KILN COMPRISING A CONTROL UNIT ASSOCIATED WITH THE THERMAL INERTIA PROPERTIES OF CONSTITUTIVE ELEMENTS

Abstract

A furnace for the heat treatment of a metal product includes constitutive elements, each having a thermal inertia property determined from physical parameters. The constitutive elements include walls delimiting at least partially the furnace, a heating unit for heating the metal product, and a rapid heating element for heating the metal product. The furnace also includes a control circuit for controlling the heating unit and/or the rapid heating element, based on one or more thermal inertia properties of one or more constitutive elements of the furnace, and at least based on a ground of a constitutive element of said furnace.

Claims

1. A furnace for the thermal treatment of a metal product, comprising: constitutive elements, each having a thermal inertia property, the constitutive elements comprising: walls delimiting at least partially the furnace; a heating unit for heating the metal product when the metal product is at least partially in the furnace; and a rapid heating element for heating the metal product when the metal product is at least partially in the furnace, the rapid heating element being distinct from the heating unit; a control circuit for controlling at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element based on one or more thermal inertia properties of one or more constitutive elements of the furnace and at least based on a ground of a constitutive element of said furnace, wherein the control circuit is configured for controlling a moving speed of the metal product in the furnace based on the one or more thermal inertia properties of the one or more constitutive elements of the furnace.

2. The furnace according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to control at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element based on at least one of a temperature of one of the constitutive elements or a specific heat capacity of one of the constitutive elements.

3. The furnace according to claim 1, wherein the constitutive elements further comprise one or more guide or transport rolls, wherein the control circuit is configured to control at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element based on one or more thermal inertia properties of the one or more guide or transport rolls.

4. The furnace according to claim 3, wherein the control circuit is configured to control at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element based on one or more temperatures of one or more guide or transport rolls.

5. The furnace according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to control at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element based on one of the thermal inertia properties of at least one of the walls.

6. The furnace according to claim 5, wherein the rapid heating element is an induction heating element.

7. The furnace according to claim 1, wherein the walls each comprise a wall temperature, a wall thickness, and a wall energy capacity, wherein the control circuit is configured to control at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element based on at least one of the: the wall temperatures, the wall thicknesses, or the wall energy capacities.

8-11. (canceled)

12. The furnace according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit comprises a radiant heating tube having a thermal inertia property determined from at least one of a radiant heating tube temperature, a radiant heating tube energy capacity, or a radiant heating tube thickness.

13. (canceled)

14. The furnace according to claim 12, wherein the control circuit is configured to control at least one of the heating unit, the rapid heating element, or the radiant heating tube based on a property of the metal product.

15. (canceled)

16. The furnace according to claim 6, wherein the induction heating element is an inducer effective on non-magnetic metal products.

17. The furnace according to claim 1, further comprising: a first portion configured to vary a temperature of the metal product, the first portion comprising at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element; and a second portion configured to maintain the temperature of the metal product comprising at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element, wherein the control circuit is is configured to: control the heating unit or the rapid heating element of the first portion to vary the temperature of the metal product, and, control the heating unit or the rapid heating element of the second portion to vary or maintain the temperature of the metal product.

18-19. (canceled)

20. The furnace according to claim 1, further comprising determination means configured to determine at least one physical parameter to determine one or more of the thermal inertia properties of one or more constitutive elements of the furnace.

21. A method for controlling a temperature of a metal product in a furnace for the thermal treatment of the metal product, the furnace comprising constitutive elements each having a thermal inertia property, the constitutive elements comprising walls delimiting at least partially the furnace, at least one heating unit for heating the metal product when the metal product is at least partially in the furnace, and a rapid heating element for heating a metal product when the metal product is at least partially in the furnace, the rapid heating element being distinct from the heating unit, the furnace further comprising a control circuit configured to control at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element, wherein the control circuit is configured to control a moving speed of the metal product in the furnace, the method comprising: a) determining one or more thermal inertia properties of one or more constitutive elements of the furnace, including at least one ground of one or more constitutive elements of the furnace; b) providing to the control circuit the one or more determined thermal inertia properties; and c) controlling with the control circuit at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element based on the one or more thermal inertia properties provided to the control unit, wherein the moving speed of the metal product in the furnace is based on the one or more thermal inertia properties of one or more constitutive elements of the furnace.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the control circuit is configured to control at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element based on at least one of a temperature of one of the constitutive elements of the furnace or based on a specific heat capacity of one of the constitutive elements of the furnace wherein determining one or more thermal inertia properties further comprises determining at least one of the temperature of the constitutive element of the furnace or a specific heat capacity of the constitutive element of the furnace, wherein providing to the control circuit the one or more thermal inertia properties further comprises providing at least one of the temperature of a constitutive element of the furnace or the specific heat capacity of the constitutive element of the furnace, wherein controlling with the control circuit at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element further comprises controlling at least one of the heating unit and/or or the rapid heating element based on at least one of the temperature of the constitutive element of the furnace or the specific heat capacity of the constitutive element of the furnace.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the furnace further comprises guide or transport roll, wherein determining one or more thermal inertia properties further comprises determining one or more thermal inertia properties of the one or more guide or transport rolls, wherein providing to the control circuit the one or more thermal inertia properties further comprises providing to the control circuit one or more thermal inertia properties of the one or more guide or transport rolls, wherein controlling with the control circuit at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element further comprises controlling based on one or more thermal inertia properties of one or more of the guide or transport rolls.

24. (canceled)

25. The method according to claim 21, wherein determining one or more thermal inertia properties further comprises determining a thermal inertia property of a wall; wherein providing to the control circuit the one or more thermal inertia properties further comprises providing to the control circuit, the thermal inertia property of the wall; wherein controlling with the control circuit at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element further comprises controlling, based on the thermal inertia property of the wall.

26. The method according to claim 21, wherein the rapid heating element is an induction heating element.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the walls of the furnace each comprise a wall temperature, a wall thickness, and a wall energy capacity, wherein determining one or more thermal inertia properties further comprises determining: the wall temperatures, the wall thicknesses, and, the wall energy capacities, wherein providing to the control circuit the one or more thermal inertia properties further comprises providing: the wall temperatures, the wall thicknesses, and, the wall energy capacities, wherein controlling with the control circuit at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element further comprises controlling at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element, based on: the wall temperatures, the wall thicknesses, and, the wall energy capacities.

28-31. (canceled)

32. The method according to claim 21, wherein the at least one heating unit comprises a radiant heating tube, and wherein controlling with the control circuit at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element allows to control the radiant heating tube, wherein determining one or more thermal inertia properties further comprises determining at least one radiant heating tube temperature, wherein providing to the control circuit the one or more thermal inertia properties further comprises providing at least one radiant heating tube temperature, wherein controlling with the control circuit at least one of the heating unit or the rapid heating element further comprises control, based on at least one radiant heating tube temperature.

33-37. (canceled)

38. The method according to claim 21, wherein the furnace further comprises determination means capable of determining at least one physical parameter to determine one or more thermal inertia properties of the one or more constitutive elements of the furnace, and in that wherein the determination means are used during determining one or more thermal inertia properties for the determination of the at least one physical parameter to determine one or more thermal inertia properties of one or more constitutive elements of the furnace.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0206] These aspects, as well as other aspects of the invention will be clarified in the detailed description of particular embodiments of the invention, with reference being made to the drawings of the figures, wherein:

[0207] FIG. 1 shows a particular, schematic embodiment of the furnace according to the invention;

[0208] FIG. 2 shows a particular, schematic embodiment of the furnace according to the invention;

[0209] FIG. 3 shows a particular, schematic embodiment of the furnace according to the invention.

[0210] The drawings of the figures are not to scale. Generally, similar elements are denoted by similar references in the figures. The presence of reference numbers in the drawings cannot be considered as limiting, including when these numbers are indicated in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0211] FIG. 1 shows a furnace 1 for the heat treatment embodiment of a product in the form of a strip 5. The furnace 1 comprises a rapid 2a heating element 2. The rapid 2a heating element 2 is preferably an induction heating element 2 wherein the product 5 can pass in order to be relatively quickly increased in temperature. The furnace 1 also comprises a slow 2b heating element 2, a radiant tube heating system in the embodiment presented. The radiant tube heating elements 2 are considered as slow with respect to an induction heating element 2, as the radiant tube heating is relatively slow to react during a change of heating power sought, given the thermal inertias in play, on the contrary from the rapid 2a heating element 2, which allows for a modification considered as instantaneous, of the heating power supplied to the moving product.

[0212] A device to vary the temperature of a slow 2b product 2, for example by radiant tubes, as presented in the embodiment of FIG. 1 comprises a plurality of radiant tubes 2b arranged along the path of the product 5 in the furnace 1. In the embodiment presented, these radiant tubes 2b are, for some of them or for all of them in a case not illustrated, equipped with at least one temperature sensor 4. The temperatures of the radiant tubes can be on the surface and/or in the ground of a tube and/or in the flame flow and/or in the flow of the combustion product. In the same way as for other elements of the furnace 1, the temperatures can be surface temperatures and/or temperatures in the material, at a certain depth. An extreme case is the case where the temperature of one or more of the tubes is not measured, but provides a virtual and therefore calculated sensor. Preferably, a physical temperature sensor 4 for radiant tubes is a thermocouple allowing a measurement in a temperature range corresponding to the temperature of the radiant tube in operation or stopped. The furnaces 1 or their sub-equipment often being equipped with a control system and/or secured, allowing to not exceed a temperature beyond which the equipment, such as the radiant tubes undergo an accelerated deterioration or a temperature beyond which an accelerated creeping of the materials is put in place, thus requiring premature replacements of equipment.

[0213] In an embodiment of the invention, the physical or virtual sensors 4 of the radiant tubes are connected to a control unit 6. For example, all radiant tubes are equipped with sensors 4 allowing the control unit to determine a temperature of the radiant tubes. For example, some of the radiant tubes are equipped with sensors 4, the other portion of the radiant tubes are not equipped with sensors 4, but the information is sufficient to allow the control unit to determine the temperature of all the radiant tubes by calculation.

[0214] The devices 2 to make the temperature of a metal product 5 vary in the furnace 1 are connected to the control unit 6. The control unit 6 makes it possible to control the heat transfer of the devices 2 to make the temperature of a metal product 5 vary, and of its heating time management. The control unit 6 makes it possible to manage the control (heating instructions) by considering one or more temperatures of constitutive elements of the furnace 1 having a large thermal inertia. This makes it possible to have a furnace 1 with a better overall management of the heating parameters or instructions.

[0215] Examples of thermal inertia property used to control are, for example: a ground of a roll 7, a ground of several rolls 7, a ground of a wall 8, a ground of several walls 8, a ground of a radiant heating tube 2b, a ground of several radiant heating tubes 2b.

[0216] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rapid 2a and slow 2b devices to make the temperature vary are controlled by the symbiotic control unit 6. For example, the rapid 2a device 2 is used to preheat the product 5 before being heated by the slow 2b device 2 (radiant heating tubes).

[0217] The present invention allows a distribution of the charges (heating instructions) between the rapid 2a device 2 and the slow 2b device 2 to minimise problems in production on the products 5, such as strip folds or meandering.

[0218] FIG. 1 shows a rapid 2a heating element 2 situated upstream from several devices to make the temperature of a slow 2b metal product 2 vary or radiant heating tube 2b. A device to make the temperature of a metal product 5 vary can also define several devices 2 to make the temperature of a metal product 5 vary. For example, a device 2 can be constituted of several devices 2 placed along the path of the strip 5 in the furnace 1. Generally, a furnace 1 is divided into sections, of which one or more heating sections, each section able to be divided into zones, the zones are able to group radiant tubes 2b. An extreme case of the cut-out is that each radiant tube 2b is a zone. The notion of upstream is in particular indicated by the moving direction of the product 5. The radiant heating tubes 2b are positioned downstream from an induction heating device 2a in the embodiment presented.

[0219] FIG. 2 shows a furnace 1 comprising temperature sensors 4 allowing to determine wall 8 temperatures and roll 7 temperatures. These temperature sensors 4 are connected to the control unit 6. Temperature values can also be determined by calculating or by modelling in the control unit 6. The temperature values are considered with the thermal features (the energy capacity) of the rolls 7 and/or walls 8 makes it possible to determine at least one thermal inertia property. According to the thermal inertia properties relating to the slow 2b devices 2, in particular radiant heating tubes 2b, relating to the walls 8 and relating to the rolls 7, the control unit 6 sends an instruction to rapid 2a heating devices 2 and/or to the slow 2b heating devices 2. This allows a good consideration of the thermal inertia properties, in particular during modifications of operating points and, in particular, during transients, during identification of risk of meandering or strip folds 5.

[0220] FIG. 3 shows a furnace 1 comprising twice the furnace 1 shown in FIG. 2 put, in terms of product crossing through the equipment, end-to-end and with a rapid 2a heating device 2 positioned upstream from each furnace, or downstream from it. This configuration shows that the position of the rapid 2a devices 2 to make the temperature of a metal product 5 vary can be modified with respect to the conventional/slow 2b devices 2. According to the aim sought, a rapid 2a device 2 is positioned upstream from a series of slow 2b devices 2, or interleaved or also downstream from it. The number of rapid 2a and/or slow 2b devices 2, as well as their position should not be limited to what is represented in FIG. 3. The furnace 1 can be divided into several zones, each zone can be controlled by a different control unit 6, or by one same control unit 6. The thermal inertia properties can be determined and considered by furnace zone 1 or considered in the overall management of the furnace 1.

[0221] Folds

[0222] Folds or Heating Folds and Heat Buckling define the strip folds which could be observed during the moving of a strip in a furnace 1. The transport rolls 7/deflectors are not generally flat, but have a profile, of which the main aim is to ensure the self-centring of the metal product 5. Typically, in a vertical furnace with multiple passes, the profile of each roll 7 is determined according to the strip temperature profile in the furnace 1. A roll 7 profile is designed to create self-centring forces and therefore stresses, which are transformed into internal stresses in the strip 5. These forces depend mainly on roll 7 profiles, of the tension applied on the strip 5 during its transport and strip width.

If the stresses created in the strip 5 are greater than the maximum stress which can be supported by the strip 5, critical stress, there is a risk of plastic deformation of the strip 5 and of ultimately deteriorating the product 5. This deformation of the strip 5 corresponds to the strip folds mentioned above. Sometimes, the folds are limited to light folds, called fold primers. The operation of the line can go up to a stop in production in order to be put back into an acceptable regime, or in the worst case, a fastening of the strips creased with the equipment in place in the furnace 1, leading to a tearing and a breaking of the strip with collateral damage. In the latter case, it results in a stopping of production from several hours to several days.

[0223] The strip temperature profile develops in the furnace 1. The mechanical resistance property of the strips decreases with the temperature. During the design of a furnace 1, the profile of the rolls 7 is adapted all along the furnace 1, to assist with the guiding, while extending from the critical conditions of risks of folds. More specifically, certain regimes must be avoided, which lead to a rapid increase of strip temperature on rolls 7 with a strong profile.

[0224] In a furnace 1, with equipment determined as rolls 7 and their profile, the controllable factors such as strip tension and/or strip temperature profile along the furnace can be adjusted. For example, in a deflector roll 7, the first heating rolls 7 have more marked profiles and cause more internal stresses in the strip 5. On strips with risk of folds, there is a clear advantage in such conditions to minimise energy at the start of the heating process, by distributing the power by a decrease of the power input made at the start of the furnace 1, by a distribution between different devices 2, 2a, 2b to make the temperature of a metal product 5 vary in said furnace 1.

[0225] During changes of products (transient), the operating regime of the installation is adapted. There is an interest in changing, as quickly as possible, the operating point of the installation, to keep operating regimes as constant as possible along the coils. For example, this can be done by quickly/immediately changing the operating point of the rapid 2a device 2 (inducer) to vary the temperature of a metal product 5, more specifically before the transition point, in order to keep each product outside of the fold formation regime.

[0226] During the change in the strip moving speed, more specifically during the rapid decrease of speed, the operating point of the conventional furnace/forming part of the state of the art, is such that the product treated can be found in a fold formation regime. There is advantageously interest in quickly changing the operating regime of the rapid 2a device 2 (inducer), to let a cool(er) strip 5 enter into the furnace 1, and avoid a warming of the strip, which could be fatal beyond critical values.

[0227] In case of change of production regime, there is an interest in preparing the furnace 1 to an operating point adapted to the less critical point of two coils, and/or extending transitorily, i.e. during the transient phase of dangerous operating points.

[0228] Strip Guiding

[0229] Guiding is referred to, to designate the strip 5 centring in the axis of the line. The jargon uses meandering to designate the instabilities in the strip 5 centring, which are, in the first approach, limited by a decrease of the production speed and causes a loss of productivity. But the strip deviation can be such that the strip 5 touches the walls 8 or other equipment and damages the furnace 1, causing material damage and/or a stop in production.

[0230] The profile of the rolls 7 of a furnace 1 is a compromise between the risks of folding and self-centring of the strip 5. Weak profiles of rolls 7 will be beneficial for minimising the risks of folds, but decrease the centring forces. In the case of lines covering the production of products of varied dimension and quality, the compromise between the risks of folds and strip 5 guiding is sought.

[0231] In case of risk of strip 5 guiding, there is an interest in heating the strip 5 as early as possible in a furnace, this thus having better adherence on the rolls 7 and therefore better centring. The utilisation of the rapid 2a device 2, in particular of an inducer will be beneficial.

[0232] In case of a change in the production regime, there is an interest in preparing the furnace 1 to an operating point which is acceptable at the critical standpoint of two metal products 5, and/or in transitorily extending/during the transient phase of dangerous operating points. The rapid 2a device 2, in particular an inducer, will be used to distribute the operating regimes of the different sections, in order to minimise the risks of meandering. This is particularly true in case of an increase in the strip width, or on narrow strips. The technique of the management linked to the problem of risks of strip folds is transposable to the management of the meandering, mutatis mutandis.

[0233] The present invention has been described in relation to specific embodiments, which have a purely illustrative value and must not be considered as limiting. Generally, the present invention is not limited to the examples illustrated and/or described above. The use of the verbs comprise or include, or any other variant, as well as their conjugations, cannot in any way exclude the presence of elements other than those mentioned. The use of the indefinite article a, an, or of the definite article the, to introduce an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of these elements. The reference numbers in the claims do not limit their scope.

[0234] In summary, the invention can also be described as follows. The furnace 1 for the heat treatment of a metal product 5 by moving and comprising constitutive elements each having a thermal inertia property determined from physical parameters, said constitutive elements comprising: [0235] walls 8 delimiting at least partially said furnace 1; [0236] a heating unit 2 for heating a metal product 5; [0237] a rapid heating element 2a for heating a metal product 5, the rapid heating element 2a being distinct from the heating unit 2;
said furnace 1 further comprising: [0238] a control unit 6 for controlling said heating unit 2 and/or the rapid heating element 2a based on one or more thermal inertia properties of one or more constitutive elements of said furnace 1, and at least based on a ground of a constitutive element of said furnace 1.