STEEL + TECHNOLOGY 01/2019

44 | STEEL TECHNOLOGY
New mould design for continuous casting machines
Mould concept for enhanced productivity and
high quality in billet and bloom production
Power Mould is the brand name of an innovative, patented cartridge-type mould developed by Danieli to
increase casting speeds by up to 50% in comparison to a conventional mould.
T
he Power Mould’s innovative design
of drilled channels inside the copper
tube helps to reduce off-corner cracks,
thereby increasing the sub-surface quality.
This design concept aims at the following
productivity and efficiency targets:
• running for 23 h at an average casting
speed of 6.2 m/min in endless mode,
• casting above 45 t/h per strand in a billet
caster in open stream and 76 t/h per
strand in submerged casting (designed
for up to 115 t/h),
• a service life of the copper tube
equivalent to up to 60,000 t,
• 30% less media consumption, compared
to a conventional mould.
In order to reach the above figures, the
design engineers at Danieli went through
a learning curve of mould design. The
first trial was with a new mould that consisted
of four thick copper plates with
drilled longitudinal holes. Subsequently,
the contact joints between the copper
plates along the corners were improved
and revised by introducing a monolithic
tube: the result was the free-standing
Power Mould, which does not require
additional back plates or water jackets
for alignment.
Approaching the next level
The thickness of the copper tube and
the longitudinal cooling drill holes enable
different cooling strategies to be applied
by changing the numbers of holes, the
distances between them and the distance
from the steel. This solution ensures the
most appropriate temperature distribution
around the product section, which is an
essential condition for uniform shell growth
along the mould.
Realizing the consistency of performance
and operations achieved with
the Power Mould, the mould designers
focused their attention on modifying
the construction with a view to further
improving the competitiveness of the
product costs. The result is the Eco
Power Mould. In this latest upgrade of
the technology the copper effectiveness
has been enhanced by employing a lower
thickness tube and a new design of the
water cooling channels. These measures
lead to a lower meniscus temperature
and lower media consumption by the
mould. In summary, the Eco Power
Mould offers a range of substantial benefits,
including:
• very high casting speed of 7.2 m/min
when casting sections 130 mm x 130
mm,
• strand productivity of approx. 56 t/h (designed
for up to 115 t/h when casting
bigger sections),
• reduced off-corner cracks, i.e. increased
sub-surface quality,
• improved cooling system,
• adaptive heat transfer,
• optimized high rigidity,
• reduced media consumption.
The Eco Power Mould can be easily installed
on existing continuous casters. The
return on investment (ROI) is usually less
than twelve months.
• Danieli Off. Mecc. S.p.A.
\
1 Copper tube heat transfer for
a conventional mould.
2 Power Mould (monolithic tube
with longitudinal cooling drill holes).
3 Eco Power Mould Clower thickness tube and
a new design of the water cooling channels).
Comparison of the heat transfer in a conventional mould (left), the Power Mould (middle) and the new Eco Power Mould (right)
(Picture: Danieli)
STEEL + TECHNOLOGY 1 (2019) First Issue