-1-

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

Edge heating in hot strip

mills
Induction heating of transfer bar edges
compensates for strip edge cooling
during rolling and improves quality and
yield. Modern automatic compact
designs are readily retrofitted within
existing mill layouts.
Siebo Kunstreich, Danieli Rotelec, France
1. HISTORY
The basic principle of induction heating is
shown on figure 1. Coils powered with AC
current on a magnetic core generate a
magnetic flux, which crosses a steel bar.
In turn, the magnetic flux induces eddy
currents in the bar, which circulate in a
loop around the flux tube (electrical
currents do not cross the magnetic flux
that generates them). By moving the poles
of the magnetic core toward the edge of
the bar, the section of metal through which
the eddy currents circulate is reduced and,
consequently, the current density at the
edge is increased. Consequently, the
energy dissipated, which is proportional to
the square of the current density (Joule's
Law), will heat the edge much more than
the rest of the bar.
A magnetic flux is always a closed circuit
and so if a magnetic flux crosses a bar,
there must be a return circuit for this flux.
Two magnetic configurations can be used
(Fig. 1): the "U-type", where the flux
crosses the bar twice, and the "C-type",
where the flux crosses the bar only once.
Initially, the U-type configuration was
used, because the position of two
independent inductors can easily be
adjusted according to the thickness and
shape of the bar. However, the drawback
of this configuration is a rapid decrease in
heating efficiency if the gap between the
upper and lower inductor poles increases.
As a consequence, the available heating
power rapidly decreases with increasing
gap, and the head and tail of the bar can
generally not be heated enough, since
they are not flat and require a large

gap

U-type inductor

C-type inductor

Fig.1 :
Induction edge heating with transverse flux.
Magnetically, C-type inductors have the best efficiency, but
initially were not used because the pole gap was thought
not to be adjustable to bar shape. As a result, two separate
U-type inductors were used for gap adjustment in spite of
low efficiency.

opening. The C-type inductor permits a

considerable increase in the heating
efficiency compared to the conventional
design.
Originally
however,
these
advantages were not used, because it was
believed that the gap in the C-type
configuration could not readily be
changed.
Edge heating the transfer bars in hot strip
mills was developed in Japan using U-type
inductors, and Japan was the sole country
until 1988 that used this process
industrially.

-2In cooperation with Irsid and Sollac/Fos,

Danieli Rotelec developed a C-type
inductor, the gap of which can be adjusted
by independent movement of the upper
and lower arms [1]. A patented design
provides an articulation in the magnetic
core that does not create magnetic losses,
thus high heating efficiency is maintained
at big gaps enabling the head and tail of
the bars that are frequently deformed to be
heated (Fig.2) [2].

EFFICIENCY [%]

EFFICIENCY OF 'U-TYPE' AND 'C-TYPE' EDGE HEATER

Conventional heater "U"

New heater "C"

ELECTRICAL GAP [ mm]

Fig.2 :
Electrical efficiency of C- versus U-type edge heater.
The Rotelec's C-type maintains high efficiency at big gaps
[2]
and, hence, is more suitable for head and tail heating .

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

2. Why edge heating?

2.1 Temperature drop at bar edges
During hot rolling, the temperature of the
transfer bar gradually decreases. Near the
edges, the surface exposed to radiant
cooling is larger than in the middle of the
transfer bar, hence the edges cool faster
than the bulk. Fig. 3 shows a typical
temperature distribution of a transfer bar
edge on the roller table before the finishing
mill. (computed). The red curve indicates
the average temperature across the
thickness of the bar as a function of the
distance from the edge. A typical
temperature drop at the edge is 100C.
This value depends on the rolling and
cooling conditions and on the time that the
bar has passed in the roughing mill after it
has left the reheating furnace. Computer
simulations taking into account the
conditions of the roughing mill can
calculate the temperature distribution and
temperature drop at the edge.

Bar edge temperature distribution

1010

After a prototype installation was built in

1987 at Sollac/Fos [3], the Japanese hot
strip mills accepted the C-type design and
Danieli Rotelec delivered three of the four
new edge heaters installed in Japan since
1989,
namely,
NKK-Keihin
(1989),
Sumitomo Wakayama (1990 and 1993)
and KSC Chiba (1994). Outside Japan,
Danieli Rotelec delivered edge heater
installations at CSC Kaohsiung (1996),
BHP
Western
Port
(1998),
TKS
Beeckerwerth
(1999)
and
TKS
Bruckhausen (2000).
Today only, U-type inductors are no more
built; C-type inductors
have become
state-of-the-art.
Although third parties now offer C-type
edge heaters with similar design, Danieli
Rotelec is the sole supplier having
experience and references with automatic
gap
adjustment
and
independent
positioning of the upper and lower inductor
arms.

1020

1030

1040

Half
thicknes
s

Average temperature
In thickness direction [C]

1025

1000
975
Distance from edge [mm]
950
0

50

100

150

Fig.3 :
Computer-simulated temperature distribution through
bar thickness. Heat radiation at bar edges causes
temperature drops that must be compensated by edge
heating. Calculations determine amount and profile of the
drops as a function of the rolling history of the bar, typically
100C on 50mm.

2.2 Problems with cold edges

The reduced edge temperature causes
various problems during the rolling in the
finishing mill:
In low carbon steels, if the temperature
drops
below
the
austenite
transformation, rapid recrystallization at

-3the edges will result in brittle coarse

ferrite grains. In micro-alloyed steels,
an early precipitation may occur at too
low
temperature,
leaving
fewer
elements in solution for the final
precipitation in the ferrite of the microalloying elements. In both cases,
mechanical properties are reduced.
In stainless steels, the temperature
drop in the edges that combines a
lower ductility with higher rolling
pressure, results in rolled-in scale,
surface defects and cracks.
Cold edges are harder and, hence,
make thickness control more difficult
and increase wear of the work rolls.
These effects require the coil edges to be
trimmed to ensure overall quality. An
alternative would be to maintain the
absolute temperature at the edge above a
critical value by setting the furnace
temperature at higher values, but that
would decrease the furnace capacity and
increase energy consumption and scale
losses.

Strip edge surface temperature [C]

2.3 Benefits from heated edges

The purpose of edge heating is to
compensate the temperature drop in the
edges of the transfer bar in order to stop
or to decrease the above-described
problems.

STRIP MICROSTRUCTURE AT 25 mm FROM EDGE

WITHOUT EDGE HEATER
WITH EDGE HEATER

Distance from hot band edge [mm]

Fig.4 :
Effect of edge heating on temperature and structure.
Hot band thickness 2 mm, rolling temperature AR3 +
20C, samples taken 25 mm from edge. Edge heating
reduces the 30-mm coarse grain band to 14 mm thus
[3]
saving 16 mm trimming .

Fig. 4 shows an example of the surface

temperature measured across the hot
band width at the exit of the finishing mill
[3]. The solid line refers to a hot band with
edge heating; the dotted line refers to a

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

hot band without edge heating. The critical

temperature point Ar3 of the austenite
transformation is also shown. Without
edge heating, a width of 30 mm from the
edge was rolled below the critical
temperature. With edge heating, this width
was reduced to 14 mm. Theoretically, the
microstructure in the 14-30 mm band
should show coarse grain structure if the
bar is rolled without edge heating, and fine
grain structure if the bar edge has been
heated. This is confirmed by the
micrographs of samples taken at 25 mm
from the edge. The left sample that was
not heated shows the coarse grain
structure, the right sample that was heated
shows a fine grain structure same as in
the middle of the bar [3].

Fig.5 :
Instantaneous effect of induction heating. Time on xaxis is in 4-sec. increments and goes from right to left. The
transition from blue (cold) to red (hot) edges occurs in less
[4]
than one second .

Fig. 5 shows a thermal image of a hot

band as measured with a scanning
camera [4]. Time on the x-axis is in 4
second increments and goes from right to
left. As soon as the edge heater is
switched on, the transition from blue (cold)
to red (hot) edges occurs in less than one
second, demonstrating the instantaneous
effect of induction heating.
Generally speaking, reheating of the
edges improves quality and mechanical
properties and thus reduces trimming. The
following examples show some typical
improvements:

-4-

squares: with edge

hcrosses: without edge
h
Distance across hot band width
[
]
Fig.6 :
Improvement of elongation on low carbon steels. The
heated hot band has almost constant quality across the full
width, whereas the non heated hot band shows
[2]
considerable deterioration in a 50-mm band from edge .

% OF DEFECTIVE COILS

Fig. 6 shows the degree of elongation

across the width of the hot band for heated
(solid line) and non-heated (dotted line)
hot band. The non-heated hot band shows
a considerable deterioration up to 50 mm
from the edge, whereas the heated hot
band has almost constant quality over the
[2]
full width .

NUMBER OF HOT ROLLING SEQUENCE

Fig.7 :
Reduction of rolled-in scale on ferritic stainless steel.
The x-axis represents the number of hot rolling
sequences, the y-axis the percentage of defective coils in
each sequence. Edge heating reduces the defect ratio by
a factor of three.

Fig. 7 shows the reduction of surface

defects related to rolled-in scale on ferritic
[3]
stainless steel coils .. The x-axis
represents the number of hot rolling
sequences; the y-axis represents the
percentage of defective coils of each
sequence. Red squares represent coils
rolled with edge heating; yellow squares
coils rolled without edge heating. This
figure illustrates qualitatively, that surface
defects are substantially reduced by edge

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

heating. A detailed quantitative analysis

carried out on more than 6,500 austenitic
and ferritic stainless steel coils showed
that, although defect ratio on austenitic
grades is five to ten times higher than on
ferritic grades, edge heating, in both
cases, reduces defect ratio by at least a
[5]
factor of three .
3 - Heating method
3.1 Temperature profile control
The purpose of edge heating is to
compensate
partially
or
fully
the
temperature drop at the edges of the
transfer bar. The temperature rise T
generated in the edges can be controlled
by the electrical power supplied to the
inductor. Constant electrical power and
constant transfer speed of the bar mean
constant temperature rise T along the bar
length.
In the thickness of the bar, the
temperature rise is almost constant, since
the heat energy generated by induction is
almost constant through the bar thickness.
This is due to the transverse flux
configuration and is fairly correct within the
usual bar thickness range of 25 to 50 mm,
if the coil current frequency is chosen
appropriately.
Across bar width, however, heating must
be the inverse of the temperature drop
profile of the bar (Fig. 3) in order to
compensate for it. Such a heating profile
can easily be obtained if the inductor poles
are located close to the edges and the
eddy currents in the bar are compressed
at the edges (Fig. 1).
The temperature inside the bar can be
computed. Figure 8 shows a typical
temperature distribution and figure 9
shows that the temperature rise T
decreases exponentially with increasing
distance from the bar edge. The slope of
this decrease can be made steeper or
flatter, within a certain range, by moving
the inductor poles outward or inward with
respect to the bar edge.

-5-

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

and should be considered as the extrapolation of

the temperature profile to the edge. In case of
comparison with measured data, it is more
convenient to refer to T at some distance from the
edge.

Temperature rise delta T versus

distance from edge

Fig.8 :
Computer simulation of heating. Temperature
distribution in the bar edge (half bar width). The bar runs
through the inductor from right to left, y=0 represents the
inductor position.

120

Computation data:
specific heat 0,157 kcal/kgC
3
specific weight 7,55 kg/cm

100

Required thermal power PTH= 538 kW at

T=100C, speed 1,25 m/s, thickness 30 mm

80

60

standard slope 30
steep slope 23
flat slope 40

40

20

3.2 Power requirement

The example of Fig. 9 has been calculated
as follows: The thermal power PTH to be
injected into the bar edge to obtain a given
temperature rise and a given profile is
directly proportional to the bar thickness t,
bar speed v, and the integral of the
temperature rise T over the distance x
from the edge :
PTH = cP v t T dx
with cP = specific heat of steel(1)
= density of steel

0
0

50
100
dista nce from e dge [m m ]

150

Fig.9 :
Example of heating temperature profile. T decreases
exponentially with increasing distance from bar edge. The
slope of the decrease can be made steeper or flatter by
moving the inductor poles outward or inward with respect
to the edge. In this example, T=100C is obtained for a
30-mm thick bar running at 1,25 m/s through the inductor,
if a thermal power PTH = 538 kW is generated by the
inductor.

3.3 Limitation of heating capacity with

gap setting

The edge temperature rise T can be well

approximated by an equivalent
exponential curve
T = T0 exp(-x/b)
(2)
with b 30 mm, depending on the relative
position between inductor poles and edge
(wrap). Equations (1) and (2) combine into
a simple equation for the thermal power:
PTH = cP v t b T0 = k v t b T0

temperature rise delta T [C]

140

(3)

Note: The temperature rise T considered in the

above equations is the average across the bar
thickness, not the surface temperature. A surface
temperature obtained from measurements should
therefore be transformed into average temperature
before using the above equation. Within an error of
5-6% however, this transformation can be
neglected. The edge temperature rise T0 at x=0 is
used for convenience and computation purpose only

The heating power of an inductor depends

on the Amp-turns of the coil and on the
pole gap. For a given coil design, the coil
current is limited by the thermal rating of
the coil (section, type and cooling of the
conductor) therefore, there is an electrical
limitation to the heating power of any
inductor.
It has been shown that heating efficiency
drops with increasing gap (Fig. 2)., more
importantly, the bigger the gap, the smaller
will be the maximum thermal power PMAX
that can be generated by one inductor.
PMAX is shown for one inductor per edge
as a function of the pole gap in Fig. 10,
curve `coil 40`. The x-axis is called
`electrical` gap, because the values refer
to the real distance between the magnetic

-6-

Note: The curve "coil 30" refers to the first C-type

inductor manufactured in 1997. The curve named
"coil 40" refers to the currently-used inductor of size
750mm. This inductor can inject a thermal power
PTH = 780kW when operating at an electrical gap of
120 mm or PTH = 530 kW when operating at en
electrical gap of 180mm. The curve named "coil 45"
refers to inductors with increased size and/or
increased magnetic flux. At present, we do not
recommend to increase the width of the inductor,
because this would imply to increase the free space
between two adjacent rollers of the roller table to
more than 800mm (roll pitch to more than 1200mm).
We also do not recommend increasing the magnetic
flux above the presently achieved design level,
because a higher power density would increase
sparking problems on the roller table. Therefore, the
range at or above the curve named "coil 45" is not
recommended although it is perfectly possible to
build such inductors.

3.4 One or two inductors per edge

Generally, one or two inductors per edge
are installed on the roller table. Investment
cost and space availability obviously
favour one inductor. The heating
requirement may be determined as
follows:
i). The three parameters, temperature rise
(T0), bar thickness (t) and bar speed (v)
determine, according to equation (3), the
necessary thermal power PTH to be injected
into the edge. These parameters must be
chosen for the most demanding case, i.e.
the biggest product of the three factors. The
speed to be considered is not necessarily
the speed of stand F1, but the speed at
which the bar runs into the edge heater. It
may be higher than the F1 speed and/or the
crop shear speed, if the edge heater is
installed before the crop shear. Generally,
the problem is to specify T0.
ii). The operator must decide, up to which
deformation (warp) the bar shall be
heated, and is particularly relevant if the
bar has to be heated over its full length,
because head and tail warp determine the
maximum gap opening. Once the
maximum gap is chosen, PMAX results from
Fig. 10.
At this point of the analysis, the operator
will notice the important advantage of
independent upper and lower arm
adjustment that permits to operate at
smaller gaps and, hence, with bigger
power availability, see the example
described in chapter 4.3.

iii). Item i) above determines how much

thermal power per edge PTH is required for
given temperature rise/bar thickness/bar
speed triplet. Item ii) above tells how much
power PMAX is available as a function of
gap opening, i.e. warp acceptance. The
conclusion is then easy: If the capacity
PMAX is greater than the requirement PTH,
one inductor per edge is enough. If,
however, PMAX is smaller than PTH, two
inductors per edge have to be installed.
M axim u m th erm al p o w er versu s g ap
o n e in d u cto r p er ed g e
1200

the rm a l pow e r Pth [kW ]

core of the poles, not to the apparent

distance between pole covers.

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

c oil 40
c oil 45

1000

c oil 30
800
600
400
200
0
50

100

150

200

250

300

350

e le ctrica l ga p [m m ]

Fig.10 :
Maximum available heating power versus pole gap.
"Electrical" gap refers to the distance between poles
without thermal shields. Coil-30 line refers to Danieli
Rotelec's first edge heater; coil-40 to current 750-mm
large inductors. Coil 45 extrapolates to even bigger
inductors the industrial reliability of which has not yet
been proven.

3.5 Installation on the roller table

From a process point of view, the
installation of the edge heater as close as
possible to the entry of the finishing mill is
preferred, since the obtained temperature
rise will be fully available and the bar edge
will not cool down again. The closest
positions are between descaler and F1
(Fig. 11) or between crop shear and
descaler. Another apparent advantage of
these positions is a smaller warp, since
head and tail are already cut. Generally,
however, no space is available at these
locations for an efficient warp detector,
and the gap opening cannot be efficiently
reduced for safety reasons. Moreover, no
space will be available for two inductors
per edge, at least in most existing mills.
Finally for maintenance these positions
are less advisable, because the edge
heater will suffer from water and scale.

-7From a practical point of view, the best

position is on the roller table before the
crop shear (Fig. 12).

Fig.11 :
Single inductor car installed between descaler and F1,
BHP Western Port

Fig.12:
Double inductor car installed before crop shear , China
Steel Corporation, Kaohsiung hot-strip mill n2

This area is more maintenance-friendly,

because it is dryer than the other side of
the crop shear, and the space for two
inductors is available. The drawback of
bigger
warp
acceptance
can
be
compensated by optimized gap setting.
Generally, the roll pitch of the existing
roller table must be adapted such that the
lower inductor arm can move into the free
space between two rolls. Further, special
electrical insulations must be provided
between rolls, table frame and roll motors
in order to avoid damage to motors,
bearings and bar surface by electrical
sparks. Therefore, it is recommended to
replace the existing roller table within a
distance of two rolls before and behind the
edge heater by a new group, which can be
pre-manufactured and installed during a
mill scheduled outage.

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

4 - Mechanical design of edge heaters

4.1 Modular edge heater cars
Each C-type inductor consists of two coils,
two magnetic poles and one articulated
magnetic core with upper and lower arms
(Fig. 1).
One or two inductors are installed on a
movable frame called edge heater car.
Figure 12 shows a double inductor car
designed for ground installation. The
overall dimensions of such car are
approximately :
Length: 5,100 mm
Height: 2,600 mm
Width: 1,200 mm for single inductor
car; 2,400 mm for a double
inductor car
Width of inductor head: 720mm,
clearance for installation 750mm
One car is installed on each side of the
delay table. The electrically driven cars
move on rails to adjust their position
according to the bar width and a pulse
generator enables a position accuracy of
at 5mm by PLC control. The total stroke
of the carrier mechanism depends on the
range of bar widths to be covered. If
enough backspace is available, the stroke
can be increased by simple extension of
the rails and of the supporting structure
such that maintenance on the inductors is
possible even without downtime of the
rolling mill.
If the roller table environment does not
allow enough back space for the ground
installation, a hanging version can be
proposed. The car length is then reduced
from approximately 5200 mm to 2500 mm,
however the height is increased from 2600
mm to 5400 mm. This version requires a
total lifting height below crane of
approximately
10
m
for
installation/removal to/from the rails.
4.2 Damage prevention
The following have been designed to
obtain maximum safety of operation with
misshapen bars.
A patented articulation/joint has been
developed to permit the two poles to move
separately without additional flux losses.
An electrical motor with a gear and
electrical clutch actuates each arm of the
yoke separately. Adequate sensors
measure the absolute position of the arms.
The actual value of the gap is adjusted

-8within 2 mm by the PLC with reference

to the bar thickness and the bar shape.
The gap can follow the slope of the bar
from head to tail in real time provided the
position of the edge heater on the table
permits the installation of bar shape
detectors
(warp
detectors,
infrared
cameras, see chapter 6.1). If not, the gap
is set to preprogrammed values as a
function of bar thickness and warp ranges.
Typical values of minimum and maximum
gap position are 100 and 520 mm,
respectively.
In case the bar is misshapen, the following
means are provided in order to avoid
damage to the inductors:
Electrical opening: Under normal
operation, one warp detector installed
upstream of the edge heater provides
a signal, which is used to automatically
set the upper and/or lower arm to the
appropriate position.
Electrical emergency opening: In case
the warp detector was not installed or
does not operate correctly, a warp
detection arm can be fixed to the upper
inductor arm and will mechanically
detect, if the upward warp comes too
close to the position of the upper pole.
This arm then will give a signal that is
used to open the upper and lower
arms. This emergency opening occurs
in less than 1 second.
Mechanical protection of upper arm:
To prevent damage of the upper arm, a
mechanical roll protection being placed
aside the pole will mechanically lift the
upper arm if touched and pushed by a
misshapen bar. A special design
permits the upper arm to swing
upwards from any position.
Mechanical protection of lower arm: To
prevent damage of the lower arm, a ski
in the middle of the delay table facing
the inductors is installed. The width of
this ski must be adapted to the width of
the smallest bar that has to be heated.
Mechanical emergency opening: In
case of breakdown of electrical power,
the electrical clutches of the arm
motorization open automatically. The
weight of the lower arm is sufficient to
open immediately. The upper arm is
provided with a counterweight so that it
also opens immediately. Two shock
absorbers reduce the velocity at the
end of the movement.

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

These means have been designed to

obtain maximum safety of operation with
misshapen bars.
4.3 Benefit of gap adjustment
Independently of the safety aspect
explained in the previous chapter, the
design
with
adjustable
gap
and
independent positioning of upper and
lower arms gives a very important
advantage as far as the available heating
power PMAX is concerned.
This is
illustrated by the following example:
Fig. 13 shows a 30 mm thick bar with an
upward warp of 100 mm and a downward
warp of 50 mm that must be heated. The
left figure (fixed gap) shows that the
electrical gap must be set at 230 mm to
accept the warp of +100/-50 mm. (Warp
100+50 mm plus safety margin 20+20 mm
plus thermal screen 20+20 mm = 230
mm). As already mentioned, the bigger
the gap, the smaller becomes the
maximum thermal power PMAX that can be
generated by one inductor. For a gap of
230 mm, PMAX becomes 390 kW (Fig. 10).
This is not enough for the example of
figure 9 that requires a thermal power PTH
=538 kW to produce a temperature rise
T0 of 100C for a 30 mm thick bar
traveling at 1.25 m/s. That means that two
inductors must be installed per edge to
satisfy heating requirement and warp
acceptance simultaneously.
If, however, the inductor is provided with
independent positioning of upper and
lower arms, the centre and right parts of
figure 13 (bar head and bar tail) show, that
a gap setting of 170 mm and 150 mm
respectively, is enough to accept a bar
head with +100 mm warp or a bar tail with
-50 mm warp. The available power PMAX at
170 mm and 150 mm gap is respectively
565 kW and 640 kW (Fig. 10). This is
more than the required PTH =538 kW , to
produce a temperature rise T0 of 100C
for a 30mm thick bar traveling at 1.25
m/sin this example. This means that with
independent positioning of the upper and
lower arms, heating requirement and warp
acceptance can simultaneously, be
satisfied with only one inductor per edge.
Independent arm positioning is a
necessary, but not sufficient condition to
obtain that advantage. The warp of an
incoming bar has to be known/measured,

-9and the arm position must be regulated in

real time. This is described in chapter 6.2.

20
20

20
20

100
30

100
30

50

10
20

20
10
30
50

20
20

FIXED GAP
230mm for warp
up +100mm and
down - 50mm

20
20

ADJUSTABLE GAP
BAR HEAD
170mm for warp
up +100mm

ADJUSTABLE GAP
BAR TAIL
150 mm for warp
down -50mm

Fig.13 :
Fixed versus adjustable gap. Head and tail warp of +100/50 mm requires an electrical gap setting of 230 mm in case
of fixed gap, whereas individual adjustment of upper and
lower arms permits to operate at 170 respectively 150 mm
gap. At 230-mm gap the available heating power PMAX =
390 kW, whereas at 170/150 mm it is 565/640 kW!

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

The above example shows that indications

of power values should clearly name the
type of power that is concerned (thermal
vs. electrical). Since there is more than a
factor of four between kW of thermal
power per edge and kVA of power rating
of the main transformer, indications of
power values without clear identification
make the comparison of different
installations hazardous and impossible.
Although it is obvious for electrical
engineers to make a clear distinction
between such values, publications usually
do not. With the same aim to promote
transparency, we would like to underline
that any performance indication, whether
efficiency or thermal power or electrical
power,
must
be
linked
to
the
corresponding gap value or it makes no
sense.
POWER RATING OF
TRANSFORMER
:

PTR

5 - Electrical design
INVERTER

5.1 Power ratings

Fig. 14 shows how to estimate the power
ratings of an edge heater installation.
The primary input data is the
temperature drop to be compensated
(or temperature rise to be generated),
bar thickness and bar speed
Example: Temperature rise 100C for a
32.5 mm thick bar running through the
edge heater at a speed of 1.5 m/s.
This data determines according to
equation (3) the required thermal
power PTH that has to be generated in
the bar edge. Assume PTH = 700 kW.
The thermal power PTH divided by the
efficiency gives the electrical power
per edge PEL that has to be supplied to
the inductor (or indictors). Assuming
operation at electrical gap 150 mm
gives efficiency =70%, and electrical
power PEL= 1,000 kW (input power to
the edge heater).
Considering
approximately
90%
efficiency for power supply and line
losses as well as 10% spare power,
one obtains the rating of the inverter(s)
PINV for two edges. Example: PINV =
2,400 kW.
The rating of the power transformer
PTR finally is determined by the inverter
rating. Example: PTR = 2,900 kVA

INVERTER

[kVA]

2900

[kW]

2400

POWER RATING
INVERTERS

PINV = 2 PEL / 0.8

OUTPUT POWER
FROM INVERTERS

POUT = 2 PEL +LL

[kW]

2100

ELECTRICAL
:
PER EDGE

(=0.70 at gap 140mm)

PEL = PTH /

[kW]

1000

T
T0

THERMAL POWER INTO

PTH = k1 t v T(x) dx [kW]

t
T0

700

= k2 t v T0

BAR DATA:
100,0
EDGE TEMP.LOSS T0 [C]
BAR THICKNESS t
[mm]
32,5
BAR SPEED v
[m/s]
1;5

Fig.14 :
Example of power ratings. Heating T=100C at bar
thickness 32,5 mm and bar speed 1,5 m/s requires thermal
power PTH= 700 kW per edge, electrical power input into
the inductor PEL= 1000 kW, inverter power rating for both
edges PINV 2400 kW and power transformer rating PTR
2900 kVA.

5.2 Power regulation

Electrically, an
edge heater is a single-phase parallel
resonance circuit powered by a thyristor
inverter with thyristor phase commutation
by load. The resonance frequency 0 of
the oscillator is given by 0 = (LC)-1/2. L is
the reactance of the coils that are installed
around the inductor poles. C is the
capacity of the capacitor bank that is
installed on the edge heater car, not in the
electrical room, to keep the distance

- 10 between capacitors and coils short, and

hence to keep the line losses low. The
frequency is in the range of 250 - 300 Hz.
For a given design, i.e. given resistance of
coils and coil-capacitor connections, the
impedance of this circuit depends on the
pole gap and whether a bar is present or
not. Without bar in the gap, i.e. without
load, the power input required to maintain
the oscillation is low and
the circuit
consumes
only
the
power
that
corresponds to the internal losses. As
soon as the bar enters into the gap, the
circuit load increases and the power input
must be increased instantaneously, if not
the circuit stops oscillating. Since starting
the oscillator under load is not fast
enough, the circuit must be started without
load and must be kept under oscillation
between two closely following bars.
Oscillation without load means low power
from the inverter which requires a special
design of inverter to permit rapid change
of operational mode.
To obtain a given temperature rise T0 in
the bar edge, a given thermal power PTH
(equation 3) must be generated by the
inductor in the edge, i.e. a given electrical
output power PEL = PTH/ must be
delivered by the inverter. Since depends
on the gap setting that may change during
heating, the setting value PEL must be
calculated in real time as a function of gap
position. Moreover, since PTH depends on
the bar speed v that may also change
during heating, PEL must also be calculated
in real time as a function of bar speed.
Consequently, the control method is as
follows: The initial setting values for an
incoming bar are bar thickness t and T0.
The bar thickness remains constant during
heating, but T0 may be changed during
heating. Both t and T0 are stored in a
PLC that calculates, in real time, the
corresponding
thermal
power
PTH
(equation 3) as a function of the actual bar
speed, as well as the related electrical
power PEL, as a function of the actual
efficiency. This is in turn determined by the
actual gap position. The actual result PEL
becomes the setting value of the inverter.
The inverter is operated with output power
control, not with current or voltage control,
and thus imposes PEL independently of the
impedance change that may occur on the
oscillating circuit. Another regulation loop
that operates independently of the output

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

power control monitors and limits the

actual coil current to its nominal value.
This function overrides the power control
and constitutes the limitation of the
maximum power PMAX as per Fig. 10.
For reasons of investment cost saving,
only one inverter is generally used for both
motor side and operator side inductors.
However, this is advisable only if the
temperature profile on both sides is the
same and if the bar is well centred. If
individual temperature setting per side is
required, or if the bars can move relative
to the centre, then this requires individual
inverters each side. There is another
reason to use individual inverters per side;
even individual temperature setting is not
required. If the bar is not well centered
with respect to the table center, the
relative positions of pole and edge are
different from one side to the other.
Different relative positions imply different
load coupling of the oscillating circuit; that
in turn implies different impedances on
both sides. Since both sides are
connected in parallel to the same inverter,
the power delivered to one side and to the
other becomes out of control.
6 -Process automation
6.1 Data interface with mill levels 1 &
2The edge temperature drop could be
compensated automatically by a regulation
that uses temperature measurements
before and after the edge heater. Such
regulation, however, is not used, because
scale, water and bar shifting make bar
temperature measurements unreliable.
The heating temperature T is given either
by level 2 as a setting value that is stored
in the edge heater PLC/PC system , or it
can be replaced by a number that
characterizes typical rolling schedules and
hence typical temperature drops. In
addition to T, level 2 must send for each
incoming bar a set-up message (c.f.
Fig.15) comprising:
Compulsorily
Bar number (for identification of bar),
Bar width (for position setting of edge
heater cars),
Bar thickness (for heating power
calculation),
and optionally
Bar length

- 11

Heating mode (cold run, constant T

heating, variation of T along bar
length etc.)
Date, time, steel grade, power
correction or any other mill-specific
data.
In addition to the set-up message, the
following signals from the mill must be
provided to the PLC in real time,
preferentially by hard-wired connection:
Actual bar speed upstream and
downstream of edge heater
Three or four actual bar positions (hot
metal detectors, crop shear cut or the
like)
With this data, the edge heater PLC/PC
system operates and controls the entire
installation fully automatically, elaborates a
detailed heating report for each bar, stores
heating results and fault messages in a
history file and communicates with level 2
and with the operator HMI. Maintenance
HMI in the electrical room can be added
optionally. The operator can switch from
automatic to semi-automatic operation and
choose the heating value T manually,
see HMI screen in Fig.15. However, he
cannot control the movements of edge
heater cars and inductor arms that remain
PLC-controlled to prevent damage.

Fig.15:
Example of HMI screen, set-up data. The set-up data
from level 2 for the actually heated and the next incoming
bar is displayed on the left side of the screen (date, time,
bar data, heating mode and heating temperature). The
right side shows the operator set-up data, bar shift and
upper/lower arm offset in automatic and semiautomatic
mode, operator/motor side setting of power, temperature
and wrap position in the semiautomatic mode.

6.2 Bar tracking and warp detection

Automatic operation of edge heaters is
essential. The PLC/PC system must be
able to track the bar for automatic heating
switch on (and off) in due time and

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

recognize bar deformations for automatic

gap setting.
The first function is relatively simple. A hot
metal detector identifies bar head and tail
positions at a given time, the PLC
calculates the actual position by
integration of the bar speed signal over
time and recalibrates the position with
subsequent hot metal detectors.
The second function is less easy. To
detect upward warps, conventional
installations
use
mechanical
flags
arranged on one or several levels above
the pass line that give an electrical contact
if touched by the bar. This contact is then
used to set the upper arm to appropriate
positions. If no space is available to install
such warp detectors, the upper arm is set
"blindly" according to preprogrammed gap
values for bar-head, middle and tail. The
downward warp is never detected and the
lower arm is pre-set "blindly". This type of
operation must include sufficient safety
margin for the arm positions and, hence,
cannot operate at very small gap. To
optimize the operation at the smallest
possible gap, Danieli Rotelec developed
an optical warp detection system. Two
infrared cameras located on the motor and
operator sides determine the actual bar
edge position at a given location upstream
from the edge heater and generate an
analog signal that indicates the distance of
the upper and lower bar edge with respect
to the pass line. The camera has a built-in
microprocessor to eliminate noise signals
due to water and scale on the bar. The
signal is fed to the PLC that controls the
upper and lower arm position with the
appropriate time delay.
6.3 Quality control
The comparison between setting and
actual T value of the bar edge is the most
important information for quality control of
the hot coils. It may happen, that a local
bar deformation (warp) requires a big gap
setting for some seconds , hence the bar
edge is under heated along the
corresponding
length.
As
surface
temperature measurements in real time
are not very reliable and do not permit
accuracy better than 15%, Danieli
Rotelec developed a sophisticated system
that combines
performance test
measurements
under
steady
state

- 12 conditions with real time measurements

under operating conditions, and real time
computation that determines the actual
temperature rise T, with a reproducibility
better than 2%. That data is generated
as a function of bar length, stored for each
bar and can be used and further
processed by level 2 for any appropriate
quality control system, Fig.16.

Published in Millenium Steel 2002, pages 153-160

thanks to several exclusive/proprietary

features. (table 1): Key electrical and
mechanical components have been
designed for high efficiency and long life.
These are compact design integration into
existing hot strip mills without major
revamping,
a
rapid
gap
opening
mechanism for safe operation in
emergency
situations,
independent
positioning of the upper and lower inductor
arms, combined with an optical warp
detector for high power availability for
head and tail heating, and real time
generation of actual edge temperature rise
for effective hot band quality control
versus bar length.

EXCLUSIVE FEATURES
- C-type adjustable gap
(patent)
- Multi-conductor Roebeltype coil (patent)
- Ceramic thermal screen
(patent)

Fig.16:
Example of HMI screen, heating result. For each bar as
identified by its set-up data (top left of the screen) the
heating result is indicated in terms of actual power and
temperature versus the bar length (bottom of the screen).
Light and heavy faults that might have occurred are
displayed in the middle of the screen.

7 -Conclusion
C-type edge heaters were developed in
the late 1980s by Danieli Rotelec and Irsid
and are now very sophisticated machines

BENEFITS
High efficiency
Long life

- Quick gap opening

Safety in emergency
situation

- Independent positioning of
upper/lower arms
- Optical warp detector

High power availability

for head and tail heating

- Real time generation of

actual edge T rise

Hot band quality control

versus bar length

Table 1

Siebo Kunstreich is Managing Director of Danieli Rotelec, France

References
[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

.
.

[5]
[6]
[7]

J.Hellegouarc'h, G.Prost, J.Ruer (Rotelec), Revue de Mtallurgie Juillet-Aot 1989,

p. 593-602
S.Fukushima, K.Okamura, T.Kase (Sumitomo Wakayama), G.Prost (Rotelec), IEEE
Transactions on Industr. Applic., Vol.29,No.5, Sept/Oct.1993,p. 854-858
F.Blanchet, G.Dantin, T.Prasse, G.Prats, G.Roux Sollac Fos), Revue de Mtallurgie
Sept. 1991, p. 1134-1141
C.Queens (Thyssen Krupp Stahl Beeckerwerth), private communication
G.Roux (Sollac Fos), private communication
Picture from BHP Western Port
Picture from China Steel Corporation, Kaohsiung, hot strip mill No.2