Predictive Model Of Wire Rod Cooling

Wire rod of steel, produced by a hot rolling process, is cooled on a con-
veyor by action of fans sited under it. Mechanical properties of rod depend on
chemical composition of steel and cooling rate experimented by the product.
A mathematical model is developed in order to predict the thermal and met-
allurgical evolution of the steel rod on the conveyor. Convection and radiation
losses are considered and the influence of the laying head is also discussed.
Simulation results are compared with experimental measures obtained by an
optical pyrometer in a real industrial process. Several product diameters and
fan congurations are analyzed. Conclusions about the good accuracy of the
model are shown. Thanks to the short computational time that the developed
tool takes to predict the temperature of the wire rod along the conveyor, the
tool can be potentially used in an on-line control system for the cooling process
of wire rods.