secondary cooling zone

In metallurgy, the secondary cooling zone is a critical part of the continuous casting process for steel. After liquid steel is poured into a water-cooled mold and forms a solid shell, it enters the secondary cooling zone. Here, spray nozzles provide further water cooling to increase the shell's thickness. This zone is also referred to as the metallurgical length because it's where the steel strand fully solidifies and its internal structure develops. The length of this zone can range from 10 to 40 meters, depending on the steel's cross-section and the casting speed. Precise control of water flow in this area is essential to prevent defects and ensure the quality of the final steel product.1