Development of the Tube Quenching Prototype Unit in Třinecké Železárny

abstract

en

This paper describes the stages of applied research and development leading to a functional prototype of a QUENCHING UNIT. It became a part of a closed facility of process equipment for thermal treatment by refining and other methods of annealing of seamless steel tubes for the OCTG industry (Oil Country Tubular Goods), power engineering and mechanical engineering in Třinecké Železárny. The development of the prototype has been divided into several stages: mapping of the current state and critical assessment of the technical and technological level of the existing equipment in the Tube Mill, laboratory testing of tube samples cooling in the Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Laboratory (Heatlab) of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology (FME BUT), including numerical simulations by ITA Ltd. in Ostrava (ITA) with the prediction of the initial settings of the process parameters for the recommendation of the technological configuration of the quenching unit prototype and finally a comprehensive technical design of the prototype QUENCHING UNIT in cooperation with BKB Metal. The design of the prototype technical solution served as the basis for the creation of the detailed engineering documentation with the subsequent construction of the prototype QUENCHING UNIT. Currently, the QUENCHING UNIT is used for optimization of the quenching technology and for introduction of technology for production of new steel grades for refining. The paper summarizes the procedures and results of individual development stages, including the results of measured temperatures of tubes during actual operation of the prototype and the results of additional numerical simulations of its actual cooling capacity. The paper also describes the functionality of the new software HT_TUBE_SETUP designed to provide support to a technologist during determination of cooling strategies with respect to achieving the required metallurgical properties of quenched tubes of various sizes and quality grades.

This paper describes the stages of applied research and development leading to a functional prototype of a QUENCHING UNIT. It became a part of a closed facility of process equipment for thermal treatment by refining and other methods of annealing of seamless steel tubes for the OCTG industry (Oil Country Tubular Goods), power engineering and mechanical engineering in Třinecké Železárny. The development of the prototype has been divided into several stages: mapping of the current state and critical assessment of the technical and technological level of the existing equipment in the Tube Mill, laboratory testing of tube samples cooling in the Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Laboratory (Heatlab) of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology (FME BUT), including numerical simulations by ITA Ltd. in Ostrava (ITA) with the prediction of the initial settings of the process parameters for the recommendation of the technological configuration of the quenching unit prototype and finally a comprehensive technical design of the prototype QUENCHING UNIT in cooperation with BKB Metal. The design of the prototype technical solution served as the basis for the creation of the detailed engineering documentation with the subsequent construction of the prototype QUENCHING UNIT. Currently, the QUENCHING UNIT is used for optimization of the quenching technology and for introduction of technology for production of new steel grades for refining. The paper summarizes the procedures and results of individual development stages, including the results of measured temperatures of tubes during actual operation of the prototype and the results of additional numerical simulations of its actual cooling capacity. The paper also describes the functionality of the new software HT_TUBE_SETUP designed to provide support to a technologist during determination of cooling strategies with respect to achieving the required metallurgical properties of quenched tubes of various sizes and quality grades.

heat treatment, quenching, tube, OCTG

20.11.2017

38–39

2