Numerical Simulation on the Slab Heat Transfer Behavior with Growth of Oxide Scale in a Pusher Type Reheating Furnace

Abstract

AbstractPusher type continuous reheating furnace is an important heating equipment. Its main function is to improve the billet temperature to meet the requirements of rolling process. It is inevitable that a certain thickness of iron oxide will be formed on the surface of the billet during reheating in the furnace, which will affect the heat transfer characteristics of the billet. It is quite important to accurately predict the heat transfer behavior of steel slab with growth of oxide scale throughout heating process. Therefore, a 3-dimensional transient heat transfer mathematical model for a pusher type reheating furnace has been established including the kinetic model of steel oxidation sub-model. The heat behavior and the temperature distribution in the slab with growth of oxide scale on the surfaces during the reheating process have been studied by numerical simulation. The results indicate that the established model is valid and has some more applied value. In the preheating zone, the effect of oxide scale on the heat transfer was negligibly small. But, in the heating zone, its influence cannot be ignored. The temperature of the slab with oxide scale is lower than that of without oxide scale during the reheating process, particularly in the high temperature zone.KeywordsReheating furnaceOxide scaleTemperature distributionHeat transfer behavior