Abstract: The application of a heat flow model to describe the thermal characteristics of freezing alloys with narrow mushy zones from a refrigerated mould wall was outlined. The extension of the model was to treat the continuous casting of metals with low thermal conductivity,such as steels, which will be outlined. The model was based on the mathematical expedient for replacing thermal resistance of the metal/mould interface by virtual adjuncts of metal/mould material. It provided a good description of the pool profile and the technique exhibits advantages in terms of both computation and versatility of application.

Key words: air gap, pool profile, mushy zone