Modeling effects of skid buttons and dislocated skids on the heating quality of slabs in an industrial walking-beam reheating furnace

The slab heating process inside a walking-beam reheating furnace is critical for slab quality. This paper presents a comprehensive CFD model simulating the fuel combustion, flow field, temperature distribution, and heating process of walking slabs in an industrial-scale furnace. It explicitly considers the effects of dislocated skids and skid buttons. After the model validation through industrial measurements, the model is used to analyze the influences of skid buttons and dislocated skids on the flow and temperature field and the slab heating process. The results show that the dislocated skids and skid buttons significantly affect the flow field and furnace temperature distribution. The simplifications on the structures of skid buttons and dislocated skids cause the neglect of shielding radiation of skids in the modeling. Overcoming this problem by the present model reduces the difference between the measured and predicted slab temperature by more than 20 K. Overall, the skid buttons reduce the sheltered area for slab heating by 86%, and the dislocated skids change the sheltered region of the slabs. These together favor a more uniform temperature of slabs. The results suggest that the CFD model can offer convenience to understanding, designing, controlling, and optimizing the slab heating process in a walking-beam reheating furnace.