Development of Air-atomizing Mist Nozzles and Mist Cooling System for Continuous Casting

The use of air atomizing mist nozzle for the secondary cooling of continuous casting machine results in the following advantages over the conventional water spray nozzle: less longitudinal surface cracks and higher temperature of cast slabs, wide control range of cooling, and prevention of nozzle cloggings. The air injection to the water spray nozzle is also good for preventing nozzle cloggings.The authors have developed a few types of air atomizing nozzles and their application techniques, including the air injection technique, for the secondary cooling system of the slab casters.Discussed here are structual and fluidic features of the newly developed mist nozzles and the air injection type water spray nozzle with reference to some technical points concerning the new cooling system and the operational results.