The present invention pertains to a device for cooling rolled stock, preferably in a rolling train.
Devices and methods for cooling rolled stock in a rolling train are well known. During the production of strip and sheet in rolling trains, the control and management of the metal temperature is of the greatest importance for various reasons. In the process of the hot-rolling of steel strip or of heavy plate, the microstructure of the rolled stock can be converted, after the final rolling, into a wide variety of different states by careful temperature control; such states can comprise ferritic, pearlitic, bainitic, or martensitic components. This temperature control is implemented by cooling devices downstream from the finishing trains, of which there are various known configurations.
Cooling sections for influencing the rolled stock in similar ways are also known for other materials such as aluminum, copper and copper alloys, magnesium, titanium, nickel, and other metals.
In cold-rolling trains for steel or other metals, the rolled stock heats up as a result of the rolling energy introduced into it as it is being formed. Here, too, certain damaging temperature ranges for the rolled stock must be avoided. In the case of steel, for example, this is the temperature range of blue brittleness. Coarse grains, furthermore, tend to form in certain materials at elevated temperatures. Cooling devices are thus also used in cold-rolling mills for strip.
When a rolling oil is used such as kerosene, which tends to self-ignite and which can ignite very quickly, the temperature of the rolled stock must again be controlled to prevent such ignition.
In this connection, spray cooling systems, for example, are known, which apply a coolant onto the strip by means of nozzles. A cooling device of this type is known from EP 1 527 829 A1, for example, which introduces the coolant onto the rolled stock through nozzles.
In addition, JP S63-101017 discloses a cooling device for cooling hot strips. Here, cooling water under high pressure is sprayed directly on the strips. In this spray cooling, to prevent the water sprayed on the strip from splashing in the surrounding area unhindered, and to selectively remove the sprayed water, the cooling device on the one hand includes plates to carry away the water arranged parallel to the strip and on the other hand drainage rollers arranged underneath the strips. The plates to carry away the water present an uncontrolled flow away, i.e., drainage, of the cooling water in an area under the cooling device. The dripping coolant heads to a lower drainage roller, which collects coolant that adheres to the bottom of the strip. Through an upper drainage roller, the coolant on the upperhalf of the strip is skimmed and is directed to an upper plate for carrying away the water.
Laminar cooling systems are also known, which conduct a jet onto the rolled stock at almost no pressure. According to DE 197 18 530 A1, furthermore, a cooling device operating by concurrent flow especially for hot wide strip is known, in which the intensity of the cooling is controlled by the coordination of independently adjustable parameters (cooling time, volume flow rate, pressure, etc.). To avoid unstable film evaporation, a safety interval from the boiling point of the coolant is maintained.
Also known are intensive cooling systems, Mulpic systems, intermediate stand cooling units, laminar cooling sections for hot strip production, as well as spray cooling systems. These systems are often encapsulated so that the drainage of the coolant can be controlled.
The disadvantage of the previously known solutions is that the coolant is conducted in the form of a jet onto the sheet or strip or other rolled medium and strikes that material with a certain kinetic energy. At the point of impact of the jet on the rolled stock, a large amount of heat transfer occurs. The jet, however, breaks down completely, and the kinetic energy of the jet is lost. From what is left of the jet, a chaotic off-flow of coolant forms, which has a significantly weaker cooling effect on the strip.
The jet of coolant breaks down in an uncontrolled manner and is distributed in various directions. In the case of rolled stock which is traveling slowly, the coolant drains off in the direction of the jet. In the case of a fast-traveling strip, however, the coolant is carried along with the strip. The presence of coolant outside the cooling device, however, is usually undesirable, because a strip coated with coolant can slip from the deflecting rolls, can contaminate the rolling hall itself, can contaminate the strip, can be the source of various emissions such as odors and aerosols, can interfere with measuring instruments, and can have a disadvantageous effect on the effort to achieve the tribologically correct conditions for the rolled stock in the roll gap.
The known cooling devices are thus sealed off by contact with rolls and seals or the like to avoid the entrainment of coolant into other areas of the plant, as disclosed in DE 28 44 434 A1, for example.
Nature of the Invention
Against the background of the prior art described above, the goal of the present invention is to provide a device for cooling rolled stock which comprises a more uniform heat transfer and reduces the contamination of the surroundings.
This goal is achieved by a device for cooling rolled stock with the features of claim 1. Advantageous elaborations are described in the subclaims.
Thus the device for cooling rolled stock, preferably for cooling during cold rolling, comprises a nozzle for applying a coolant to the rolled stock. According to the invention, a cooling chamber for applying the coolant to the rolled stock is provided, this chamber being in fluid communication with the nozzle and extending parallel to the strip passline, the device comprising an adjusting device for reversing of flow direction of the coolant in the cooling chamber by moving an outer shroud of the device, the sheath is movable from the first position to a second position, so that based on a setting of the sheath, two feed lines and two chain lines are connected so that the flow direction is changeable.
Because the cooling chamber is configured to extend along the rolled stock, i.e., along the strip passline, for application of the coolant to the rolled stock, the coolant is guided in a defined manner. If the cooling chamber is configured appropriately, it is also possible to prolong considerably the time during which the coolant can act on the rolled stock; this action is geometrically defined, furthermore, and can be executed in controlled fashion.
Uncontrolled runoff of the coolant from the rolled stock is also suppressed, so that an undesirable intrusion of coolant into other areas of the plant can be reduced.
In contrast to spray cooling systems, it is also possible significantly to increase the surface onto which the coolant acts, because the cooling channel makes it possible to supply coolant to a geometrically defined area.
The backspray which occurs when the coolant strikes the rolled stock is also avoided in the manner according to the invention. Because of the effective guidance of the coolant along the rolled stock, furthermore, the pressure level of the coolant can also be reduced, as a result of which energy savings can be achieved, because the coolant does not have to be put under such high pressure.
The cooling chamber is preferably positioned between the rolled stock and a chamber roof. In this way, direct contact between the cooling fluid and the rolled stock is achieved, and variations in the distance between the chamber roof and the rolled stock can be easily compensated by the adjusting the volume flow rate.
The nozzle is preferably configured in such a way that the coolant can be directed into the cooling chamber as an essentially uniform flow. As a result of the formation of the uniform flow, a uniform heat transfer distribution can be achieved.
A slit nozzle can be considered an especially suitable form of nozzle, which comprises a gap of constant size across the width of the cooling chamber.
The transition from the nozzle to the cooling chamber is preferably provided with a separation edge, which, for example, can be realized in the form of a height offset between the nozzle gap and the cooling chamber roof. This prevents the supplied fluid flow from adhering to the cooling chamber roof upon emergence from the nozzle gap or from preferentially following the roof instead of leaving the nozzle gap in the desired direction toward the surface of the strip and thus filling the cooling chamber.
The cooling chamber is preferably configured in such a way that the coolant can flow through the cooling chamber as an essentially uniform flow. It is especially advantageous here for the cross section of the cooling chamber to be essentially constant in the strip travel direction. Thus, as a result of the uniform flow in the cooling chamber, uniform cooling over the entire contact surface can be achieved. Such uniform cooling would no longer be present if vortices were to form.
In another preferred elaboration, the cooling chamber extends in the direction opposite to the strip travel direction, so that the coolant is conducted in the direction opposite to that in which the strip travels. It is especially preferred in this connection for the nozzle to be situated behind the cooling chamber, i.e., downstream from it with respect to the strip travel direction. As a result of this countercurrent cooling, especially effective use of the coolant is achieved. In particular, the coolant is used first at the coldest area of the rolled stock and then flows to the hotter areas of the rolled stock, as a result of which optimal heat transfer occurs in all areas.
The cooling chamber can comprise at least one cooling chamber roof extending parallel to the rolled stock and preferably at least one side wall perpendicular to the rolled stock and extending in the strip travel direction to form a lateral boundary of the cooling chamber. Thus the cooling chamber can be easily constructed.
In another preferred elaboration of the cooling device, a flow brake in the form of, for example, a sealing strip can be installed a certain distance away from the outlet end, where the flow leaves the cooling chamber, or a similar measure for constricting the cooling chamber can be provided to prevent the fluid from freely leaving the cooling chamber.
To adapt the cooling chamber to different strip widths of the rolled stock to be cooled, the device in a preferred form has at least one adjustable side wall, which is positioned at a defined distance from the strip width of the rolling stock to be cooled. As a result, the flow in the cooling chamber is guided with optimal fashion, and the formation of vortices is prevented.
So that the coolant can be removed from the rolled stock, the cooling chamber can be followed in the flow direction by a drainage chamber for removing the coolant from the rolled stock. It is especially preferred in this connection for the drainage chamber to be larger than the cooling chamber, so that the flow velocity of the coolant is slower in the drainage chamber than in the cooling chamber.
In a preferred elaboration, the supply of coolant to the nozzle can be automatically controlled, preferably by means of a controllable pump unit, and the supply of coolant is determined as a function of various parameters of the rolled stock, preferably as a function of the temperature of the rolled stock, the material of the rolled stock, and/or the residual fluid on the rolled stock after passage through the device.
So that the rolled stock can be threaded in, the cooling chamber can be swung away from the plane of the rolled stock.
To protect other plant components from contamination, at least one removal device, i.e., a device for removing excess coolant from the rolled stock, can be provided outside the cooling chamber, preferably in the form of an air-blast device, a spray device, a suction device, a transverse air-blast device, and/or a blower.
Preferred exemplary embodiment and aspects of the present invention are explained in greater detail in the following description of the figures:
a and 12b show diagrams of a device for cooling a strip with a drainage chamber, which can be adjusted as a function of the strip travel direction;
In the following, preferred exemplary embodiments are described on the basis of the figures. Elements which are the same or similar or which function in the same or a similar way are designated by the same reference numbers, and in some cases the description of these elements is not repeated to avoid redundancies in the description.
It is immediately clear from
In the case of the schematically illustrated nozzle 32, because of the geometry of the nozzle 32, in particular because of an appropriate constriction, the coolant 34 is formed into a uniform, accelerated flow, in which form it then leaves the nozzle 32.
Following the nozzle 32 is a cooling chamber 4, which extends essentially parallel to the plane 10 defined by the rolled stock 2, also called the strip passline, the chamber being configured to apply the coolant 34 to the rolled stock 2. After the rolled stock 2 has been threaded into it, the cooling chamber 4 thus extends also essentially parallel to the rolled stock 2. In the cooling chamber 4, the coolant 34 flows out of the nozzle 32 and comes in contact with the rolled stock 2. Thus there is a transfer of heat from the rolled stock 2 to the coolant 34, at least in the area of the cooling chamber 4. As will be described further below on the basis of
The cooling chamber 4 consists essentially of a chamber roof 40, which preferably follows immediately after the nozzle 32. The chamber roof 40 is arranged opposite the top surface 20 of the rolled stock 2, so that the coolant 34 flowing through the nozzle 32 is conducted from the nozzle 32 into the cooling chamber 4, in which the coolant 34 then flows along the rolled stock 2 in a manner essentially free of vortices.
The thick arrow indicates the strip travel direction W of the rolled stock 2. It can be seen immediately that the cooling chamber 4, starting from the nozzle 32, is oriented in the direction opposite to the strip travel direction. In other words, the nozzle 32 is arranged downstream, with respect to the strip travel direction W, from the cooling chamber 4.
The cross section of the cooling chamber 4 is essentially constant in the strip travel direction, so that the flow velocity of the coolant 34 in the cooling chamber 4 is essentially constant, and simultaneously an essentially vortex-free flow can also be formed. As a result, the coolant 34 comes in contact with the rolled stock 2 in the area of the cooling chamber 4 in such a way that an efficient and uniform flow without vortices is present here.
At the end of the cooling chamber 4, the coolant 34 emerges as a diffuse flow and can be collected in the usual way.
The velocity distribution of the flow within the cooling chamber 4 is shown schematically. The diagram at the bottom left shows the largely symmetric velocity profile of the flow without a moving strip, i.e., at zero strip velocity. With a moving strip or a non-zero strip velocity, an asymmetric velocity profile is obtained, as shown in the diagram at the bottom right. As a result of the movement of the strip, the relative velocity between the flow and the surface of the strip is increased, which amplifies the cooling effect, that is, the transfer of heat from the surface of the strip to the coolant.
The nozzle 32 is configured in such a way that a uniform flow velocity across the entire cooling chamber 4 is obtained.
In contrast, the spray device 3′, as indicated by the arrows, results in a large amount of swirling and a considerable amount of coolant backspray. The resulting cooling action is thus evident only at individual points, as can be seen from the schematic diagram.
The drainage chamber 5 is configured so that it is connected to the chamber roof 40 of the cooling chamber 4 and provides a collecting volume 50, in the side of which a drain opening 52, shown schematically, is arranged. The coolant 34 flows into the drain opening 52 and cannot contaminate the surroundings or the rolled stock 2. It is also easy in this way to recirculate the coolant 34, because, after it has been sent through the feed line 30 and the nozzle 32 and brought into contact with the rolled stock 2, it can then be removed from the rolled stock 2 via the drainage chamber 5.
In
For this purpose, the outer shroud 7 is pushed from the first position, shown at the top at 12a, into a second position, shown at the bottom at 12b. Thus two feed lines 30 and two drains 52 are provided, which are connected to each other as necessary, depending on the position of the outer shroud 7, to achieve the desired flow of the coolant 34.
In this way, other areas of the plant can be protected from contamination with coolant 34.
The coolant is thus pumped from the collecting tank/reservoir 86 through the suction line 80 by means of the automatically controlled pump 82 into the device 3 for cooling rolled stock 2. There the coolant 34 is brought into contact with the rolled stock 2. Then the coolant is collected again by way of the drainage chamber 5 shown in the preceding figures and sent back to the reservoir/collecting tank 86 via the drain line 84.
The automatically controlled pump 82 is actuated by an automatic control unit 100. The control unit 100 comprises a controller 110, which takes over the actual job of automatically adjusting the controllable pump 82 by adjusting its output, for example. The controller 110 is supplied with parameters 120, which comprise, for example, a characteristic curve of the controllable pump 82 or other parameters relating to the geometric configuration of the cooling chamber 4, to the different materials of the rolled stock 2, to different pass sequences, to different velocities of the rolled stock 2, etc.
The various parameters of the rolling process measured by sensors are evaluated by an evaluation unit 130, on the basis of which the controller 110 is actuated.
In the evaluation unit 130, sensors 140, 150, for example, which are configured as residual fluid or temperature sensors, participate in the evaluation of the actual state of the rolled stock 2. In addition, residual fluid sensors 140 can be used to monitor the correct functioning of the device for cooling rolled stock, so that residual fluid is not transported onward on the rolled stock 2 or is transported onward only within narrowly set limits. The temperature sensors can be used to adjust the cooling power of the device for cooling in such a way that the desired microstructure is obtained.
A speed sensor 160 is also provided, which determines the speed at which the rolled stock 2 is coiled.
The various parameters are evaluated in the evaluation unit 130 to obtain a uniform control command, which is then transmitted to the controller 110.
Insofar as applicable, all of the individual features presented in the individual exemplary embodiments can be combined with each other and/or exchanged for each other without leaving the scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2012 223 848.4 | Dec 2012 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2013/074751 | 11/26/2013 | WO | 00 |