Modeling of Strip Temperature in Rapid Cooling Section of Vertical Continuous Annealing Furnace Original Research Article

The strip temperature is affected by many factors in rapid cooling section (RCS) of the vertical continuous annealing furnace (VCAF). They can be divided into four types: the physical properties of cooling gas, the geometry characteristics of configuration of cooling equipment, the heat transfer between the strip and the cooling gas, and the conductivity of the strip. It aims to model the strip temperature in the cooling section based on the fundamental heat transfer theory and the four aspects factors. The model for transient Nusselt number is obtained by considering Reynolds number, Prandtl number and geometry characteristics of RCS. Then cooling model of the strip transient temperature is built by Nusselt number, heat transfer coefficient and heat conductivity of the strip. The results are compared with the data from production line. The comparisons indicate that the model can well predict cooling temperature of the strip. It is hoped that the proposed model can be used for design and control of the vertical continuous annealing furnace.