Speaker
Description
Steel manufacturers are continuously developing higher performance steel grades by optimizing the chemistry at the steelwork and by changing the process parameters, in particular the heat cycles to be applied in the annealing furnaces. In hot dip galvanizing lines, the production of the latest Gen3 AHSS require higher annealing temperatures which are difficult to be achieved by using gas fired radiant tubes. The new thermal cycles also require a quenching followed by an induction rapid heating where the strip may still have a big fraction of austenite which results in poor magnetic properties for a heating by a conventional inductor. This also raises concerns in the case of the galvannealing induction heating process for the same reasons. To fulfil the requirements of the new annealing cycles, i.e. heating the strip at high temperature (above Curie point) or rapid heating the strip with poor magnetic properties, the transverse flux induction is the unique industrial solution.
Fives has been developing the CELES EcoTransFlux™ technology since more than 20 years, first for rapid heating of stainless steel in strip processing lines. Today, this advanced technology is becoming a key equipment for processing the latest Gen3 AHSS and also for developing higher performance electrical steel products.
This paper presents the main features and performances of Celes transverse flux induction technology as well as different industrial applications and references.