Roller Hearth Furnace Buffering for Thin Slab Transport Faults
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Solution Overview
Problem
Continuous thin slab production plants face challenges in maintaining optimal temperature levels throughout the process, especially during accidents that cause interruptions in slab transportation, leading to inefficient handling and storage of slabs.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a production plant design that includes four strategically positioned slab or strip cutting devices, along with a furnace ferry system and associated roller table and stack-forming device, allows for the buffering of slabs within the roller hearth furnace during transportation interruptions, enabling efficient cutting and storage of slab sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If continuous operation mode is used to maintain high productivity, then production efficiency is improved, but temperature control stability deteriorates during accidents causing slab overheating
Solution Approach 1:
The rolling mill is divided into multiple stand groups (first stand group, second stand group, third stand group) with independent heating devices between them. This segmentation allows different sections to be controlled independently, enabling the furnace to serve as a buffer zone during accidents while maintaining continuous production in other sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The furnace acts as an intermediary buffer between the continuous casting machine and the rolling mill. During accidents, slabs can be stored in the furnace while cutting devices (first, second, and third slab cutting devices) separate the slab flow, allowing the furnace to decouple the upstream casting process from the downstream rolling process and prevent overheating.
2Reliability
If multiple slab cutting devices are installed to provide buffer capacity during accidents, then temperature control reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The furnace serves multiple functions: it acts as a heating furnace for normal operation, a buffer storage zone during accidents, and a decoupling element between casting and rolling. The cutting devices are integrated into the existing production line structure, with each cutting device serving both normal production and emergency buffer functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting devices are pre-positioned at strategic locations (before the furnace, at the furnace outlet, and between stand groups) so that they can immediately activate during accidents. The furnace is pre-configured with sufficient capacity to hold slabs during emergency situations, and the heating devices are pre-arranged to maintain temperature control throughout the process.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the furnace is used as a buffer during transportation standstill, then slab overheating is prevented, but the rigid connection between casting machine and rolling mill causes operational inflexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between continuous operation mode (with rigid connection) and emergency buffer mode (with decoupled operation). During normal operation, slabs flow continuously from casting to rolling. During accidents, the cutting devices activate to create temporary separation, allowing the furnace to function as a dynamic buffer that adapts to the emergency condition while maintaining overall production continuity.
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 provides a buffer capacity within the production plant, allowing for the safe and efficient handling of slabs during accidents, preventing slab overheating and enabling continuous operation by allowing cut-off pieces to be removed and stored effectively.
Implementation Method 1
the rolling mill has a first stand group, a second stand group, and a heating device, in particular an induction heating device provided between the first and second stand groups
Implementation Method 2
the second slab or strip cutting device is formed as a flame cutting device, and wherein in an outlet region of the roller hearth furnace, preferably in an elongate section of the roller hearth furnace having a length corresponding to a longitudinal extent of the furnace ferry, a third slab or strip cutting device formed as a flame cutting device, is provided
Data Source
AI summary
In the case of a production plant which comprises in series a thin-slab continuous casting plant (1), which is arranged upstream of a roller hearth furnace (2), the roller hearth furnace (2) and a rolling mill (3), which is arranged downstream of the roller hearth furnace (2) and has an assigned reeling plant (21), wherein the continuous casting plant (1) and the rolling mill (3) can be operated in a continuous operating mode, the intention is to provide a solution that allows a slab buffer capacity to be provided for a continuously operated thin slab continuous casting plant when there is a fault causing a standstill in the transport of the slab or strip. This is achieved by the production plant having four slab or strip cutting devices (10, 14, 17, 24), which are arranged upstream and downstream of the roller hearth furnace (2), in a section along the length of the roller hearth furnace (2) and on the outlet side of a first separate roll line (12) of the rolling mill (3).