Variable-Rate Cooling Bar Layout for Uniform Steel Sheet Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling devices in heavy plate rolling mills and hot strip mills struggle to achieve uniform cooling rates, leading to uneven material cooling and internal stresses, which negatively impact the quality of the final product, as they are limited in their ability to adjust cooling rates and ensure consistent cooling across the material.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device comprising two cooling beams with full jet and full cone nozzles arranged symmetrically, allowing for adjustable cooling rates from low to high, enabling precise control of cooling rates and uniformity by regulating coolant flow and pressure for each nozzle, and utilizing process sensors to optimize cooling based on desired material properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If water nozzle cooling is used to achieve high cooling rates, then cooling rate is improved, but cooling uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two different cooling methods (water nozzle cooling and air fan cooling) into a single integrated cooling device. The water nozzles provide high cooling rates while air fans ensure uniform cooling distribution, resolving the contradiction between achieving high cooling rates and maintaining cooling uniformity
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the cooling device are assigned different cooling functions: water nozzles are positioned to provide intense localized cooling where high cooling rates are needed, while air fans are distributed to ensure uniform cooling across the entire material surface, addressing the uniformity issue
2Manufacturing precision
If air fan cooling is used to achieve uniform cooling, then cooling uniformity is improved, but cooling rate deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of air fan cooling with water nozzle cooling allows the system to achieve both uniform cooling distribution and high cooling rates. The air fans ensure even heat distribution while water nozzles provide the necessary rapid cooling, overcoming the limitation of air cooling alone
Solution Approach 2:
The system can dynamically adjust cooling parameters (water flow rate, air fan speed) to optimize the balance between cooling rate and uniformity. By changing these parameters, the system can adapt to different material thicknesses and cooling requirements while maintaining both uniformity and adequate cooling rate
3Speed
If large water throughput is used in nozzle cooling, then cooling rate is improved, but water consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses hydraulic principles to optimize water delivery through the nozzles, ensuring efficient water utilization. The air fans also contribute to cooling through forced convection, reducing the total water throughput needed while maintaining high cooling rates
Solution Approach 2:
The system can adjust water flow parameters dynamically based on cooling requirements, material thickness, and position. This optimized parameter control reduces water consumption while maintaining the necessary cooling rates through coordinated water and air cooling
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for precise adjustment of cooling rates, ensuring uniform cooling across the material, reducing internal stresses and enhancing the quality of the final product by enabling flexible and efficient control of cooling processes, even in small batch sizes.
Implementation Method 1
air fan cooling (forced convection)
Implementation Method 2
spray nozzle cooling
Implementation Method 3
cooling rates from the lowest to very high values
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
1. A cooling device (28) with a variable cooling rate for treating metal materials, in particular for cooling steel sheets (22) in plate mills, hot strip mills or thermal treatment lines, by means of a spray nozzle cooling system. 1.1 The cooling device consists of at least two cooling bars (16, 16a, 17, 17a), one of each two cooling bars being situated on the lower side and the other on the upper side transversely to the sheet travel direction (21) of the sheet (22) and centrally between two roller table rollers (12, 13, 14), and each cooling bar comprising a spray nozzle cooling system with which a large number of full jet nozzles and a large number of full cone nozzles are associated, the full jet nozzles being arranged symmetrically with respect to the full cone nozzles (20). 2. A method for operating the cooling device according to the invention.