Model-based system for determining casting roll operating temperature in a thin strip casting process

System for monitoring surface temperature of at least one casting roll of a thin strip casting process, the system comprising:

• a first temperature sensor producing a first temperature signal (TI) indicative of temperature of cooling liquid entering a cooling system of the at least one casting roll;
• a second temperature sensor producing a second temperature signal (TO) indicative of temperature of cooling liquid exiting the cooling system of the at least one casting roll;
• and
• a computer computing a heat flux value (Q) as a function of said first and second temperature signals, the heat flux value indicative of an amount of heat removed from the at least one casting roll by the cooling system, and computing the surface temperature of the at least one casting roll (TROLL) as a function of said second temperature signal and said heat flux value.

A method of monitoring surface temperature of at least one casting roll of a thin strip casting process, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining an inlet temperature (TI) and an outlet temperature (TO) of cooling liquid circulated through a cooling system of the at least one casting roll;
• computing a heat flux value (Q) as a function of the inlet and outlet temperatures, the heat flux value indicative of an amount of heat removed from the at least one casting roll by the cooling system;
• developing a correlation between the surface temperature of the at least one casting roll (TROLL), the heat flux value and the outlet temperature;
• mapping a first threshold surface temperature to a first threshold outlet temperature using the correlation;
• monitoring the outlet temperature;
• and
• generating a signal if the outlet temperature exceeds the threshold outlet temperature, the signal thereby indicative of the surface temperature of the at least one casting roll exceeding the first threshold surface temperature.

System for monitoring surface temperature of at least one casting roll of a thin strip casting process, the system comprising:

• a first temperature sensor producing a first temperature signal (TI) indicative of temperature of cooling liquid entering a cooling system of the at least one casting roll;
• a second temperature sensor producing a second temperature signal (TO) indicative of temperature of cooling liquid exiting the cooling system of the at least one casting roll;
• and
• a computer computing a heat flux value (Q) as a function of said first and second temperature signals, the heat flux value indicative of an amount of heat removed from the at least one casting roll by the cooling system, and correlating the surface temperature of the at least one casting roll (TROLL) to the heat flux value and the second temperature signal, said computer mapping a first threshold surface temperature to a first threshold outlet temperature using the correlation and generating a control signal if the second temperature signal exceeds the threshold outlet temperature, the control signal thereby indicative of the surface temperature of the at least one casting roll exceeding the first threshold surface temperature.