ANALYSIS OF HEAT TRANSFER IN STEEL BILLETS DURING TRANSPORT

Abstract

During the seamless steel tubes manufacturing process, the temperature decrease between the exit of the furnace and the rolling mill entrance is determinant factor in the rolling process and the quality of the tube. This study aims to model the cooling of the billets during transport in order to evaluate the minimum temperature required for the billet leaves the furnace and also the maximum transport time without compromising the rolling process, allowing a better setup of equipment and reducing the production costs. The cooling profile was determined numerically through energy balances performed on the billet and the results obtained were compared with real values of temperature measurements by thermocouples installed on the billet. Measurements with thermocouples were conducted in billets of 270, 230 and 180 mm diameter. The error relative to the real values for all cases was below than 2.5% and the model is considered validated to use.