MODELING AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE THERMAL BEHAVIOR OF A SILICON STEEL DECARBURIZATION PROCESS

Optimal operation conditions of a silicon steel strip production have been investigated by means of a theoretical study on a tunnel-shaped thermal equipment. A mathematical model has been developed to describe the thermal process occurring in a continuous load moving through sections of electrical radiant heaters and forced coolers. The proposed methodology evaluates both radiative exchange and convective transfer. The simulated results provide the workload temperature distribution profile in any equipment position. Model validation was obtained by confronting the simulated and experimental results obtained by ACESITA S.A. Optimal conveying speed and heating sector temperatures were determined by using a particle swarm optimization algorithm.