EFFECTIVENESS OF ACTIVE AND PSEUDO-ACTIVE METHODS OF SLOWING THE COOLING OF THE STARTING STOCK ON A HOT STRIP MILL

摘要

Hot-strip mills (HSMs) continue to occupy the leading position in the production of hot-rolled strip. One remaining bottleneck in HSM lines is the intermediate roller conveyor, where the slab being rolled undergoes significant (nonuniform in the length direction) cooling. Passive methods of shielding the metal are widely used on continuous HSMs to slow the metal's cooling. In recent years, data have appeared on active methods of regulating the thermal state of the slab on the conveyor: continuous tunnel furnaces and pseudo-active shields. This article analyzes the thermal and energy efficiency of these methods of maintaining slab temperature. It is shown that a continuous tunnel furnace solves this problem with a very low energy efficiency.