Disclosed is a method for continuous thermal treatment of a steel strip. The strip passes through consecutive thermal treatment chambers, is quickly cooled in at least one of the chambers by spraying liquid onto the strip, or by spraying a fluid made up of gas and liquid or spraying a combination of gas and liquid forming a mist. After quick cooling, a protective metal layer is deposited on the strip by dip coating. The cooling fluid strips iron oxides or other alloy elements contained in the steel to be treated, minimizing oxidation and reducing the oxides on the strip. Spray pressure and distance are chosen to facilitate the stripping property and the mechanical action of the sprayed fluid, reducing the layer of oxides on the strip. The temperature of the strip at the end of the cooling step is the temperature necessary for carrying out the desired treatment cycle.

To prevent over-pickling of a steel strip during pickling pause, and shorten the time required to switch between pickling operation and pickling pause, a pickling device includes: a pickling tank for storing acid solution and for pickling a steel strip by allowing the steel strip to travel therethrough while the steel strip is immersed in the acid solution; a heat exchanger for heating the acid solution in the pickling tank; a circulation tank for storing the acid solution, provided separately from the pickling tank; an acid-solution circulation unit configured to circulate the acid solution between the pickling tank and the acid-solution storage tank; and a control device configured to control the acid-solution circulation device to maintain a liquid level of the acid solution in the pickling tank at a level below a traveling height of the steel strip.

A method of producing a cold rolled steel strip includes: subjecting a steel strip that has been cold rolled and subsequently continuously annealed to pickling by continuously feeding the steel strip into a mixed acid solution containing a first acid that is oxidizing and a second acid that is non-oxidizing to immerse the steel strip; and subsequently subjecting the steel strip to repickling by continuously feeding the steel strip into an acid solution containing a third acid that is non-oxidizing to immerse the steel strip. The concentration of the first acid in the mixed acid solution is lowered and the concentration of the second acid in the mixed acid solution is raised as the iron ion concentration in the mixed acid solution rises.

A method for pickling a steel plate having a first steel plate portion and a second steel plate portion which is connected to a tail end of the first steel plate portion and which requires a longer time for pickling than the first steel plate portion when pickled under the same condition includes: a step of pickling the steel plate by immersing the steel plate in an acid solution in at least one pickling tank while conveying the steel plate; a step of circulating the acid solution, through a circulation line connected to any of the at least one pickling tank, between the pickling tank and an oxidizing device disposed in the circulation line; a step of oxidizing Fe.sup.2+ in the acid solution to Fe.sup.3+ by the oxidizing device using a gaseous oxidant; and a feeding start step of, upon switching from pickling of the first steel plate portion to pickling of the second steel plate portion, starting feeding of a liquid oxidant for oxidizing Fe.sup.2+ in the acid solution to Fe.sup.3+ to any of the at least one pickling tank or to the circulation line.

To prevent over-pickling during pickling pause, shorten the time required to switch between pickling operation and pickling pause, and heat acid solution efficiently, a pickling device includes: a pickling tank for storing acid solution and for pickling a steel strip by allowing the steel strip to travel therethrough while the steel strip is immersed in the acid solution; a heat exchanger for heating the acid solution in the pickling tank; a circulation tank for storing the acid solution, provided separately from the pickling tank; an acid-solution circulation device configured to circulate the acid solution between the pickling tank and the circulation tank; a control device configured to withdraw the steel strip from the acid solution; and a guide plate disposed in the pickling tank and configured to guide the acid solution circulated in the pickling tank by the acid-solution circulation device to the heat exchanger.

Continuous annealing equipment (1) including a cleaning device (11, 12) for performing a cleaning treatment on a steel strip (S) and an annealing device (12) for performing an annealing treatment on the steel strip (S) comprises an exhaust gas passage (31, 41) through which an exhaust gas discharged from the annealing device (12) flows, a solution circulation passage (32, 51) through which a cleaning solution used in the cleaning device (11, 12) circulates, and a heat exchanger (53) which forms a part of the solution circulation passage (32, 51) and contacts with the exhaust gas.

Disclosed is a method for continuous thermal treatment of a steel strip. The strip passes through consecutive thermal treatment chambers, is quickly cooled in at least one of the chambers by spraying liquid onto the strip, or by spraying a fluid made up of gas and liquid or spraying a combination of gas and liquid forming a mist. After quick cooling, a protective metal layer is deposited on the strip by dip coating. The cooling fluid strips iron oxides or other alloy elements contained in the steel to be treated, minimizing oxidation and reducing the oxides on the strip. Spray pressure and distance are chosen to facilitate the stripping property and the mechanical action of the sprayed fluid, reducing the layer of oxides on the strip. The temperature of the strip at the end of the cooling step is the temperature necessary for carrying out the desired treatment cycle.

Aspects treat and remove a layer of scale comprising iron oxide and alloying elements oxides that is formed on an advanced high strength metal surface comprising at least two (2) percent by weight of alloy. A first conditioning process compromises structural integrity of or removes iron oxide within the scale layer to expose the alloy oxide to chemical engagement with a disposed aqueous alkali salt solution that is heated to transforming one or more alkali salts within the disposed solution into a quasi-molten form. The alloy oxide is oxidized via reaction with the solution quasi molten alkali salt(s) and water, forming one or more water soluble alkali alloy compounds. A water rinse dissolves and rinses the water soluble compound(s) from the steel product surface of the advanced high strength, leaving a film of iron oxide on the surface that is removed via a final pickling process.

A pickling system for surface treatment, using a pickling medium, of strip steel in the form of standard steel, electric strip, high-grade steel, and extra-high-strength and ultra-high-strength third-generation steel in order to thereby provide a surface suitable for a subsequent shaping process for further processing. The system includes a plurality of treatment tanks connected in series. The pickling system has a modular construction and, starting from the strip infeed, at least one first treatment tank in the form of a dipping bath module is provided in the working direction, downstream of which a plurality of treatment tanks in the form of spray pickling modules are arranged, and at least one final second dipping bath module is arranged downstream of the spray pickling modules.

Methods and systems are provided for treating oxide scale on the surface of a metal object. In one embodiment, a system temperature control apparatus controls the temperature of metal object's surface to an application temperature below the Leidenfrost temperature point of an alkali metal hydroxide aqueous conditioning solution. An application apparatus wets the metal object's surface at the controlled temperature with a thin layer of the solution that engages the oxide scale, and a heating apparatus heats the wetted surface to a final conditioning temperature above a melting point of the alkali metal hydroxide by an additional value selected to effect conditioning of the oxide scale at a reasonable but not excessive rate by the melting alkali metal hydroxide reacting with the oxide scale. The system terminates additional conditioning to prevent creation of additional oxide scale beyond the conditioned depth.