A new reliable thermal simulation system for studying solidification of heavy section ductile iron has been developed using computer feedback control and artificial intelligent methods. Results of idle test indicate that the temperature in the system responses exactly to the inputted control data and the temperature control error is less than ± 0.5 %. It is convenient to simulate solidification of heavy section ductile iron using this new system. Results of thermal simulation experiments show that the differences in nodularity and number of graphite nodule per unit area in the thermal simulation specimen and the actual heavy section block is less than 5 % and 10 %, respectively.