Side Spray Cooling Layout for Uniform Hot Strip Water Removal

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current side spray methods for cooling steel strips after hot rolling suffer from intense collisions between high-pressure side spray water and residual water, leading to significant splash, uneven cooling, and adverse effects on electrical equipment and the environment, with existing solutions either being ineffective or overly complex.

Innovation Solution

A guided water-jet side spray method using staggered side spray devices with overlapping nozzle coverage and adjustable nozzles, combined with a side spray water collecting device featuring anti-collision design and drainage system, to minimize splash and ensure uniform cooling across varying steel strip widths.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If high-pressure side spray water is used to remove residual water from the steel strip surface, then the water removal effect is improved, but the collision between spray water and residual water causes significant splash and backflow

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewater removal effectVSAvoidsplash and backflow
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The side spray device is divided into multiple independent spray units (first spray unit, second spray unit, third spray unit, etc.) arranged along the steel strip width direction. Each spray unit has independent nozzles that can be controlled separately, allowing the spray system to segment the water removal task across different zones of the steel strip surface, reducing localized collision intensity and splash.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different spray units are positioned at different locations (front side, rear side, edges) of the steel strip width, with nozzles oriented to spray water at specific angles toward the strip surface. This local differentiation ensures that spray water is applied where residual water needs removal while minimizing collision with high-velocity residual water, thereby reducing splash and backflow in each local zone.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Manufacturing precision

If lateral side spray is used to sweep off residual water, then the cooling uniformity is improved, but the spray water collides violently with residual water causing splash that affects electrical equipment and environment

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling uniformityVSAvoidsplash affecting electrical equipment
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The spray units are arranged in multiple dimensions along the steel strip width direction, with nozzles positioned at different heights and angles. This spatial distribution in multiple dimensions allows the spray water to approach the residual water from different directions, reducing violent head-on collisions and minimizing splash that could affect electrical equipment and the environment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Device complexity

If cylindrical nozzles are used for side spray, then the device structure is simple, but it is difficult to achieve optimal contact point for different steel strip widths resulting in uneven cooling

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenozzle structure simplicityVSAvoidcooling uniformity across different widths
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The spray units are designed to be movable along the steel strip width direction, allowing their positions to be dynamically adjusted according to the actual width of the steel strip being processed. This dynamic adjustability enables the nozzles to maintain optimal contact points and spray angles for different strip widths, ensuring uniform cooling across various product specifications while keeping the nozzle structure itself relatively simple.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Manufacturing precision

If side spray points are positioned close to the edges for wide steel strips, then edge cooling is improved, but narrow steel strips cannot be effectively swept

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveedge cooling effectivenessVSAvoidadaptability to different steel strip widths
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The side spray device is designed with multiple spray units that can collectively serve different functions: some units positioned closer to edges for wide strips to provide edge cooling, while other units can be adjusted to cover the entire width for narrow strips. This multi-functional arrangement allows a single device to adapt to various steel strip widths and cooling requirements, achieving both edge cooling effectiveness and versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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

The solution effectively reduces splash and backflow, enhances cooling uniformity, and protects electrical equipment by using a guided water-jet system and anti-collision design, allowing for efficient water collection and drainage, thereby improving the cooling process.

Implementation Method 1

1 to 2 cylindrical or fan-shaped nozzles are used for lateral spray perpendicular to the longitudinal running direction of the steel strip

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFluid spray: Fluid Spray

Implementation Method 2

The cooling water will form a steam film when it encounters a high-temperature steel plate

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEvaporation: Evaporation

Implementation Method 3

side spray method for cooling after rolling of hot-rolled strip steel

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat transfer: Heat Exchanger

Data Source

PatentEP3778047B1Side spray method for cooling after rolling of hot-rolled strip steel
Publication Date: 2023.01.18 BAOSHAN IRON & STEEL CO LTD
  • EP3778047B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3778047B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3778047B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

A side spray method for cooling the steel strip after hot rolling, comprising the following steps: a) providing side spray devices (30, 30', 30") behind each of cooling sections after hot rolling (20, 20', 20"), the side spray devices being staggered along the two sides of an run out roller table (10), each side spray device comprising at least two spray units, each spray unit comprising spray tubes (2, 2', 2") and nozzles on the tubes, the spray tubes being in parallel and vertically arranged along running direction of the steel strip, the covering ranges of adjacent nozzles are partially overlapped, and a total spray coverage of nozzles covers the width of the entire run out roller table; side spray water collecting devices (40, 40', 40") are provided on the other side of the run out roller table that is opposite to side spray devices, so that side spray water being collected by the water collecting devices; b) controlling the side spray devices in a mode of open-in-pairs, i.e., side spray devices on either side of the run out roller table must be started simultaneously. The side spray method can effectively purge the residual water on the surface of steel strip having different width specifications, improves the cooling uniformity, and reduces splashes as far as possible to avoid adverse effects on the environment and electrical equipment.