Reheat Furnace Control and Optimization
Russula has developed a complete control and optimization system for both analogue and digital furnaces which enables efficient energy use, constant material supply for high speed rolling and improves yield. Our efforts include automated walking beam, walking hearth and pusher furnaces for billets, blooms and slabs.
An important factor in controlling reheat furnaces is optimizing the temperature control algorithm to ensure a homogenous material temperature for smooth rolling. Other important factors for efficient furnace operation include:
Reheat Furnace Control & Optimization
- Combustion Control – temperature control of each zone, cross limitation control, furnace air, fuel, pressure, cooling regulation
- Material Handling Control – charging, discharging, auxiliary system, roller table control
- Furnace Temperature Control – target temperature mode, material heating simulation, planned and unplanned stop/start strategies
- Material Tracking – charging and discharging queue to communicate with material management systems such as MES (manufacturing execution system)
Benefits
- Time saving due to smooth production
- Energy savings (10-20%) through automatic correction improvements
- Higher yield resulting from reduced scale
- Less wear (due to less stress)
- CO2 reductions