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The paper presents the results of the study aimed at solving the problem of rational distribution of electric drives of pulling rollers along the technological line of a continuous casting machine and selecting a minimum number of pulling rollers in different areas of the secondary cooling zone. The research includes construction and ranking the criteria for distribution of drive rollers along the production line of the continuous casting machine; development of methods and algorithms for calculating the required distribution of load moments on pulling rollers and distribution of electric drives of pulling rollers along the secondary cooling zone in threemodes of the electric drive operation of the pulling-straightening device: containment of the dummy bar in the preparatory casting mode of the continuous casting machine; pulling the dummy bar with the head of the ingot at the initial stage of pouring the metal; withdrawal of the ingot in the working mode of casting. Theoretical studies were carried out with the use of analytical and numerical methods for solving algebraic equations, methods of structural modeling. Experimental studies were carried out in the conditions of a large metallurgical enterprize with subsequent processing of the obtained data by statistical methods. The technical and economic analysis of the options of the electric drive execution of the pulling-straightening device showed that due to a significant reduction in the number of electric drives of pulling rollers, the payback period of replacement of a group scheme of power supply of electric motors to an individual one in new continuous casting machines decreases from 5.8 to 7.8 years with the traditional distribution of pulling rollers along the secondary cooling zone to 2.8-3 years with their rational distribution, calculated by the developed methods. The results of the work were used in the design of a slab machine for continuous casting of curvilinear strands intended for casting wide slabs up to 2.5 m. According to the proposed method, the number of electric drives pulling the rollers was reduced to 56. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]