Equipment and method for producing flat rolled products

Abstract

The invention relates to an installation 1 and a method for the production of flat rolled products consisting of thick cast steel and / or non-ferrous metal slabs, which installation: i) comprises at least one continuous casting device 3 by means of which a flat strand material having a thickness of at least 160 mm can be continuously cast; ii) comprises a separating device 4 arranged downstream of the at least one continuous casting device 3 by means of which the flat strand material can be separated into individual thick slabs; iii) comprises a hot rolling mill 5 by means of which the thick slabs can be rolled into the flat rolled products, which hot rolling mill 5 comprises a roughing line 8 and a finishing line 9 each having at least one rolling stand and which are arranged in a common transport line T1 with the at least one continuous casting device 3; iv) comprises a hot rolling mill 5 by means of which the thick slabs can be rolled into the flat rolled products, which hot rolling mill 5 comprises a roughing line 8 and a finishing line 9 each having at least one rolling stand and which are arranged in a common transport line T1 with the at least one continuous casting device 3; at least one thick slab insertion device 15 arranged transversely to the transport line T1 and positioned between the separating device 4 and the hot rolling mill 5; and v) at least one electric heater 7 for direct heat insertion arranged upstream of the hot rolling mill 5 in the transport direction, in particular upstream of the rough rolling line 8 in the transport direction, via which at least the thick slabs coming from the continuous casting device 3 arranged in the common transport line can be heated all over to the rolling temperature.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an installation and a method for the production of flat rolled products consisting of thick cast steel slabs and / or non-ferrous metal slabs and in a further aspect to the use of at least one electric heater, in particular an electric heater, for direct heat insertion, arranged upstream of a hot rolling mill in the transport direction for heating thick slabs having a thickness of at least 160 mm to the hot rolling temperature. [Background technology]

[0002] The prior art discloses conventional installations and methods in which thick slabs are heated first of all by means of a gas-operated heating device, either directly under the utilization of the casting heat or only after intermediate storage in a slab store, and then fed to a hot rolling mill. Heating of thick slabs in gas-fired heating devices requires, on the one hand, high fuel quantities, especially when the thick slabs come from a slab store and need to be heated from a temperature similar to the room temperature to at least 1000° C., and, on the other hand, long heating times. The use of fossil fuels, especially natural gas, additionally induces high CO2 emissions.

[0003] From EP 1 299 633 A1 an installation is known, with which a thick slab is fed directly into a hot rolling mill using the heat of casting. The edges of the thick slab are heated to the corresponding hot rolling temperature by a series of inductive edge heaters arranged one after the other. The targeted heating of the edges does indeed prevent the cooling of the middle part of the slab, but this type of heater does not allow the targeted heating of the entire thick slab. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 6562223B Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Against the above background, the problem underlying the present invention is to provide an improved installation as well as an improved method as compared to the prior art for the production of flat rolled products consisting of thick cast steel slabs and / or non-ferrous metal slabs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the invention, this problem is solved by an installation having the features of claim 1 as well as by a method having the features of claim 12. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The installation for the production of flat rolled products consisting of thick cast steel slabs and / or non-ferrous metal slabs is a continuous casting device, by means of which a strand material having a thickness of at least 160 mm can be continuously cast; a separating device disposed downstream of the continuous casting device, by means of which the flat strand material can be separated into individual thick slabs; a hot rolling mill through which the thick slab can be rolled into the flat rolled product; the hot rolling mill comprises a roughing line and a finishing line, each having at least one rolling stand, and is arranged in a common (first) transport line with at least one of said continuous casting apparatus; at least one thick slab insertion device disposed transversely to the transport line and positioned between the separation device and the hot rolling mill; and at least one electric heater for direct heat injection, which is arranged upstream of the hot rolling mill in the transport direction, in particular upstream of the roughing line in the transport direction, Via said heater, at least the thick slabs coming from said continuous casting apparatuses arranged in a common transport line can be heated all over to the rolling temperature.

[0008] With the installation according to the invention, the thick slabs can be heated to a predetermined rolling temperature as required. Electric heaters for direct heat insertion arranged upstream of the hot rolling mill in the transport direction, in particular upstream of the roughing line in the transport direction, thereby allow individual temperature control in relation to the respective cast steel quality.

[0009] Under the term "thick slab" are understood, within the meaning of the present invention, slabs having a minimum thickness of at least 160 mm, advantageously at least 180 mm and even more advantageously at least 200 mm. Since the maximum thickness of the thick slab is technically limited based on currently available continuous casting equipment, the maximum thickness of the thick slab is preferably 300 mm, more preferably 250 mm. Thick slabs of this type typically have a width in the range of 800 to 2500 mm, preferably in the range of 1000 to 2300 mm.

[0010] The production of thick slabs as opposed to thin slabs has several advantageous effects: On the one hand, the yield can be increased, solely in terms of the throughput, and therefore a higher degree of capacity can be achieved by the hot rolling mill. Similarly, thicker slabs have a significant advantage over thinner slabs in terms of quality: thicker slabs have a smaller surface area per ton of cast material compared to thinner slabs. The unevenness of the transported slabs in the transport line can be reduced, the smaller surface area for the material cast per tonne reduces the formation of scale and produces fewer casting residues and surface defects, which can reduce material loss due to the removal of these casting residues and surface defects.

[0011] In the present application, under the concept "electric heater", also referred to as electric heater for direct heat insertion, electric thick slab pre-heat heater, electric thick slab post-heat heater, electric rough strip heater or electric supplemental thick slab heater, generally an electrically operable device is understood, via which the thick slab can be heated by means of an electric current. The electric heater can advantageously comprise an inductive heater, a conductive heater, an electric heater with indirect resistive heating. It is particularly advantageously provided that the electric heater is an inductive heater or a conductive heater. Inductive heaters, due to the thickness range of the thick slabs, can advantageously operate according to the longitudinal magnetic field principle and, due to the high energy density, allow rapid heating. In conductive heaters, each thick slab forms part of a current circuit and is thus heated directly via the current passing through the thick slab, which allows a very high efficiency (close to unity) and particularly rapid heating.

[0012] Inductive and / or conductive electric heaters additionally have the advantage that they can consist of a series connection of individual mechanical units for the near-surface regions as well as for the core of the thick slabs.

[0013] Alternatively or additionally, it is also possible for an electric tunnel furnace to be provided, which is likewise operated via a resistance heater.

[0014] With the equipment according to the invention the temperature profile within each thick slab can be adjusted so that this temperature profile is specifically adapted to the subsequent rough rolling process, in particular to the cooling that occurs during rough rolling. Insofar as cold spots (so-called "skid marks") which occur, for example, on the thick slab surface when using walking beam furnaces are detected, these can be specifically eliminated by momentary heating, which can improve the quality of the flat rolled product which is then produced. The short heating can in addition reduce the formation of scale, which can improve the yield and the surface quality. Furthermore, the installation according to the invention allows the individual heating of each thick slab to the technically required temperature level respectively, without these thick slabs being overheated or undercooled.

[0015] Under the concept "all over" it is understood, within the meaning of the present invention, that the thick slab is heated over the entire surface and in a specific thickness of the thick slab during its passage through the electric heater to a pre-given rated temperature.

[0016] The rated temperature of the thick slabs is sufficiently uniform and / or identical in its three-dimensional extension, with the permitted temperature difference being ≦±80°C, preferably ≦±50°C, particularly preferably ≦±20°C, of ​​the target / rated temperature.

[0017] The rated temperature facilitates further processing of the thick slabs: a non-uniformly heated thick slab may induce variable forming conditions in further processing, e.g., during rolling, and thus may not provide any uniform forming across the length and / or width of the thick slab, and thus an increased share of scrap in the required preparation cuts. Non-uniform temperatures can also induce non-uniform texture changes and geometric errors, such as flatness errors. By early adjustment of the global heating temperature level, these problems and errors can be avoided or at least limited in their occurrence. The time-consuming devices and processes for compensating for these errors can be simplified or omitted altogether. Interference between the desired effects and the resulting responses from non-uniform temperature levels is likewise minimized.

[0018] Advantageously, the electric heater for the direct heat insertion is designed in such a way that the thick slab can be heated all over via the electric heater, in other words, such a heater allows not only specific heating of the edges, but also heating of the middle part of the thick slab located between these edges. A further advantage of such an electric heater for direct heat injection, arranged upstream of the hot rolling mill in the transport direction, in particular upstream of the roughing line in the transport direction, is that this allows maximum utilization of the casting heat, which allows energy savings of more than 70% in comparison with conventional removal from the slab store.

[0019] Further advantageous configurations of the invention are presented in the dependent claims. The features recited individually in the dependent claims can be combined with one another in an industrially advantageous manner and define further embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the features recited in these claims are specifically and explicitly defined and explained in the description, whereby further advantageous embodiments of the invention are realized.

[0020] It should be pointed out that the installation according to the invention is adapted and intended solely for the production of flat rolled products consisting of thick cast steel slabs and / or non-ferrous metal slabs. In such installations, the thick slabs produced can then be stored intermediately without any problems or easily transported from a second transport line, unlike installations intended for the production of thin slabs, based on the typical dimensions of these thick slabs. Thick slabs usually have a length of less than 12 m, and in some cases less than 10 m, whereas thin slabs usually have a length of at least 25 m and must be transported and stored accordingly more laboriously. Furthermore, the flat rolling products of this type of plant differ from plants intended for the production of thin slabs, so that specific steel qualities, such as for example peritectic steel qualities or steel qualities with very high requirements for the surface quality, cannot be produced in the required quality on conventional thin slab plants.

[0021] In particular, it is possible for the length of the respective thick slab for hot insertion to correspond not only to the individual coil length but also to a multiple of this coil length, since the transport transverse to the transport line and further handling steps are omitted.

[0022] Advantageously, the continuous casting apparatus is designed in such a way that a strand material having a thickness of at least 160 mm can be cast continuously using the continuous casting apparatus. The continuous casting apparatus can be designed, for example, as a single- or multi-wire continuous casting apparatus.

[0023] In a variant of an advantageous embodiment, the installation can comprise at least one electric rough strip heater arranged upstream of the finishing rolling line in the transport direction, which rough strip heater is particularly advantageously designed in such a way that the rolled flat raw rolled product can be heated over its entire surface via said rough strip heater. Via this rough strip heater, the rolled flat rough rolled products leaving the rough rolling line at a temperature of, for example, less than 1000° C. can be heated in a particularly energy-efficient manner to a specifically pre-determined temperature for the finish rolling process, so that the properties desired for each of the flat rough rolled products can be adjusted. Thus, for example, the temperature difference between the head and the end of the rolled flat rolled product can be effectively compensated, which allows for a higher rolling stability and thus a higher yield. The resulting more uniform temperature distribution additionally allows for a smaller final strip thickness and more uniform mechanical properties of the produced flat rolled product.

[0024] In this application, to the extent that absolute temperatures are given, these are therefore solely the average temperatures of the respective substrates.

[0025] At least one of the thick slab insertion devices is advantageously configured as a transport and heating device, by means of which the transported and / or intermediately stored thick slabs can, if necessary, be heated completely to the hot rolling temperature. The transport and heating device is configured in such a way that the temperature can be increased and / or maintained simultaneously with the transport or sequentially. Advantageously, the thick slab insertion device is configured in the form of a walking beam furnace, which comprises at least one segment, which comprises an electrically operated heating body and / or a gas-operated combustor.

[0026] The plant configured in this manner is therefore equipped with a first transport line, via which the thick slabs can be temporarily heated to the hot rolling temperature directly under the utilization of the casting heat, using an electric heater for direct heat input, and subsequently fed to the hot rolling mill. Parallel to the first transport line, a second transport line can be provided, via which intermediately stored and / or cooled to 400 to 800° C., usually stored in a slab store and / or in a heat retention pit, thick slabs are heated to the hot rolling temperature via a thick slab feeder and then fed directly to the rolling process. Alternatively or additionally, thick slabs cast in a second continuous casting device can be fed to the rolling process via a thick slab feeder.

[0027] In an advantageous embodiment variant, at least one, preferably two or more, thick slab insertion devices are arranged between the electric heater for direct heat insertion and the rough rolling line. In a further advantageous embodiment variant, it is possible for the installation to additionally comprise at least one, preferably two or even multiple, thick slab insertion devices between the separation device and the electric heater for direct heat insertion.

[0028] In addition to the at least one thick slab insertion device, it is possible, preferably on the inlet side, to have at least one electric thick slab preheater pre-connected, which is particularly preferably designed in such a way that the thick slab can be heated all over via the thick slab preheater. This electric thick slab preheater is particularly worthy of consideration when the flat rolled product to be produced requires a higher temperature for a short period of time, for example for adjusting mechanical properties such as strength, and the subsequently passing thick slab insertion device can be operated at a lower temperature level required for the flat rolled product to be produced.

[0029] In a further preferred embodiment variant, at least one electric thick slab post-heating heater is connected downstream of at least one of the thick slab insertion devices on the exit side, and the electric additional thick slab heater is particularly preferably configured in such a way that the thick slab can be heated all over via the electric additional thick slab heater. Particularly advantageously, in this connection it is provided that at least one electric thick slab post-heater is arranged between at least one thick slab insertion device and the rough rolling line. On the one hand, for the sake of optimal energy production and, on the other hand, for the best possible adaptation to the logistical and technological requirements of the rolling plant, an electric thick slab post-heater on the exit side further increases the plant's flexibility.

[0030] In addition, the installation can be equipped with at least one electrical supplementary thick slab heater, which is advantageously pre-connected to at least one electrical thick slab post-heating heater.

[0031] In order, on the one hand, to reduce production losses due to transition widths when changing the casting width, and on the other hand, to balance the wear of the work rolls in the finishing rolling stands and to ensure optimal results in terms of strip profile and / or strip flatness in the largest possible stroke of the plant, the rolling mill should allow for specific rolling program profiles, since when using the same slab width, the availability in the hot rolling mill is reduced due to the increased number of required work roll changes. Advantageously, the roughing line thus comprises, in the transport direction, besides the first and / or second roughing stand, at least one swaging device. Advantageously, it is provided that the swaging device comprises at least one slab swaging press and possibly at least one, advantageously several swaging machines. In some cases, by using an upsetting device, such as a slab upsetting press in combination with at least one upsetting machine, the required optimum rolling program, related to width and profile, can be ensured, since larger and / or constant slab widths can be cast. Advantageously, the upsetting device is configured in such a way that a reduction in the slab width of up to 450 mm, advantageously up to 350 mm, is made possible. Additionally, the use of additional upsetting machines allows a further reduction in the slab width of up to 100 mm.

[0032] Furthermore, in an advantageous embodiment variant, the installation can comprise a control device with an associated computing unit, which is designed for controlling and / or regulating the installation on the basis of minimized energy consumption and / or maximized throughput and / or on the basis of product properties and / or product dimensions.

[0033] For the adjustment of the equipment on the basis of minimized energy consumption, for example the required temperature levels, possible heating steps, possible heaters, possible temperature losses and / or possible temperature insertions inside the equipment are optimized so that the equipment is adjusted with minimized energy consumption. The calculation unit can then advantageously use physical process models, which map the thermal behavior and calculate suggestions for the adjustment of the equipment.

[0034] Alternatively or additionally, the control device can control the installation so that a maximum throughput is achieved. For this purpose, groups of batches in specific thickness, width and / or length dimensions can be formed by optimizing the casting sequence, the insertion sequence, the transport device and / or by operating the rolling installation at its design limits, and the throughput can be increased using these groups of batches. In particular, maintenance cycles, such as roll change times, mould change times and / or mould rebuild times, can be taken into account simultaneously. The grouping of batches and / or sequences conditional on the product dimensions has the advantage that material losses due to transition pieces at width or thickness changes can be eliminated as far as possible. The control of the plant, conditional on the product properties, can likewise be performed by the calculation unit: for example, if a very high surface quality is required, it is possible for the calculation unit to adjust a correspondingly slower casting speed, a more intensive descaling, a corresponding temperature guidance, etc. Likewise, more optimal magnetic, mechanical and / or geometric properties can be optimized.

[0035] In order to effectively reduce the energy and / or temperature losses of the thick slabs and / or flat rolled raw products in the rough rolling line during the transportation process, the installation can additionally be equipped with a number of specifically arranged insulation hoods, which can then be configured as active or passive insulation hoods. Active insulation hoods are preferably operated with a combustor using "green" produced hydrogen as fuel or electrically.

[0036] It is therefore possible for the installation to be equipped with a number of insulating hoods in an advantageous embodiment variant between the separating device and the electric heater for direct heat injection, and possibly between the electric heater for direct heat injection and the hot rolling mill, in particular the roughing line.

[0037] In yet another advantageous embodiment variant, it is possible for the installation to additionally comprise a number of insulating hoods inside the roughing lines, which can be arranged, for example, in the transport direction before and / or after a swaging device and possibly before and / or after a roughing line and / or before and / or after each roughing line.

[0038] In yet another aspect, the present invention comprises: Advantageously, with the equipment according to the invention: The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of flat rolled products consisting of thick cast steel and / or non-ferrous metal slabs, The method includes the steps of: i) Continuous casting of flat strand material having a thickness of at least 160 mm; The flat strand material is subsequently separated into the individual thick slabs; iia) when the thick slabs come from continuous casting machines arranged in a common transport line, heating the thick slab to a temperature of at least 1000° C. using an electric heater for direct heat insertion; and iib) if the thick slab is transported laterally from the second transport line into the first transport line, heating the thick slab to a temperature of at least 1000° C. using at least one additional heater and / or thick slab insertion device; iii) hot rolling the heated thick slab to a hot rolling temperature into the flat rolled product, by which the thick slab is first rough rolled and subsequently finish rolled. The method includes the steps of:

[0039] Advantageously, said thick slab having a temperature of at least 500° C. is fed to a first electric heater for direct heat input.

[0040] It is further provided that, advantageously, the rough rolled flat rolled product is heated using an electric rough strip heater to a temperature of at least 950°C before the rough rolled flat rolled product is finish rolled into a flat rolled product.

[0041] In yet another aspect, the present invention further relates to the use of at least one electric heater, in particular an inductive heater, for direct heat injection, arranged upstream of the hot rolling mill in the transport direction for heating thick slabs having a thickness of at least 160 mm to the hot rolling temperature.

[0042] The present invention and its technical surroundings are described in detail below based on the figures. It should be pointed out that the present invention should not be limited by the illustrated embodiments. In particular, it is equally possible to extract partial aspects of the matters described in the figures and combine them with other elements and perceptions from the description and / or figures of the present application, unless explicitly illustrated differently. It should be pointed out in particular that the figures, and in particular the illustrated size ratios, are only schematic: the same reference signs refer to the same objects, so that, in some cases, the description can be supplemented by references from other figures. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0043] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a modification of the first embodiment according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a diagram of a variant of the second embodiment according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram of a variation of the third embodiment according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram of a modification of the fourth embodiment according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a modification of the fifth embodiment according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a variant of the embodiment of the roughing rolling line. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0044] In Fig. 1 a variant of a first embodiment of an installation 1 for the production of rolled products consisting of thick cast steel and / or non-ferrous metal slabs is shown, which comprises a continuous casting device 3 arranged in a transport line T, which here is configured for continuously casting strand material having a thickness in the range from 200 to 250 mm. The resulting strand material (not shown) is then immediately separated into individual thick slabs using a separating device 4, such as a swing shear or a strand material combustor, and is fed directly, under the utilization of the casting heat, to a hot rolling mill 5, in which the thick slabs are then firstly rough rolled and subsequently finish rolled.

[0045] For this purpose, the installation 1 has, in a first transport line T, a roller table 6 which extends through the installation 1 . The roller table 6 can be covered in sections by several active or passive insulating hoods 22, of which two are shown by way of example in the embodiment variant under consideration here, so that the energy and temperature losses of the thick slabs on their way to the hot rolling mill 5 can be kept as low as possible.

[0046] Despite the thermal shielding, the thick slabs on their way to the hot rolling mill 5 typically cool to an average temperature of 800 to 900°C. According to the invention, it is therefore provided that the thick slab is heated all over, in the transport direction, upstream of the hot rolling mill 5 to the hot rolling temperature of 1100 to 1300° C. by means of an electric heater 7 for direct heat insertion. This heater 7 is configured as a longitudinal magnetic field inductor in the variant of the embodiment under consideration here and thus allows a short-term heating of the cooled thick slab to the specific hot rolling temperature.

[0047] Furthermore, the embodiment variant shown in Fig. 1 comprises a control device S, which comprises a calculation unit B. This calculation unit is able to calculate operating adjustments with minimized energy consumption. The control device S is then connected in signal technology terms to the plant 1 and performs the adjustments of the plant 1 required for this purpose for the production of thick slabs. In a comparable manner, additionally and / or alternatively, an optimization of the operating adjustments can be performed according to the maximum throughput and / or according to the product properties and / or according to the product dimensions.

[0048] In Fig. 2 a further embodiment variant of the plant 1 according to the invention is shown. In the difference with respect to the embodiment variant shown in Fig. 1 the plant 1 additionally comprises an electric rough strip heater 10 between the roughing line 8 and the finishing line 9 of the hot rolling mill 5. The electric rough strip heater 10 is likewise configured as a longitudinal magnetic field inductor or inductor combination, so that the rough rolled flat rolled product can be heated all over via the rough strip heater 10. By means of the rough strip heater 10, the rough rolled flat rolled product leaving the rough rolling line 8 with a temperature of less than 1100° C. is heated in a particularly energy-efficient manner to a predefined temperature of 950 to 1100° C., which is typical for the finish rolling process.

[0049] FIG. 3 shows yet another embodiment variant of the installation 1 according to the invention. Complementary to the embodiment variant shown in FIG. 2, the installation 1 comprises a second transport line T2 with a second roller table 6.2 arranged parallel to the first transport line T1, a second continuous casting device 11 likewise configured for the purpose of casting strand material having a thickness in the range of 200 to 250 mm continuously, and a second separating device 12. It is also possible for the second separating device 12 to be in the form of a swing shear or a strand material combustor. As can be seen from the difference, it is also possible for the second roller table 6.2 to be covered in a section-wise manner by a number of active or passive insulating hoods 22.

[0050] The thick slabs produced in this line are on the one hand intermediately stored and cooled in a slab store 13 arranged immediately after the second separator 12. Furthermore, it is possible for the individual thick slabs to be intermediately stored in a heat retention pit 14 with less temperature loss.

[0051] As can be seen from the illustration in Fig. 3, the plant 1 in this embodiment variant additionally comprises a thick slab insertion device 15, which is configured as a gas-operated transport and heating device, which is arranged between the electric heater 7 for direct heat insertion and the rough rolling line 8 and transversely to the transport direction.

[0052] In addition to the thick slab insertion device 15, the installation 1 is equipped with two electric thick slab preheaters 16.1, 16.2, which are pre-connected to the thick slab insertion device 15 on the entry side. Both of these preheaters 16.1, 16.2 are likewise designed as longitudinal field inductors or inductor combinations, so that via these preheaters the roughly rolled flat rolled product can be heated all over.

[0053] In both Figures 4 and 5 two alternative embodiment variants of the installation 1 according to the invention are shown. In the embodiment variant illustrated in Figure 4, the installation 1 comprises a series of two electric heaters 7, 17, which are arranged in the transport direction between the slab store 13 and the roughing line 8. By contrast to this, in the embodiment variant according to Fig. 5, a series of three electric heaters 7, 17, 18 is arranged between the slab store 13 and the roughing line 8. Furthermore, the embodiment variant shown in Fig. 5 comprises electric heaters 16.1, 16.2 arranged in the second transport line T2. This multiplicity of heaters 7, 16.1, 16.2, 17, 18 makes it possible in particular to carry out an individual and power-related design specification and operation of these heaters without power losses or over-dimensioned design specifications.

[0054] All heaters 7, 10, 16.1, 16.2, 17, 18 of these embodiments are only diagrammatically illustrated and generally comprise a number of individual inductors which can be passed through in sequence. Individual connection and disconnection as well as individual power adjustment allows for very precise adjustment of the desired, e.g. required, temperature rise. Alongside inductors which are configured exclusively as longitudinal field inductors, there are likewise combination trains which can be passed through in sequence, consisting of longitudinal field inductors and transverse field inductors.

[0055] In a variant of the embodiment according to Fig. 1, further thick slabs can additionally be charged into the first transport line T1 by means of the thick slab insertion device 15, and at a position which is arranged upstream or downstream of the electric heater 7 for direct heat insertion. The fully or partially cooled thick slabs are then charged from the slab store 13 into the thick slab insertion device 15 and simultaneously heated to the hot rolling temperature and transported.

[0056] In a variant of the embodiment according to Fig. 2, further thick slabs can likewise be charged into the first transport line T1 by means of the thick slab charger 15, at a location which is arranged upstream of the electric heater 7 for direct heat charge. The fully or partially cooled thick slabs are then charged into the thick slab charger 15 from the slab store 13 or alternatively from the heat retention pit 14, and are simultaneously heated to the hot rolling temperature and transported.

[0057] The arrangement and number of the thick slab insertion devices 15 can be variably configured accordingly. In known constructional modes, it is possible for the thick slab insertion devices 15 to be electrically and / or gas-operated continuous furnaces and / or walking beam furnaces. Alternatively, a heater associated with the thick slab insertion device 15 can preheat the thick slabs to a somewhat elevated temperature, and the transport itself then takes place without active heat input, preferably via a thermally insulated transport path or walking beam.

[0058] Before this thick slab is then fed to the rolling process via the first roller table 6.1, the thick slab, which has been intermediately stored and cooled in the slab storage section 13 or the thick slab, which has been intermediately stored at 200 to 800°C in the heat retention pit 14 and only slightly cooled, can be heated to the hot rolling temperature via the thick slab feeder 15.

[0059] 6 shows an embodiment variant of the roughing line 8, which in the transport direction comprises a swaging device 19 and at least one first and preferably a second roughing stand 20, 21, each having a horizontal roll stand and preferably a vertical roll stand. In order to keep the energy and / or temperature losses of the thick slabs or the roughly rolled flat products in the roughing line 8 to a minimum, a series of insulating hoods 22 are also provided. In addition, the present application relates to the invention described in the claims, but may also include the following as other aspects. 1. Installations (1) for the production of flat rolled products consisting of thick cast steel slabs and / or non-ferrous metal slabs, comprising: i) comprising at least one continuous casting device (3) by means of which flat strand material having a thickness of at least 160 mm can be cast continuously; ii) comprising a separating device (4) arranged downstream of at least one of said continuous casting devices (3), by means of which said flat strand material can be separated into individual thick slabs; iii) a hot rolling mill (5) through which the thick slabs can be rolled into the flat rolled products; the hot rolling mill (5) comprises a roughing line (8) and a finishing line (9), each having at least one rolling stand, and is arranged in a common transport line (T1) with at least one of the continuous casting apparatuses (3); iv) at least one thick slab insertion device (15) arranged transversely to said transport line (T1) and positioned between said separating device (4) and said hot rolling mill (5); and v) at least one electric heater (7) for direct heat injection, arranged upstream of the hot rolling mill (5) in the transport direction, in particular upstream of the roughing line (8) in the transport direction, via said heater at least the thick slabs coming from the continuous casting apparatus (3) arranged in a common transport line can be heated all over to the rolling temperature, An equipment (1). 2. The installation (1) according to claim 1, further comprising at least one electric rough strip heater (10) arranged upstream of the finishing rolling line (9) in the transport direction. 3. The plant (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of the thick slab insertion devices (15) is configured as a transport and heating device, via which transported and / or intermediately stored thick slabs can be heated to the hot rolling temperature. 4. The installation (1) described in claim 3, characterized in that at least one of the thick slab insertion devices (15) is arranged between the electric heater (7) for direct heat insertion and the rough rolling line (8). 5. Installation (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one thick slab insertion device (15), advantageously configured as a transport and heating device, is upstream of at least one electric thick slab preheater (16.1, 16.2) on the inlet side. 6. Installation (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at least one thick slab insertion device (15), advantageously configured as a transport and heating device, is downstream of at least one electrical complementary thick slab heater (17) on the exit side. 7. The installation (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that at least one electrical complementary thick slab heater (17) is arranged between at least one thick slab insertion device (15) and the rough rolling line (8). 8. Installation (1) according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising at least one further thick slab heater (18) which is complementary to the electric thick slab heater, which is advantageously connected upstream to the electric thick slab heater (17). 9. The system further comprises a control device (S) having an associated calculation unit (B), the control device (S) being The plant (1) is adapted for controlling and / or regulating the plant (1) based on minimized energy consumption and / or maximized throughput and / or based on product characteristics and / or product dimensions, 9. The equipment (1) according to any one of 1 to 8 above, 10. Installation (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the roughing line (8) comprises, in the transport direction, at least one upsetting device (19) and at least one first and preferably second roughing stand (20, 21). 11. Installation (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the upsetting device (19) comprises at least one slab upsetting press and possibly at least one, advantageously several upsetting machines. 12. Advantageously, using the installation (1) according to any one of the above items 1 to 11, 1. A method for the manufacture of flat rolled products consisting of thick cast steel and / or non-ferrous metal slabs, comprising the method steps: i) Continuous casting of flat strand material having a thickness of at least 160 mm; The flat strand material is subsequently separated into the individual thick slabs; iia) when the thick slabs come from a continuous casting apparatus (3) arranged in a common transport line (T1), Heating the thick slab to a temperature of at least 1000° C. using an electric heater (7) for direct heat insertion; and iib) when the thick slab is transported laterally from the second transport line (T2) into the first transport line (T1), heating the thick slab to a temperature of at least 1000° C. using at least one additional heater (16.1, 16.2) and / or a thick slab insertion device (15); iii) hot rolling the heated thick slab to a hot rolling temperature into the flat rolled product, by which the thick slab is first rough rolled and subsequently finish rolled. 23. A method comprising the steps of: 13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the thick slab having a temperature of at least 500°C is fed to an electric heater for direct heat input. 14. The rough rolled flat rolled product is subjected to a finishing process before the rough rolled flat rolled product is finish rolled into a flat rolled product. 14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the heating is performed using an electric rough strip heater (10) to a temperature of at least 950°C. 15. The steps ii) and / or iii) are carried out by using a control device (S): 15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the method is controlled so that a minimum energy consumption and / or a maximum throughput and / or a product characteristic and / or a product size calculated by the calculation unit (B) is achieved. 16. For heating thick slabs having a thickness of at least 160 mm to hot rolling temperatures; Use of at least one electric heater (7) for direct heat injection, arranged upstream of the hot rolling mill (5) in the transport direction (T1). [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 equipment 3 (First) Continuous Casting Equipment 4 (First) Separation Device 5. Hot Rolling Mill 6.1 First Roller Table 6.2 Second Roller Table 7 Heater for direct heat insertion 8 Rough rolling line 9 Finishing Rolling Line 10 Coarse Strip Heater 11 (Second) continuous casting equipment 12 Second Separation Device 13 Slab Storage Section 14 Heat retention pit 15 Thick slab insertion device 16.1 Preheater 16.2 Preheater 17 Supplemental (Post-heat) Heater 18 Supplemental (Post-heat) Heater 19 Upsetting device 20 (First) Roughing Stand 21 (2nd) Roughing Stand 22 Insulated hood T(1) First transport line T(2) Second Transportation Line S Control Device B. Computing Unit

Claims

1. 1. An installation (1) for the production of flat rolled products consisting of thick cast steel slabs and / or non-ferrous metal slabs, the installation comprising: i) comprising at least one continuous casting device (3) by means of which flat strand material having a thickness of at least 160 mm can be cast continuously; ii) comprising a separating device (4) arranged downstream of at least one of said continuous casting devices (3), by means of which said flat strand material can be separated into individual thick slabs; iii) a hot rolling mill (5) through which said thick slabs can be rolled into said flat rolled products; the hot rolling mill (5) comprises a roughing line (8) and a finishing rolling line (9), each having at least one rolling stand, and is arranged in a common transport line (T1) with at least one of the continuous casting devices (3); iv) at least one thick slab insertion device (15) arranged transversely to said transport line (T1) and positioned between said separation device (4) and said hot rolling mill (5); and v) at least one electric heater (7) for direct heat injection, arranged upstream of the hot rolling mill (5) in the transport direction, in particular upstream of the roughing line (8) in the transport direction, via said heater at least the thick slabs coming from the continuous casting devices (3) arranged in a common transport line can be heated all over to the rolling temperature, 1. An apparatus (1).

2. 2. The installation (1) according to claim 1, further comprising at least one electric rough strip heater (10) arranged upstream of the finishing rolling line (9) in the transport direction.

3. 3. The plant (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of the thick slab insertion devices (15) is configured as a transport and heating device, via which transported and / or intermediately stored thick slabs can be heated to the hot rolling temperature.

4. 4. The installation (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one thick slab insertion device (15) is arranged between the electric heater (7) for direct heat insertion and the roughing line (8).

5. 5. The plant (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one thick slab feeder (15), preferably configured as a transport and heating device, is connected upstream on the inlet side with at least one electric thick slab preheater (16.1, 16.2).

6. 6. The plant (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one thick slab feeder (15), preferably configured as a transport and heating device, is downstream of at least one electric supplementary thick slab heater (17) on the exit side.

7. 7. The installation (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that at least one electrical supplementary thick slab heater (17) is arranged between at least one thick slab insertion device (15) and the rough rolling line (8).

8. 8. The installation (1) according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising at least one further thick slab heater (18) which is electrically complementary, and which is preferably connected in front of the electric thick slab heater (17).

9. Furthermore, the system comprises a control device (S) having an associated computing unit (B), the control device (S) being the installation (1) is adapted for controlling and / or regulating on the basis of minimized energy consumption and / or maximized throughput and / or on the basis of product characteristics and / or product dimensions, Installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

10. 10. The installation (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the roughing line (8) comprises, in the transport direction, at least one upsetting device (19) and at least one first, preferably second roughing stand (20, 21).

11. 11. Plant (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the upsetting device (19) comprises at least one slab upsetting press and possibly at least one, advantageously several upsetting machines.

12. Advantageously, with the aid of an installation (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, 1. A method for the production of flat rolled products consisting of thick cast steel and / or non-ferrous metal slabs, comprising the method steps: i) Continuous casting of flat strand material having a thickness of at least 160 mm; The flat strand material is subsequently separated into the individual thick slabs; iia) when the thick slabs come from a continuous casting machine (3) arranged in a common transport line (T1), Heating the thick slab to a temperature of at least 1000° C. using an electric heater (7) for direct heat insertion; and iib) when said thick slab is transported laterally from the second transport line (T2) into the first said transport line (T1), heating the thick slab to a temperature of at least 1000° C. using at least one additional heater (16.1, 16.2) and / or a thick slab insertion device (15); iii) hot rolling the heated thick slab to a hot rolling temperature into the flat rolled product, by firstly rough rolling the thick slab and subsequently finish rolling the thick slab; 23. A method comprising the steps of:

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the thick slab having a temperature of at least 500° C. is fed to an electric heater for direct heat input.

14. The rough rolled flat rolled product is then subjected to a finish rolling process before the rough rolled flat rolled product is finish rolled into a flat rolled product.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that heating is performed using electric rough strip heaters (10) to a temperature of at least 950°C.

15. The steps ii) and / or iii) are carried out by using a control device (S):

15. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the minimum energy consumption and / or the maximum throughput and / or the product characteristics and / or product dimensions calculated by the calculation unit (B) are achieved.

16. For heating thick slabs having a thickness of at least 160 mm to hot rolling temperatures, Use of at least one electric heater (7) for direct heat injection, arranged upstream of the hot rolling mill (5) in the transport direction (T1).

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