Institute of Industrial Researches VDEh (Düsseldorf, Germany):

C. Rein, Dr. Eng., Head of Project, e-mail: carsten.rein@bfi.de
B. Stranzinger, Dr. Eng., Head of Department
R. Giese, Dr. Eng., Former Head of Project, Dept. of Power Engineering, Gas and Industrial Furnaces

For many years, the Institute for Applied Research of the Society of German Metallurgists (BFI-VDEh) has used a combination of numerical simulation, measurements on a test bench and production measurements on an aggregate to optimize thermal processes. As an example, a strip pre-heating hot-dip line furnace operating under non-stoichiometric conditions is considered. Before galvanizing, the strip is heated up to about 800 °C under the hypostoichiometric conditions of operation of the continuous furnace. To ensure a certain atmosphere in individual zones of the furnace and reduce energy consumption, the furnace and burners used were subjected to experimental and numerical research. Based on the results of these studies, base points have been determined to improve the operation of the furnace and measures were developed to optimize the heating process.