Controlled cooling of coils – an important factor in energy conservation for the hot-rolling of strip

More than half the thermal potential of the initial slab on a hot-strip mill is left in the finished coil of hotrolled strip, and extracting this energy as quickly as possible is an important goal in the casting technology. The controlled cooling of coiled strip of any grade of steel – including cooling during the stages of thermostatting and accelerated cooling – makes the hot-rolling operation more efficient and allows the heat stored in the coil to be used to complete structural transformations in the metal on certain sections of the strip. The thermal potential of the coil can also be used for other purposes, such as for conversion into industrial heat carriers like steam. Examples are given to illustrate the use of this energy-saving technology. The controlled cooling of coils makes it possible to increase the output of coiled strip without having to store hot coils or perform various additional heat treatments.