Study of heat transfer through layers of casting flux: experiments with a laboratory set-up simulating the conditions in continuous casting

The heat transfer through layers of casting flux has been studied with a laboratory set-up which consists of a water-cooled heat flux probe made of copper and an electrically heated steel plate with a trough to hold the flux sample. The measured heat flux density values were converted to system conductivities k_sys which contain the radiation/conduction conductivity in the flux layer and the contact resistance at the probe side. It was found that k_sys is almost independent from the layer thickness. Ten commercial casting fluxes were investigated and the data for k_sys are given as functions of composition and strand surface temperature.