Jimeng Walking Beam Heating Furnace
I. Overview
The walking beam heating furnace is an energy-efficient heating device designed for the steel industry. It is primarily used for heating metal materials such as slabs, billets, round steel, and steel sections prior to rolling. Its core feature is the use of a "walking beam" structure, where the workpiece is moved forward within the high-temperature furnace in stages, according to a fixed pitch, by a mechanical device. This ensures the workpiece is continuously heated during transportation, resulting in uniform heating and improved energy efficiency. Walking beam furnaces are widely used in the metallurgical industry for preheating before hot rolling and are especially suitable for large-scale continuous operations.
II. Structural Composition
The walking beam heating furnace mainly consists of the following components:
Furnace Structure: Constructed using a modular steel frame lined with refractory bricks or high-alumina fiber insulation. This provides excellent thermal insulation and resistance to high temperatures.
Combustion System: Equipped with high-efficiency, low-NOx burners. The fuel can be natural gas, coke oven gas, etc., ensuring complete combustion and high thermal efficiency.
Walking Beam Mechanism: Composed of fixed beams, movable beams, and a hydraulic drive system. This setup gradually moves the billet forward at fixed intervals.
Temperature Control System: Features multiple temperature zones with precision thermocouples and infrared temperature sensors, enabling zoned control and real-time furnace temperature monitoring.
Control System: Utilizes a PLC+HMI automatic control platform to manage heating programs, set process parameters, issue fault alarms, and support remote monitoring.
Exhaust and Waste Heat Recovery System: Located at the furnace tail, it includes exhaust outlets and heat recovery units to utilize waste heat and enhance overall energy efficiency.
III. Working Principle
The walking beam heating furnace uses a step-by-step motion-lifting, moving forward, and lowering-to advance the billet through the furnace. During this process, the billet passes through different temperature zones (preheating, heating, and soaking zones) and is gradually heated to the target rolling temperature (typically 1150°C to 1250°C). The stepping motion prevents deformation and uneven oxidation caused by prolonged contact between the billet and the furnace bottom, while also improving temperature distribution and thermal efficiency.
IV. Main Features
High Heating Uniformity: The stepping mechanism, combined with multi-zone temperature control, ensures uniform heating across the billet, avoiding over-burning or under-heating.
Significant Energy Savings: The use of regenerative burners and waste heat recovery systems significantly reduces fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions.
High Degree of Automation: The system can be integrated with feeding, discharging, and rolling mill processes, enabling fully automated operation.
High Equipment Reliability: The robust mechanical structure offers long maintenance intervals and is suitable for harsh industrial environments.
Wide Applicability: Accommodates billets of various sizes and materials, making it ideal for continuous casting and rolling lines, as well as high-speed wire rod and bar production.
V. Application Fields
Walking beam heating furnaces are widely used in the following industries and scenarios:
Steel and Metallurgy: For uniform billet heating before hot rolling, including hot rolling mills, steel rolling lines, seamless pipe perforation, and related processes.
Non-Ferrous Metal Processing: Suitable for preheating metals such as copper and aluminum.
Special Steel Heat Treatment: For temperature-controlled heating of materials like alloy steel and stainless steel.
Smart Manufacturing Projects: Serves as key equipment in newly constructed or upgraded intelligent steel rolling production lines.
