Analysis of heat transfer coefficient and skid marks in a slab reheating furnace considering beam misalignment and contact heat conduction

Abstract

Accurate analysis of slab heat transfer characteristics is crucial for optimal control of reheating furnaces. This paper established a half furnace model to describe the heat and mass transfer and slab step heating processes in a walking beam reheating furnace. The contact heat conduction and beams misalignment are fully considered. The distribution of total heat transfer coefficient and the effect of stepping strategies on skid mark severity are investigated. The results show that the contact thermal resistance accounts for 1/8 of the conductivity thermal resistance of skid buttons and welding pads and has a lighter effect on the skid marks. The misalignment of the water-cooled beams effectively eliminated the original skid marks and minimized the range of the new ones, but the new skid mark severity before discharge from the furnace remains at 121 °C. The total heat transfer coefficient showed a wave distribution on the slab bottom surface and varied in the range of about −0.72 to 1.71 due to the beam shielding. On the slab top surface, it followed a stepped distribution. Stepping while advancing in soaking zone effectively improve the new skid mark temperature and reduce the skid mark severity by 24 °C. Increasing the stepping number can also reduce the influence of skid marks on the temperature of slab end, thus improving the temperature uniformity of the slab head and tail.