Abstract: An electrical installation of an arc furnace for melting metals may include a power factor correction unit and a control unit for driving the power factor correction unit, wherein at least one control parameter is variable within a predetermined control parameter range. In this case, a restricted control parameter subrange is predetermined for the control parameter and the electrical installation comprises an operating unit, by means of which the control parameter is adjustable within the control parameter subrange. Thus, the flexibility of the electrical installation may be increased and the operator may have more room for manoeuvre with respect to operation and maintenance of the installation in comparison with conventional arrangements.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for predicting and controlling the castability of liquid steel. According to said method, the chemical composition of a melt to be cast is analyzed, an alloy calculation is carried out, alloy elements and/or additions are determined in order to obtain defined material characteristics of the steel, and operating diagrams are drawn up for further treatment of the melt. The interactions of the alloy and/or addition elements, which influence the castability, are taken into account during the alloy calculation as supplemental conditions.

Abstract: A continuous casting and rolling installation for a metal strip comprises a casting device, a hot-rolling device mounted downstream thereof, and a cooling section mounted downstream of the hot-rolling device. Liquid metal is cast in the casting device to give a metal strip having an initial thickness. The cast metal strip is fed to a hot rolling device immediately after casting with an initial thickness and is hot-rolled. The hot-rolled metal strip is then cooled with a coolant in the cooling section. The continuous casting and rolling installation comprises a housing which surrounds the casting device, the hot rolling device and the cooling section and which can be flooded with a protective gas. The invention allows to guide the metal strip in a housing flooded with a protective gas at least from emergence from the casting device until emergence from the cooling section.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for predicting and controlling the castability of liquid steel. According to said method, the chemical composition of a melt to be cast is analysed, an alloy calculation is carried out, alloy elements and/or additions are determined in order to obtain defined material characteristics of the steel, and operating diagrams are drawn up for further treatment of the melt. The interactions of the alloy and/or addition elements, which influence the castability, are taken into account during the alloy calculation as supplemental conditions.

Abstract: A method and device for producing a strand of metal by means of a continuous-casting installation which has at least one cooling device for cooling the strand, the cooling device being assigned at least one reduction stand for reducing the thickness of the strand, the strand, during the thickness reduction, having a solidified skin and a liquid core. The cooling is set, by means of a temperature and solidification model, in such a manner that the solidification boundary between the solidified skin and the liquid core when the strand enters the reduction stand corresponds to a predetermined set solidification boundary between the solidified skin and the liquid core.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for controlling the cooling of a strand in a continuous casting installation, in which the cooling or, respectively, the solidification behavior of the strand ensures by means of the quantity of cooling agent used for cooling the strand, whereby the required quantity of cooling agent is determined, constantly and in real time, dependent on a predetermined target temperature distribution. A cooling model is used with which a temperature distribution in the strand can be calculated from a quantity of cooling agent.