Coolant Actuator Control via Characteristic Maps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling systems in rolling mills are slow and prone to failure under high water pressure conditions, especially during intensive cooling, due to disturbances in pressure and flow control loops, which limits the precision and speed of coolant delivery to metal strips.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using actuators with assigned characteristic maps to control coolant flow and pressure, allowing direct adjustment of coolant flow and pressure to achieve high setting speeds, eliminating the need for flow control circuits and pressure control loops, and utilizing a pump with a characteristics map to adjust rotational speed based on pressure differences, enabling quick and precise coolant delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pressure control loops and flow control circuits are used, then the system can maintain stable pressure and flow, but the control speed becomes slow and the system becomes prone to failure under high water pressure conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical pressure control loops and flow control circuits with a direct electronic control system. The control device directly controls the coolant flow rate based on process parameters without intermediate mechanical control elements, eliminating the slow response inherent in mechanical feedback loops and achieving rapid control response even under high water pressure conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the intermediate pressure control loop and flow control circuit from the control system. By removing these intermediate mechanical control stages, the system achieves direct control from the control device to the coolant delivery, significantly reducing control lag and improving reliability under intensive cooling conditions
2Stress or pressure
If a high tank is used to provide high water pressure, then the water pressure can be maintained, but the operation of intensive cooling and water pump cannot be performed separately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic control of the coolant pump system, allowing the pump to operate at variable speeds and deliver coolant at different pressures and flow rates as needed. This dynamic capability enables the system to switch between intensive cooling operations (high pressure, high flow) and normal operations (lower pressure, lower flow) independently, providing operational flexibility that a static high tank system cannot achieve
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the coolant delivery system by using a controllable pump that can adjust its output pressure and flow rate. This allows the system to adapt to different cooling requirements by varying pump speed and coolant delivery parameters, enabling separate and independent operation of intensive cooling and water pump functions
3Measurement precision
If dynamic flow measurement devices are used, then the flow can be measured precisely, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control device determines coolant flow rate indirectly through calculations based on pump operating parameters (speed, pressure differential) and actuator positions, rather than using direct flow measurement devices. This self-determination approach achieves sufficient flow knowledge for control purposes without adding the complexity and cost of dynamic flow meters, while still enabling precise flow control through the characteristic curves method
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for controlling a cooling process of a material (4) using a coolant. A supply (13) of the coolant to the material (4) is controlled by at least one actuator (6) which can be set to two or more different positions (k). An actuator characteristic curve set (11k) is assigned to the actuator (6), said characteristic curve set specifying a relationship between a coolant stream (w), a pressure (p) of the coolant, and a position (k) of the actuator (6), and a coolant stream (wi) is set, wherein the pressure (pi) of the coolant upstream of the at least one actuator (6), when seen in the flow direction of the coolant, is ascertained; the position (ki) corresponding to the ascertained pressure value (pi) and to a target coolant stream is ascertained from the actuator characteristic curve set (11k); and the actuator (6) is set to the ascertained position (ki).