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Billet heating control fuel-saving solution in the rolling mill furnace

Conference Paper · May 2017

DOI: 10.1109/ICIEAM.2017.8076167

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 2017 International Conference on Industrial Engineering, Applications and Manufacturing (ICIEAM)

Billet Heating Control Fuel-saving Solution in the

Rolling Mill Furnace
Andreev S.M., Parsunkin B.N.
Power Engineering and Automated Systems Institute
Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University
Magnitogorsk, Russia
andreev.asc@gmail.com

Abstract—The heating of billets before rolling is conducted in
the continuous furnace. The billets with different parameters are
simultaneously heated in the furnace. The rolling mill
performance capacity is uneven. This causes a wide range of slab
heating duration. That is why implementation of power saving
heating modes is subject to revision of the control system
structure. The paper shows the demand on the use of separate
subsystems for the following functions: forecast of the heating
time for each billet at the moment of its charging in the furnace;
detection of the billet location while its movement from charging
to the discharging zone; modeling of the heating process for each
billet to evaluate its thermal state; calculation of the optimal
heating path taking into account the forecast heating time. The
main elements of the structure, interrelation between separate
subsystems and main principles of each subsystem operation are
shown in the paper. The calculation of the optimal heating path
for each billet was conducted according to the fuel consumption
minimization criterion.
Keywords—heating furnaces, rolling mill, heating of the billets
before rolling, fuel-saving mode, heating process control
I. INTRODUCTION
Power consumption of the production process of wide strip
rolling mill products from quality and low alloyed steels is the
main part of production cost of the end product [1, 2].
Despite the presence of complete enough theoretical
justification of fuel-saving optimal control modes of metal
heating in continuous furnaces [3-6, 22] the utilization of these
modes hasn’t been yet effectively used [1].
The reason of this situation is in the following
circumstances.
Theoretically justified optimal control mode of metal
heating process in the continuous furnaces taking into account
all the technological and constructive limits with total heating
time slack provides for heating intensification on the finishing
interval [1]. Realization of this condition is prevented by the
presence of the holding zone in the working volume of modern
continuous furnaces which are the last along the path of the
metal. Heating load of these zones is up to 12-15 % of a total
thermal capacity of the furnace. This makes the effective
realization of optimal fuel-saving heating mode very
problematic.
1. In the unsteady regime of the wide-strip hot rolling mill
its performance capacity changes incalculably in the range
from 200 to 1000 t/h [7] and the billets of different size, steel
grade and initial thermal conditions are heated simultaneously.
Such a specific feature of a technological process increases a
probability of the delivery of underheated billet to the mill
when implementing fuel-saving control modes. Thus costs of
an emergency shutdown of a mill will exceed greatly probable
profit from fuel economy in the heating process.
Practical experience of the development and
implementation of fuel-saving control modes in present
conditions shows that effective solution of this problem needs
the implementation of the following measures:
1. Significant advance of dataware of automated system
of fuel-saving heating optimal control [8,9,22].
2. Modification of the current ordinary concept of heating
load distribution between the continuous furnace zones
oriented on the production capacity maximization to the more
perform providing fuel flow minimization [22].
II. MAIN COMPONENTS OF DATAWARE OF THE FUEL-SAVING
HEATING MODE
The advance of the fuel-saving heating control system
structure includes the implementation of the following
elements of the dataware:
1. The use of run-time dynamic model of heat interchange
and optimal control based on the implementation of
Pontryagin's maximum principle for a calculation of fuel-
saving temperature paths of heating parameters and fuel
consumption with the speed of a real heating process of each
billet in the furnace [1, 10, 18].
2. The forecasting of minimal heating time of each billet
to the moment of its charging to the furnace and its consequent
correction during the heating taking into account the time of
scheduled, accidental and undetected outages of wide-strip hot
rolling mill with an error less than 3-4 % of a real time [13,
15].
3. Independent autonomous software and instrumental
based control of a current heat state of each billet before its
discharging from the furnace on the mill with simultaneous
forecast of the desired temperature of strip plate from the billet
after roughing train with a ±20°ɋ error [11].
4. To provide coherence, confidence and especially
operationability of a control of current heat state of heating

978-1-5090-5648-417$31.00 ©2017 IEEE

 2017 International Conference on Industrial Engineering, Applications and Manufacturing (ICIEAM)
metal in the unsteady regime of wide-strip hot rolling mill
furnaces it is necessary to conduct a transition of heat mode
control from temperature of working chamber (heating
medium) control to the metal surface temperature control. This
temperature is measured by means of spectral pyrometer
providing necessary conditions for error reduction [12, 14,
19].
III. THE STRUCTURE OF FUEL-SAVING BILLET HEATING BEFORE
ROLLING CONTROL SYSTEM
The interaction of main parts of control system as a
separate subsystems should provide an effective fuel-saving
control of billet heating, prevent discharging of underheated
billets to the mill and provide stability of transient processes in
the unstable state. Fig. 1 shows a general control system
structure of an optimal fuel-system control of continuous
furnace heat load.
Heating Process
tF(N) tS(N)
determined from an optimal heating path for each furnace zone
and this is a command value for a surface temperature local
controller in the target point of the furnace. Thu value of a real
surface temperature ( t SPV ) counts as a specified rate computed
on the mathematical model of a billet heating or measured with
a surface heat meter.
Control signal UF from a surface temperature controller
affects the gas flow in the furnace zones. Fuel combustion
control system of a real value of gas flow in each zone
determines an optimal air flow in the zone [17] and forms
relevant control signal UA.
In the control system under consideration for each billet
charged into the furnace an optimal heating path is computed
which is implemented through the all length of a furnace when
the billet passes. These computations are based on the
predicted heating time and initial heat state on the basis of the
minimization of power consumption for heating with all the
technological limits maintenance.
IV. COMPUTATION OF AN OPTIMAL HEATING PATH OF THE
BILLET

v S (N) Mathematical representation of a heating process of a

Metal Heating massive slab in a continuous billet-heating furnace is
Tracking System
Simulation tM
conducted as a single-axis control of thermal conductivity with
PV a third type boundary conditions. Analytical determination of
tS an optimal fuel-saving heating mode of this billet with the use
t(0) SP
of Pontryagin's maximum principle is shown in [1, 18].
The calculation fuel- tS UF
Temperature
saving metal heating
t(T) Controller As soon as primary objective of control optimization a
path
metal heating from initial to desired heat state during the time T
Th is a minimization of heating fuel consumption than the aim of
the optimization is the minimization of a following function [1,
UA 20]:
Heating time Fuel Combustion
Forecasting Control T
J = ³U ( IJ ) dIJ → min,
2
(1)
0

Thermal Performance of
Fuel Characteristics
Billets
Fig. 1. Fuel-saving billet heating control before rolling system structure
Metal tracking system uses an information about the
number of steps of walking beam made since the moment of
billet charging into the furnace and tracks the position of each
billet in the furnace. Using the information about furnace zone
temperature from heat meters (tF(N)), metal surface temperature
in different zones (tS(N)) and current billet coordinate position
(S(N)), the algorithm of metal heating simulation conducts a
calculation of heat state (tM(N)) of each out of N billets in the
furnace.
The calculation algorithm of fuel-saving metal heating path
calculates a path of metal surface temperature alteration ( t SSP )
which corresponds to the schedule of billet heating. Optimal
heating path is calculated taking into account initial t(0) and
desired end heat state t(T) of the heated billet and forecasted
heating time Th [16].
The computed value of the surface temperature is
where U(τ)=k·VG(τ) – characteristic control temperature
proportional to the fuel flow, °ɋ; VG(τ) – fuel flow, m3/h; k –
transition factor of the channel “fuel flow – characteristic
control temperature”, (°ɋ⋅h)/m3; τ – current process time
0” τ”T.
The use of the (1) criterion as a quadratic functional
provides an analytical solution of the task in a convenient way
and doesn’t change the physics of the process [20].
Calculated paths of temperature parameters change in
optimal fuel-sawing mode of 250 mm thickness continuous
cast billet heating during 250 min from the initial temperature
state tS(0)=t0(0)=0°C to the finish state tS(T)=t0(T)=1250°C
maintaining the limits of command variable
UMAX(τ)=1500°C, temperature of heating medium
tF(MAX)(τ)=1400°C, surface temperature tS(MAX)(τ)=1300°C and
maximum temperature differential ΔtMAX(τ)=tS(τ)-t0(τ)=200°C
virtual till the approaching of t0(τ)=500°C (before the
transformation of metal into plastic condition). This is shown
on the fig. 2.
 2017 International Conference on Industrial Engineering, Applications and Manufacturing (ICIEAM)
1 2 3 4
1600
U( )
1200
800 tS( )
tF( )
t( )
400
0 of the firebrick lining to the metal surface is k=0.7.
0 50 100 150 200
Heating time, minutes
Fig. 2. Calculated paths of heat parameters in optimal fuel-saving heating mode
with limitations
The areas of limits reaching are numbered as follows: 1 –
heating mode without limits; 2 – mode with ΔtMAX(τ); 3 –
heating mode with UMAX(τ) limit; 4– heating mode with tF(MAX)
limit; 5 – mode with tS(MAX) limits.
It has been theoretically and confirmed by the physical
modeling that limits maintenance leads to the decrease of fuel-
saving control effectiveness.
So when counting as a 100 % calculated value of heat
energy consumed by the heating without any limits than
maintaining of UMAX(τ) limit increases power consumption up
to 120-130 %.
V. THE CONTROL OF THERMAL STATE OF BILLETS BEFORE
DISCHARGING OUT OF A FURNACE
In the unstable mode of a furnace while the implementation
of fuel-saving heating mode it is especially topical and urgent
to provide objective and autonomous control of a current heat
state of each billet before its discharging. Metal heat state
control system in the discharging zone of a furnace provides an
additional objective heating quality control and prevents
discharging of underheated billets.
The implementation of metal heating quality before
discharging control system makes it possible to exclude the
discharging to the mill of the underheated billets and increase
the quality of mill products. Application of relatively reliable
and accurate spectral pyrometers and state-of-the-art PLC
enables the solution of the problem of technical
implementation of heating quality control system.
To solve this problem it is virtually enough to determine
two temperature parameters: heated metal surface temperature
and temperature differential between the surface and the
middle of a heated billet. The essence of a software and
instrumental based control of a current heat state of a billet
before discharging as follows [21].
Heated billet surface temperature is determined basing on
the proportion of two heat flows:
5 – external flow of a heating medium on the metal surface
(qe(τ));
– internal flow from the surface to the middle, i.e. inside the
heated billet (qi(τ)).
Having heat flows qe(τ) and qi(τ) calculated it is possible to
determine a temperature difference between the middle t0(τ)
and the surface tS(τ) of the billet Δt(τ)=tS(τ)-t0(τ) when
stabilizing the temperature of a billet surface in the las furnace
zone.
When calculating ¨t surface thermal emissivity of a metal
is constant and equals εM=0.8 and angle coefficient of radiation
250
To evaluate current heat state of a billet it is possible to use
bulk temperature of a metal determined according to the
following equation [21, 22].
t A ( IJ ) = ( 2 3 ) ⋅ t0 ( IJ ) + (1 3) ⋅ t S ( IJ ) . (2)
The structure of autonomous automated system of software
and instrumental based control of a billet heating quality before
its discharging had been implemented on the continuous
furnace no. 6 of a 2500-mill on the MMK OJSC and shown on
the fig. 3.
As a heating medium temperature sensor R-type thermo-
couple had been used. It was installed on the side of a holding
zone 300-350 mm higher than the level of a heated metal (250
mm). As a metal surface temperature sensor a radiation
pyrometer had been used. The pyrometer was sighting to the
surface of a heated billet and installed on the side board of a
holding zone in the area of thermocouple position.
Fig. 3. Structure scheme of a control system of metal heating quality before
the discharging
Data signals from heating medium temperature sensor and
metal surface temperature sensor are transferred through
normalizing transducer to the remote terminal unit (RTU) of a
Remicont RC-131 controller where they are transformed from
analogue to the digital form.
The controller basing on the input data of a current values
of tS(τ) and t0(τ) conducts a calculation of ¨t for a billet
(second in the output line) placed in the measurement zone
tF(τ) and tS(τ). All the data formed by the controller is
transferred to the ECM of a metal heating control.
 2017 International Conference on Industrial Engineering, Applications and Manufacturing (ICIEAM)
The ECM of a control station technologist fulfils a role of a
fuel-saving heating SCADA local node in accordance with the
condition shown in [24, 25].
To evaluate accuracy, objectivity and performance of the
elaborated software and instrumental based control system of a
continuous cast large-size billet heat state before the
discharging special investigation had been conducted in terms
of the furnace no. 6 of 2500-mill in MMK OJSC.
Five zone continuous pusher-type furnace no. 6 heated with
natural gas serves to double side heat of a cold charging
continuous cast billet 250 mm depth with a chamber effective
length less than 29 mm is at most disposal of the rolling mill
(more than 60 m) and has an average production capacity 110
t/h with a cold charging. In the 93 % of situations the interval
of billet discharging is less than 100 s.
The variation with time of mode temperature parameters in
the fifth (holding) zone of a furnace no. 6 and deviation of a
mill product temperature troll
calc
from the real measured value t roll
g
is shown on the fig. 4.
When respecting the terms tS(τ)=const and with a controlled
billet discharge the analysis of the calculated frequency
distribution of the deviation values Δt roll = t roll
g calc
− troll for 77
billets had shown that 67.5 % of billets have deviations in the
range of ±10 °ɋ and 88.3 % which is 63 billets – in the range
of ±20 °ɋ.
1450
1400
Temperature, 0ɋ
1350
1300
1250
1200
Fuel flow, VG( ), m3/h
1150
1100
1050
1000
950
3,2 3,25 3,3 3,35 3,4 3,45
Fig. 4. The results of measurements of heat mode parameters in the fifth zone
of continuous furnace
VI. CONCLUSION
Implementation fuel-saving metal heating modes in the
furnaces of rolling mills needs the revision of the structure of
heating control system and the requirements to the dataware.
For the effective implementation of heat mode fuel-saving
modes for each billet in the furnace it is necessary to control
additional parameters of the heating process: prediction of
heating time and real heat billet state control.
The use of information parameter of metal surface
temperature tS(τ) instead of chamber temperature tF(τ) as a
control value in the heating control automated system enables
the decrease of fuel flow for 4-6 % and increase of mill product
temperature by means of enhance of speed and objectiveness of
current metal heat state.
The control system of billet heat state before discharging
from the furnace enables the prevention of underheated billets
discharging to the mill.
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