Method and device for determining a temperature distribution in a mold plate for a metal-making process

1. A method of determining a temperature distribution in a mold plate of a mold for a metal-making process, wherein the method includes:

obtaining a temperature value from each of a plurality of temperature sensors arranged in the mold plate, each temperature sensor being a sensing point and being spaced apart from a respective reference point in the mold plate,

for each of the sensing points, obtaining, from a plurality of initial temperature relationships, the correction factor and correction term of a linear function or a set of parameters in a general non-linear formulation of a non-linear function, wherein each initial temperature relationship is between a simulated temperature at the corresponding temperature sensor in the mold plate and a simulated temperature at a corresponding reference point in the mold plate, each simulated temperature being obtained based on a respective simulation of a model of the mold plate for a unique thermal mold plate condition wherein the thermal boundary conditions of the mold plate have been completely, explicitly and uniquely stated,

determining for each temperature value the reference point temperature value at the corresponding reference point using either the respective linear function or the respective non-linear function, and

obtaining an estimated temperature distribution at the reference points in the mold plate by means of the reference point temperature values.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the correction factor and the correction term of the linear function is unique for the temperature sensor in question.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the correction factor is a first constant which is multiplied with the corresponding temperature value to obtain a product and the correction term is a second constant added to the product.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein each reference point is a point on the hot face of the mold plate.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein each temperature sensor is a fiber optical sensor.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the unique thermal mold plate condition is of homogeneously distributed temperature over the hot face of the mold plate, a cooling water temperature and heat transfer coefficient as boundary condition for the mold-water interfaces, and heat transfer coefficients between the mold and the ambient materials for the rest of the mold surfaces.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the set of parameters of the general non-linear function is unique for the temperature sensor in question.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the general non-linear formulation of the non-linear function is a non-linear function polynomial expansion and the set of correction coefficients of the non-linear function polynomial expansion is unique for the temperature sensor in question.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each reference point is a point on the hot face of the mold plate.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each temperature sensor is a fiber optical sensor.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the fiber optical sensor is any kind of Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor, interferometric fiber sensor, optical fiber polarimetric sensor, fiber optic micro bend sensor, distributed fiber optic sensor in either the time or frequency domain based on Raman, Brillouin or Rayleigh scattering.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the unique thermal mold plate condition is of homogeneously distributed temperature over the hot face of the mold plate, a cooling water temperature and heat transfer coefficient as boundary condition for the mold-water interfaces, and heat transfer coefficients between the mold and the ambient materials for the rest of the mold surfaces.

13. A computer program comprising computer-executable code which when executed by a temperature calculating device performs the method as claimed in claim 1 .

14. A computer program product comprising a storage medium provided with the computer program of claim 13 .

15. A temperature calculating device for determining a temperature distribution in a mold plate of a mold for a metal-making process, wherein the temperature calculating device includes:

processing circuitry, and

a storage medium including computer-executable code which when executed by the processing circuitry causes the temperature calculating device to perform method steps of claim 1 .

16. A system for determining a temperature distribution in a mold plate of a mold for a metal-making process, wherein the system includes:

a temperature calculating device as claimed in claim 15 , and

a plurality of fiber optical sensors configured to be arranged in the mold plate and configured to provide temperature values concerning the temperature in the mold plate to the temperature calculating device.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the fiber optical sensor is any kind of Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor, interferometric fiber sensor, optical fiber polarimetric sensor, fiber optic micro bend sensor, distributed fiber optic sensor in either the time or frequency domain based on Raman, Brillouin or Rayleigh scattering.