Journal of University of Science and TechnologyBeijing

Volume 14, Number 1, February 2007, Page 27

Metallurgy

Improvement of fuel consumption and maintenance of heating furnaces

using a modified heating pattern
Hsun-Heng Tsai')and Shiuh-Ming Chang2)
1) Department of Biomechatronics Engineering, Pintung University of Science and Technology, China Taipei

2) Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, Kao Yuan University, China Taipei
(Received 2006-03-05)

Abstract: This article studies the transient heat conduction in a slab when passing through various sections of the furnace, and focuses
on the thickness of the scale layer formed on the slab. The transient heat conduction behavior of a slab in various sections of the heating
furnace is analyzed using the Laplace transformation method, including the pre-heating zone, the first heating zone, the second heating
zone, and the soaking zone. The heating pattern of the furnace is then modified to reduce fuel consumption. The simulation results
show that the scale layer formed on the slab significantly influences the quality of the hot rolled coil formed, and how the furnace parameters affect the efficiency of the furnace and the quality of the coil.

Key words: heating furnace; heat conduction; preheating zone; heating zone; soaking zone; Laplace transformation

1. Introduction
The control model for the heating pattern of a furnace is similar to that applied to an IC package stuck with
silver-filled epoxy on the lead frame and then cured
and molded in a thermal shock- and moisture-free
environment in an oven. In the furnace, the heating
pattern is regulated in accordance with the slab dimensions and its macro alloy components importing country, for example, Baoshan, Anshan, Chongqing, Panzhihua, Tianjin, Wuhan, Benxi, ASCO, TAGIL, ISPAT,
CST, TATA, and POSCO. Because of the presence of
different macro alloy components in different slabs, the
rolling force, bending force and reduction ratio must be
modified during the rough and finished milling operations even if the steel grade is the same. The discharge
temperature in the furnace is affected by the uniformity
of the burner flame front, the frequency at which the
discharge door is opened and closed, and the number of
scales that fall from the rolled slab and accumulate on
the furnace floor as the slab passes along the walking
beam. The target temperature in the furnace is sensitive
both to the heating pattern and the thickness of the scale
layer on the slab. The quality of the hot rolled coil is
adversely affected by the presence of the scale layer on
the slab. For example, scale defects result in a poor surface following the pickling and pre-painting of the galvanized steel coil. Therefore, avoiding primary scale,
secondary scale, drag scale, and tertiary scale is a
highly important objective when designing the heating
Corresponding author: Hsun-Heng Tsai, E-mail: heng@mail.npust.edu.tw

control model for a furnace.

This article discusses and analyzes the transient heat
conduction in a slab when passing through various sections of the furnace, and focuses particularly on the
thickness of the scale layer formed on the slab. Using
the Laplace transformation method [ 1-31, the slab temperature is simulated as the slab passes from the entrance of the preheating zone to the exit of the soaking
zone, and the standard retention time at each region of
the furnace is established for slabs of different specifications. A recent study [4]used numerical and experimental approaches to investigate the energy consumption and performance of reheating furnaces in a hot
strip mill. The main function of the hot strip mill is to
roll slabs into hot rolled coils at high temperature [ 5 ] .
In a hot strip mill, when the slabs are rolled in roughing
and finishing stands, and when the strips are run on
run-out tables [6] or coiled in down-coilers, the temperature control of the slabs and strips plays a vital role
in determining the quality of the finished coil. In other
words, the success of the rolling process depends
strongly on the temperature distribution in the slabs.

2. Theoretical mathematical model

In a reheating furnace, modeling the heat loss from
the discharge door is highly complicated. Accordingly,
the present study simplifies the analysis of the transient
heat conduction in the slab by neglecting this heat loss.
As the heating pattern in the slab is symmetrical along
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J. Univ. Sci. Technol. Beiing, VoLl4, No.1, Feb 2007

28

the longitudinal direction of the slab, the heat transfer

system can be analyzed as a one-dimensional system
extending along the thick section of the slab. As the
slab travels through the furnace, scale layers are
formed on its upper and lower surfaces. Therefore, the
thermal resistance of the scale must be taken into consideration.

where

Fig. 1 shows the node numbering system applied to

the thickness dimension of the slab. The heat conduction governing equation in the slab is given as follows:

mal conductive property of the lower scale layer.

4cg is the absorption factor,

Fsw is the view factor,

8,,, is the skid beam temperature, and k 2 is the ther(b) y=t+tl+t2.

9 = 4.884cg(8,4,temp- 8 n a4+ + n b + n , - 2 )

where p is the density of the slab, c is the specific heat

of steel, k is the thermal conductive property,
8 = (T + 273) / T I is the dimensionless temperature,
T, = 100, y(max) = I = t + t , + t 2 . Note that the node

(4)

The following equation can be derived in the same

way as mentioned above:

numbers n,, nb,and n, correspond to t2, t, and t , respectively, where t , is the thickness of the upper scale layer,
r is the thickness of the slab, and t2 is the thickness of
the lower scale layer.
where k , is the thermal conductive property of the upper scale layer.
Define the following initial condition,

(5)

T(O, Y ) = To

from Laplace transformation,

8(0,y ) = 80 =

To + 273
~

TI

, T,=100.

From Laplace transformation, Eq. (1) can be transformed to

UJ-3

Fig. 1. Node numbering of the slab.

This study was performed in cooperation with the

Process Control Division of the Production Department
of the Hot Strip Mill at Yieh Loong Enterprise Co. Ltd.
in China Taibei. Therefore, the boundary conditions
imposed are defined in accordance with the geometry
of the furnace (SUMITOMO) in this particular enterprise.

Define

Aya =-

t2

n, -1

nb -1

and

AyC =-. tl

n, -1

Using the finite difference method, Eq. (6) can be

written in the following matrix form:

=PI

Boundary conditions:

[Al[q

(a) Y =o-

where [A] is an (nxn)matrix,

4 = 4.884cg [Fsw~Powternp
+ (1 - F s w )B;Jkid - 8PI

Ah=-

(7)

[e] is an (nxl)matrix,

(2)

[B] is an (nxl) forcing matrix.

(3)

The dimensionless temperature can be derived from

Eq. (7) and then transformed into the corresponding
physical quantity to simulate the transient heat conduction in a slab for different heating patterns in the

H.H. Tsai et aL, Improvement of fuel consumption and maintenance of heating furnaces...
reheating furnace.

3. Characteristics of the actual reheating

furnace
Fig. 2 presents a schematic illustration of the reheating furnace in the hot strip mill considered in the
present study.
Furnace pulpi(Electnc

rood

Reject table

Discharge table roller

I...__._.
wne
I I zone
I
. ....__.__.
No 2
Heating

...we- -. .
No I
Heating

zone
..
......

No 2
Heating

.. m e . .

..

No 1
Heating
wne
..___.....

-Preheating
zone

Preheating
wne

no

no

0
0

-0

Charge table roller

un
Charger

Charger

1>(1 /

Fig. 2. Schematic layout of the reheating furnace.

4. Results and discussion

In addition to decreasing the percentage of cobbles,
the major methods applied to enhance the production
yield of hot rolled coil include controlling the heating
pattern in the furnace and reducing the amount of
scales, which oxidizes on the surface of the slab and
then falls onto the floor of the reheating furnace. Three
types of scales have been identified [7], namely wustite
(FeO), magnetite (Fe,O,), and hematite (Fe203).
Wustite (FeO) is the innermost phase, that is adjacent to the metal, and therefore has the lowest oxygen
content. Below 570C (1058"F), wustite is not stable.
However, its content in the scale increases with increasing temperature and occupies approximately 95%
of the scale layer when the steel temperature is above
700C (1292F). Compared to the other scale phases
and the steel itself, the wustite phase has a relatively
low melting point, that is from 1370 to 1425C (24982597F). Melting of the wustite layer ("washing") accelerates the scaling rate and increases the grain
boundary penetration. This not only reduces the surface
quality, but also increases the fuel consumption of the
furnace and reduces the yield. Magnetite (Fe30,) is the
intermediate scale phase. When the steel temperature is
less than 500C (932"F), the scale layer contains only
magnetite. However, as the temperature increases to

29

approximately 700C ( 1292"F), wustite formation

takes place at the expense of the magnetite phase and at
elevated temperatures, magnetite occupies only 4% of
the total scale layer. Magnetite is harder and more abrasive than wustite. Hematite (Fe,O,) is the outer phase
of the scale layer. Hematite is formed at temperatures
above 800C (1472F) and occupies approximately 1%
of the total scale layer at elevated temperatures. As
with the magnetite phase, hematite is hard and abrasive.
This diffusion process is described by the general
relationship, which is exponential with temperature
and parabolic with time [12], i.e.

M=up exp[-b/( T+460)](l/h+ l/w+ 1/L)

(8)

where h is the slab thickness, inch; w is the slab width,

inch; L is the slab length, inch; M is the weight of scale
loss per unit of slab weight, t/t; t is the scaling time; T is
the slab temperature, OF; p is the slab density, lb/inch3;
a and b are the constants depending on the type of steel
and furnace atmosphere.

For steel slabs with 0.3wt% C residing in the furnace

with 100% combustible air, constants u and b have values of 3 1.7 and 22.8 respectively [ 131. Clearly, the slab
temperature is strongly dependent on the scaling rate.
As shown in Fig. 3, when the temperature is greater
than 700C (1292"F), the temperature at the center of
the slab depends on the scale thickness. The major reason for this is the fast growth rate of the wustite (FeO)
phase. A thick layer of scales tends to prevent heat
transfer from the slab. Consequently, the internal temperature of a slab with a thicker scale layer is lower
than that of a slab with a thinner scale layer. From Eq.
(8), if a slab has a higher temperature (e.g., T=24OO0F)
as a result of a thicker scale layer and the scaling time is
6 h, the scale loss is approximately 1.8 lb steevf?. In
other words, the yield of the hot rolled coil is significantly reduced. Therefore, it is necessary to control the
heating pattern to optimize the production rate and
minimize the maintenance requirements of the hot strip
mill. At the Hot Strip Mill of Yieh Loong Enterprise Co.
Ltd., the maintenance time is determined by technicians in the Process Control Division and by individuals in the furnace's Level I division. These individuals
generally establish suitable furnace parameter settings
and an appropriate burner temperature each month
following an assessment of the current furnace conditions.
Fig. 3 shows the temperature distribution for different scale layer thicknesses. If the scale phase continues
to grow on the surface of the slab, it will eventually fall
off and accumulate at the front of the burner as the slab

J. Univ. Sci. TechnoL Beiing, VoL14,No.1, Feb 2007

30

is moved along the walking beam causing a back fire

effect. This phenomenon is clearly shown in Fig. 4.If
the furnace and rolling operations are not performed
correctly, the retention time of the slab will increase.
This causes the amount of scale to increase rapidly and
triggers the requirement for furnace maintenance. In
the present study, the temperature distribution in the
slab is obtained for various furnace situations using the
heat conduction formula established for the slab. On
the basis of this information,the operator can adjust the
parameters of the furnace model and control the furnace temperature so as to reduce the scale growth rate and
thereby extend the life of the furnace.

the other is rolling the infinite size slab after rolling the
thinner slab. Both these methods improve the surface
of the working roll and remove or reduce the percentage of cobbles.
1200 I

a-

e
L

Slab thickness=250 mm

L2

LUu

-Slab thickness=200 mm

O:

1;

23

i 4 45 ;6
Time I min

67

78 89

Fig. 5. Temperature at the center of slabs with different

thicknesses.

Y
OOv

~ca1e=0.02 m

2b

6b

40
Time / min

80

I
100

Fig 3. Temperature at the center of slabs with different scale

layer thicknesses.

The heat transfer coefficient in a reheating furnace

depends on the overall condition of the furnace. As
scale and refractory materials accumulate under the
walking and fixed beams of the furnace, furnace maintenance involves adjusting the heat transfer coefficient
in accordance with the temperature data acquired from
the thermal couples inserted in the slab as it passes
through the furnace. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the heat
transfer coefficient and emission factor can be reset
using the data collected from these data loggers, to
calibrate the hierarchical data of the furnace model
such that the actual and simulated conditions coincide
with the greatest degree possible. The track of the data
procedure is to check the path of slab flow.
1250

a-,

1000
*

750
500

2
Fig. 4. Scale accumulation blocking the entrance of the
burner.

Purchased slabs generally have a thickness of 200 or

250 111111. To reduce the energy consumption of the furnace burner, the operator should endeavor to control
the discharging temperature such that it coincides with
the rolling temperature. Fig. 5 shows the temperature
distribution of slabs for different thicknesses. Clearly,
in a slab of greater thickness, the heat is transferred more slowly than in a slab of lower thickness. Therefore,
at the same coffin schedule, if a slab of 250 mm in
thickness is rolled directly after a slab of 200 mm in
thickness, the discharging temperature of the thicker
slab is generally 10-20C lower than the rolling temperature, and this can result in the formation of cobbles.
In a hot strip mill, two methods can be used to avoid
this situation, one is changing the size of the slab and

250

8
2

20 39 58 77 96 115 134 153 172 19

Retention time of slab I min

Fig. 6. Temperature data from different thermal couples.

, >

ti

%;

1250

:1000

2 % 750

-0

5b

-zQ
u

500
250
0

Moving distance of slab in furnace I m

Fig. 7. Average temperature of the slab in different zones.

To achieve the discharge temperature calculated by

the furnaces LEVEL I1 model, the initial heat transfer
coefficients must be corrected or calibrated by per-

31

H.H.Tsui ef aL, Improvement of fuel consumption and maintenance of heating furnaces...

forming furnace maintenance once every six months. If

a calibration error occurs in the heat transfer coefficients, the incorrect temperature compensation applied
to the torch or burner may cause cobbles or head bite
failure. Furthermore, an incorrect temperature compensation will increase the energy consumption of the furnace and will lead to excessive scale formation. As a
result the required maintenance interval is reduced and
more sub-grade hot rolled coil will be produced, leading to an increase in customer complaints.
The view factor is determined by the geometry of the
furnace where these factors of fixed and walking beams
are constants. Generally, increasing the efficiency of
the furnace depends on obtaining a low shadow effect
when the view factor is high. In other words, the target
view factor is set such that the shadow effect is reduced
and the energy efficiency of the burner correspondingly is increased. This study analyzes the different
view factors for controlling the slab temperature, to reduce the shadow effect and extent of refractory peeling
so that the operator can promote the target percentage
of the discharging temperature and reduce accidents.
Fig. 8 shows the heating pattern associated with different view factors. It is clear that heat is transferred
more rapidly to the slab by a burner with a high-view
factor and a low-shadow effect. Undeformed geometry
of the walking and fixed beams causes a low shadow
effect and better heat transfer in the furnace, therefore
the temperature of the slab increases rapidly. If the operator successfully achieves the target discharging
temperature, heat loss will be reduced and energy will
be saved in the furnace. However, as the shadow effect
increases, the energy efficiency reduces and an uneven
temperature distribution is generated on the upperAower surfaces of the slab. This phenomenon
causes an unstable rolling force and bending force in
the finishing mill. Furthermore, it may cause cobbles at
the bad angles of the lopper on rolling. Cobbles always
scratch the surface of the work roll and may even dent
the roll. Therefore, the quality of the finished hot rolled
coil is highly dependent on the skill of the operator.
Although the view factor is fixed in the final design of
the reheating furnace, technical individuals from the
Level I1 division of the studied enterprise can adjust the
view factor or reduce the emission factor to a small
value so as to obtain the calculated discharging temperature when scale formation is excessive or when the
heat loss from the lower surface of slab increases unacceptably.
Fig. 9 shows the heating pattern at the center of the
slab. The heating time in each zone of the furnace depends on the zone length. The heavy oil consumption

of the present furnace that was designed in 1999, is

shown in Fig. 10. In the present furnace, the length of
the preheating zone, the No.1 heating zone, the No.2
heating zone and the soaking zone are 21,21-30,31-42
and 42-52 m, respectively. If the total retention time is
180 min, the retention periods of time in these respective zones are 4096, 17%, 23%, and 20% of 180 min
respectively. The operator can control the heating pattern of the furnace to ensure that the actual discharging
temperature meets the target temperature. The following is the data loggers systems of furnace, that is (a) the
slab data control program, (b) the standard heating
model program, (c) the optimum furnace temperature
control program, (d) the distance from exit calculation
program, (e) the proper feedback program, (f) the delay
program, and (g) the OFF LINE simulated program..
1200
1000
800
600
E 400
g 200

.
v

--

F=0.2
pO.6

F4.4

20

40

60

80

100

Time I min
Fig. 8. Temperature of the center of the slab for different
view factors.
1200

p 1000

O:

2'1

41

6'1

8'1

101 1il l i l 161

'

Time I min
Fig. 9. Actual temperature at the center of the slab.

.
C
0

4000
14

2500i

i 4 i B 3

4 Ib

1'1 1;

Month
Fig. 10. Heavy oil consumption in 1999. Heavy oil capacity:
9.3 McaVL; LNG capacity: 9.723 McaVNm3.

5. Conclusions
Transient heat conduction was analyzed in a slab in a
reheating furnace using the Laplace transformation
method. The results show that a layer of scale formed

32

on the slab significantly influences the quality of the

hot rolled coil formed by rolling in rough and finish
mills. Generally speaking, a thick scale layer causes
scale defects in the hot rolled coil. The parameters of
the furnace, including the view factor, the emission
factor, the furnace temperature, and the retention time
have been discussed. It shows that these parameters
affect the energy efficiency of the reheating furnace
and the quality of the hot coil. Therefore, these
parameters should be adjusted to reduce scale formation in the heating section of the furnace and to improve
the production yield. Achieving a scaling rate of less
than 1% is possible by modifying the heating pattern,
retention time, and coffin schedule. Thereby, the quality of the hot rolled coil can be improved, the life of the
furnace extended, and the required maintenance time
reduced.
In a future study, the current authors intend to develop a control model to reduce the temperature difference
between the actual discharging temperature and the
target temperature to less than 15-20C and to reduce
cobble failures to less than 0.2%. By using the hybrid
Laplace transformation to improve the heating pattern
of the furnace, the total energy consumption of the furnace can be reduced and the maintenance requirements
are also lessened, because of a more uniform energy
consumption in the furnace and a reduced amount of
scale falling from the slab into the furnace.

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