Development of a continuous reheating furnace state-space model based on the finite volume method

Abstract

This study developed a modeling approach of a continuous steel slab reheating furnace process as a particular case of spatially distributed parameter systems involving radiative heat transfer. The aim of the resulting mathematical model, which is both detailed and computationally tractable, is to serve in prospective advanced process control (APC) and model-based optimization. The two-dimensional state-space model is introduced to accurately simulate the temperature distribution and dynamics, using the finite volume method (FVM) to incorporate essential heat transfer phenomena, including radiation, conduction, convection, advection, and simple combustion. The study presents a novel furnace measurement model that interprets temperature sensor readings (useful for state estimation), a benefit of the FVM treatment of radiative heat transfer. Strategies for linearization and model order reduction, such as balanced truncation, are proposed to facilitate real-time control. The simulation case study demonstrates the targeted capabilities of the model. The accuracy of the model is verified through comparisons with more complex computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software models. The study prioritizes theoretical modeling over empirical validation of a specific furnace unit, omitting experimental validation at this stage.