: the water slot width and depth are 8 mm, and the number of water slots on one side of the mold is 9. The water slots have a symmetrical distribution, and the symmetrical plane is the middle plane of the mold. The high-speed continuous casting experiment was carried out, and the casting speed can reach 4–4.5 m/min. The water slot mold in this study can be applied in the high-speed continuous casting process.