Sensors & Transducers


Hot and cold rolling mills

January 2022 Sensors & Transducers

How can the steel industry improve on quality without breaking the bank? When it comes to hot and cold rolling mills, many factors influence the quality of the product as well as the production life of your equipment.

One of the major consumables in this process is the oil in water emulsion used to spray on the mill rollers to cool, lubricate and improve the finish of the final product, as well as assist with corrosion prevention and control friction.

These emulsions can only perform reliably if their concentration is measured and controlled with high accuracy. In cold strip rolling, variations in the concentration of the emulsion (water/oil ratio) may cause problems during the rolling or downstream processes. A high concentration of oil leads to excessive lubrication, a thick layer of oil on the steel, cooling problems during rolling and problems during annealing. Too low a concentration however, results in insufficient lubrication causing excessive abrasion and impaired corrosion protection.

Online monitoring of the concentration is therefore crucial to ensure the best possible yield of the steel in the milling process. In the process, the liquid emulsion is circulated in a closed circuit and regenerated continuously. The emulsion composition is constantly changing due to the continuous evaporation of water, the oil discharge through the rolling, the penetration of foreign oils or iron particles and dirt. Therefore, monitoring this emulsion is critical to achieving the desired quality.

Morton Controls provides a unique solution to the problem of monitoring this concentration with the SensoTech LiquiSonic Analyser. The instrument measures the concentration of oil in the water emulsion, real-time and online, so that adjustments can be made during the rolling process.

The LiquiSonic sensor is installed after the pump and in the main line to the spray nozzles on the rolling stand. Depending on the system, the pipeline diameter ranges typically from DN 80 to DN 200. Up to four sensors can be connected, allowing the simultaneous monitoring of several measuring points of the tandem mill. In addition, one controller can also administrate several sensors in different mills as the distance between the sensor and controller can be up to 1000 m.


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