Development of a system for diagnosing mist nozzle clogging in slab continuous casting

Nozzle clogging during the secondary cooling process in slab continuous casting causes many serious defects both to the surface and the inside of the slab. Up to now, the nozzles have been inspected visually when the casters are not being used. However, it is very difficult to accurately diagnose nozzle clogging this way despite the time and cost involved. Therefore, we have developed an on-line diagnosis system of our own for the No. 3 continuous caster at Kakogawa works. Here is a description of the system.