Journal of Materials Processing Technology 169 (2005) 466475

ACMOD-2DA heat transfer model for the simulation

of the cooling of wire rod
A. Lindemann
b
, J. Schmidt
a,
a
Otto-von-Guericke University, Institute of Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics,
P.O. Box 4120, D-39016 Magdeburg, Germany
b
NETZSCH-Ger atebau GmbH, Wittelsbacherstr. 42, D-95100 Selb, Germany
Received 23 June 2002; received in revised form 15 March 2005; accepted 8 April 2005
Abstract
To describe the heat transfer in the air-cooling (AC) line of wire rolling mills (Stelmor), a model (MOD) is developed which takes
account of the relevant inuencing variables. The packing density of the wire loops on the conveyor is particularly signicant for the cooling
of the wire rod. In this context, an analysis of the three-dimensional structure of the wire loops is performed, revealing the geometrical
dependencies in the form of a continuous description of the distribution of the wire mass on the conveyor as a function of the technological
parameters. This forms the basis for the modelling of the heat transfer processes on the conveyor. Consideration is given to the various heat
transfer mechanisms such as radiation and free and forced convection as a function of the construction of the various conveyor sections
and the thermal conduction in the wire. To calculate the two-dimensional (2D) temperature distribution over the length and the width of the
conveyor, a computer code called ACMOD-2D has been developed from the described model using the computer language C++.
2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Wire rod; Rolling mill; Stelmor; Modelling; Air cooling; Heat transfer
1. Introduction
In modern wire rolling mills, the rolled wire is cooled in
accordance with the Stelmor procedure (Fig. 1). By simu-
lating the cooling of the wire rod in the air-cooling line, the
various process inuences in the course of production can be
quantitatively ascertained and measures for an optimization
of the cooling conditions thereby derived. It is possible both
to determine the inuence of uctuations and to reduce the
amount of testing and measuring required during develop-
ment by means of preliminary simulation calculations. The
simulation of the wire cooling not only facilitates decision-
making with respect to the adjustment of process parame-
ters, but it is also a fundamental prerequisite for optimizing
the technology involved in terms of procedural and material
criteria and in terms of the design of the cooling line [13].

Corresponding author.
E-mail address: juergen.schmidt@vst.uni-magdeburg.de (J. Schmidt).
URL: http://www.uni-magdeburg.de/isut/TD/thermo.html (J. Schmidt).
Using the current level of knowledge as a starting point, a
model is developed to describe the heat transfer in the air-
cooling line which takes account of the relevant inuencing
variables. The packing density of the wire loops on the con-
veyor is particularly signicant for the cooling of the wire rod.
In this context, an analysis of the three-dimensional structure
of the wire loops is performed, revealing the geometrical de-
pendencies in the form of a continuous description of the
distribution of the wire mass on the conveyor as a function of
the technological parameters. This forms the basis for mod-
elling the heat transfer processes on the conveyor. In order to
obtain the numerical calculation of the two-dimensional tem-
perature distribution of the wire on the conveyor lengthwise
and crosswise, a calculation program is developed which, by
dint of its modular structure, is so exible that it can also be
employed for designing such installations. One prerequisite
for precise simulation results is the correct denition of the
thermophysical properties of the materials. We have already
presented in [4] both the measurement results for the thermo-
physical properties and their importance for the simulation.
0924-0136/$ see front matter 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2005.04.073
A. Lindemann, J. Schmidt / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 169 (2005) 466475 467
Fig. 1. Schematic representation of entire installation.
The results of the experimental investigations and the sim-
ulation of the cooling of wire rod will follow in subsequent
publications; we have already provided an overview in [5].
2. Heat conduction in the wire
In normal operation, differences in temperature of more
than 100 K can occur within one wire loop in an axial direc-
tion (centeredge). These temperature differences along with
the relatively high residence time of several minutes, make
it necessary to take the heat conduction into consideration,
although with Biot numbers of (Bi
r,max
0.025) in a radial
direction, these is negligible. The heat conduction problem
is hence reduced to an unsteady 1D problem with source. On
account of the conditions of symmetry, the heat conduction is
only observed in one quarter of a loop, between the edge and
the center of the conveyor, assuming adiabatic cross sections.
The curvature of the wire loop and the difference in machin-
ing time between center and edge are ignored. The heat ux
densities caused by convection and radiation are modelled
as sources or sinks of the heat conduction problem. For the
period t
l
which each wire piece needs to cover the so-called
characteristic conveyor section y
l
, mean heat transfer coef-
cients (x) and mean heat ux densities q(x) are employed.
The following formula applies:
t
l
=
y
l
u
c
. (1)
The prescribed physical characteristics are re-calculated for
each period t
l
on the basis of the current mean tempera-
ture of the wire. The general form of the Fourier differential
equation (1D) is:
c
p
T
t
=

x

T
x

+ q
v
with
q
v
=
2
r
[ q
conv
(x

) + q
rad
(x

)]. (2)
In view of the assumed symmetry, the adiabatic condition
obtains the following for the cross sections of the quarter
loop:
t > 0, x

= 0 or x

= L
T
x

= 0 (3)
and by way of initial condition, the laying temperature is
assumed to be uniform wire temperature as follows:
t = 0, x

0 T(x

) = T
0
. (4)
The explicit differential procedure is applied as a solution.
Since the heat ux density is modelled as a function of the
x coordinates of the conveyor and not as a function of the
axial coordinates x

of the quarter loop, a transformation of

coordinates is required.
Under certain technological conditions, the heat conduc-
tion in the wire is also negligible in an axial direction. In such
cases, the solution provided by the Fourier differential equa-
tion is not required and, in order to determine the temperature
of the wire by means of the wires energy balance, it is nec-
essary to calculate the wire mass ow m
w
(x) and the heat
transfer surface A
ht
(x). Independent of this, the heat transfer
surface, which is variable in a transverse direction, is also
required in order to determine the air heating caused by the
vertical ow through the wire loops.
Before modelling the heat ux densities caused by con-
vection q
conv
(x) and radiation q
rad
(x) as required in Eq. (2),
it is rst necessary to analyze the laying geometry.
3. Geometry of wire loops
On account of the rotating movement of the laying head,
the wire which has hitherto been moving in a lengthwise
direction is laid in circular loops on the conveyor of the
air-cooling line [5]. With the aid of Fig. 2 and the relations

2
=
t
t
rotation
= t
u
w
d
l
=
2u
w
d
l
t and (5)
u
c
u
w
=
y
l
d
l
u
c
= u
w
y
l
d
l
y
l
= d
l
u
c
u
w
(6)
it is possible to determine the position of each piece of wire
being observed at the time t in the x, y plane as a function of
the prescribed technological parameters rolling speed r
l
, wire
speed u
w
, conveyor speed u
c
and loop radius r
l
as follows:
x = r
l
cos = r
l
cos
_
2u
w
d
l
t
_
(7)
y = r
l
sin +u
c
t = r
l
sin
_
2u
w
d
l
t
_
+
y
l
d
l
u
w
t. (8)
Todene the wire positionz at normal conveyor settingand/or
in the plane x, y, it is necessary to know the packing height
of the wire h. This may either be dened as a function of the
stated technological parameters or of the wire diameter d
w
.
In accordance with the conditions in similar triangles as per
468 A. Lindemann, J. Schmidt / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 169 (2005) 466475
Fig. 2. Position of the loops on the conveyor in various planes (horizontal and vertical).
Fig. 2 (left), and by employing Eq. (6), the following applies:
sin =
h
d
l
=
d
w
y
l
h =
d
l
d
w
y
l
=
d
w
u
w
u
c
. (9)
The axial displacement of the position of the wire in the direc-
tion of transportation is ignored when representing the wire
position z. As is schematically represented in Fig. 2 (right),
the individual wire loops are then practically separated in the
x, z plane. The tilt of the loops which have been laid down is
dependent upon the speed ratio u
w
/u
c
. The model assumes
a linear lot for the z position, which, together with Eq. (9),
produces:
z = 0.5hsin
_
2u
w
d
l
t
_
= 0.5
d
w
u
w
u
c
sin
_
2u
w
d
l
t
_
. (10)
The Eqs. (7), (8) and (10) allow the positions of the wire in
the various planes to be monitored over time.
3.1. Horizontal plane
When the wire loops which have been laid down are
viewed from above, a different laying geometry emerges as
a function of the technological parameters (Fig. 3). The so-
called representative conveyor section y
l
is characteristic
in the direction of transportation being recurrent in an ax-
ial direction contains the observed wire distribution in an
axial and transverse direction (conveyor width). The sum of
all wire sections l
w
in the representative conveyor section
y
l
corresponds to the length of one wire loop L
l
. This is
the starting point for a continuous description of the wire
mass distribution in the x direction, which actually displays
a discontinuous character. The following applies for the wire
mass ow m
w
:
m
w
=

4
d
2
w
u
w
=

4
d
2
w
u
c
L
l
y
l
= 2
_
r
l
x=0
m(x) dx
=

2
d
2
w
u
c
1
y
l
_
r
l
x=0
dl
w
dx
dx. (11)
The differentiation from the relation for the length of one
piece of wire derived fromFig. 4 (left) produces the following
for the distribution function (x):
l
w
(x) = 2r
l
_
0.5 arccos
_
x
r
l
__
(x)
=
dl
w
dx
= 2
_
1
_
x
r
l
_
2
_
0.5
. (12)
Eq. (12) makes it possible to calculate the wire mass owand
the heat transfer surface A
ht
as a function of the x coordinates
for one half of the conveyor as follows:
m
w
(x) =
d
2
w
u
c
2y
l
_
x
0
_
1
_
x
r
l
_
2
_
0.5
dx,
A
ht
(x)
m
w
(x)
=
4d
l
d
w
u
w
. (13)
3.2. Vertical plane
The description of the ow conditions through the wire
loops is restricted to a 2D representation. Because the main
ow is in the z direction, it is logical to select the vertical
x, z plane for this purpose. Fig. 4 (right) shows a vertical
section through the wire loops in the top view. Assuming
idealized cross sections as circular surfaces with the wire di-
ameter d
w
, the cross sections of the wires in the x, z planes
are arranged in an elliptical pattern. By way of simplica-
tion, the complex three-dimensional geometry is reduced to
innitely long cylinders lying parallel to one another. This
Fig. 3. Wire loops in the horizontal x, y plane with the representative section
y
l
at different rolling speeds.
A. Lindemann, J. Schmidt / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 169 (2005) 466475 469
Fig. 4. Schematic representations for the purpose of providing an analytic description of the laying geometry of the wire (idealized).
enables the theory of ow through a tube bundle to be em-
ployed. However, in the center of the conveyor, the theory
of a single cylinder in a cross ow is used. As the x value
increases, the distances between the wires decrease, leading
to increasing speeds in the free cross-sectional areas. The re-
sulting improvement in the convective heat transfer is due to
the so-called void or ank share. Part of the idealized wire ar-
rangement already depicted in Fig. 4 (right) is shown in Fig.
5. The following relation of the volumes may be formulated
for the area highlighted as being representative:
V
free
V
=
[s
I
(z
I
+d
w
) 0.25d
2
w
]y
l
s
I
(z
I
+d
w
)y
l
. (14)
The general formulation employing the control variables i is
the equation for dening the void share of the geometrical
arrangement observed here:
=
_
V
free
V
_
i
= 1

4
d
w
s
i
_
1 +
z
i
d
w
_
1
, i = 1, . . . , n. (15)
The formof Eq. (15) produces a discontinuous void share for
the various sections i. To maintain a continuous notation for
the void share, it is necessary to have the discrete values z
i
and s
i
. In accordance with the angle relation in Fig. 2 (right),
Fig. 5. Simplied laying geometry in the vertical plane; representation to
dene the ank or void share.
this produces:
z =
_
1
d
2
w

1
y
2
l
_
0.5
, (16)
although it should be noted that z is not a function of the
conveyor coordinates x, being solely dependent on globally
prescribed technological parameters. By means of a corre-
sponding modication of the ellipse equation the horizontal
distance s(x) is produced:
s(x) = r
l
_
1
4(|z| z)
2
h
2
_
0.5
x with
|z| = 0.5h
_
1 x
2
r
2
l
_
0.5
. (17)
Employing the distribution s(x) as per Eq. (17) in Eq. (15)
leads together with the vertical distance z, independent
of x as per Eq. (16) to the following continuous description
of the void share:
(x) = 1
0.25d
w
s(x)(1 +z/d
w
)
. (18)
Eq. (18) is employed to model the forced convection.
4. Forced convection
In principle, the wire on the conveyor dissipates heat
through both radiation and free/forced convection. These var-
ious shares of heat transfer play a role in the cooling process
and can be inuenced accordingly by specially constructing
the different sections, either inter alia by means of aps and
covers or by regulating the operation of the blowers. The
forced convection shall be addressed rst.
To model the heat transfer coefcients in the crosswise
direction, the area of calculation is divided into three areas
as per Fig. 6.
Area 0 x x
rp
: the area between the center of the con-
veyor and the increasing displacement of the cooling air
which sets in at the turning point x
rp
is governed by the
470 A. Lindemann, J. Schmidt / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 169 (2005) 466475
Fig. 6. Qualitative distribution of the convective heat transfer coefcients
across the moving direction at an equally distributed ow rate.
Nusselt relations for the pipe series:
Nu = 0.3 +(Nu
2
lam
+Nu
2
turb
)
0.5
(19)
where
Nu
lam
(x) = 0.664Re
0.5

Pr
0.33
(20)
and
Nu
turb
(x) =
0.037Re
0.8

Pr
1 +2.443Re
0.1

(Pr
0.67
1)
. (21)
The dimensionless characteristics of these equations are de-
ned as follows:
Re

(x) =
0.5u
a
(x)d
w
(x)
a
and Pr =

a
a
a
0.71. (22)
The modied Reynolds number Re

contains apart from

the characteristic length 0.5d
w
(ow-over length) and the
kinematic viscosity of the air
a
the continuous distribution
of the void share (x) (Eq. (18)). The Prandtl number of
the cooling air, Pr, is almost independent of the temperature
and can be set at constant. Employing the ow-over length
of the single wire which is blown on perpendicularly (cross
ow), the thermal conductivity of the air
a
and the previously
calculated Nusselt number (Eq. (19)) produce convective heat
transfer coefcients in the area 0 x x
rp
as follows:
Nu(x) =

fc
(x)0.5d
w

fc
(x) =

a
Nu(x)
0.5d
w
. (23)
Area x
rp
< x x
lim
: in the adjacent conveyor area leading
up to the limiting coordinate x
lim
, the cooling air is increas-
ingly deected on account of the ever-decreasing distances
between the wires. Consequently, the effect of the void share
has to be attenuated by means of a correction function. Fig.
7 furnishes a qualitative representation of the attenuation.
The correction function is described by means of the
formula:

K
(x) = a
1
+a
2
x
1
+a
3
x
2
+a
4
x
3
(24)
and has to full the following boundary conditions:

K,x=x
rp
=
x=x
rp
(25)
Fig. 7. Distribution function of the void share = V
free
/V in the scope of
validity of the pipe series equation.
_
d
K
dx
_
x=x
rp
=
_
d
dx
_
x=x
rp
(26)

K,x=x
lim
=
x=x
lim
+G(
x=x
rp

x=x
lim
) (27)
_
d
K
dx
_
x=x
lim
= 0. (28)
Here, a so-called weighting factor G is introduced; in princi-
ple, capable of assuming values between 0 and 1, this factor
is decisive for the degree of attenuation. The determination
of constants (Eq. (24)) requires the system of equations to
be solved in accordance with Cramers rule. The gradient
(d/dx)
x=x
rp
can be determined by means of difference quo-
tients:
_
d
dx
_
x=x
rp

=
1
x
(
x=x
rp

x=x
rp
x
) with
x = x
lim
10
4
. (29)
Since the weighting factor G and the limiting coordinates
x
lim
and x
rp
cannot be determined by experiments, numer-
ical simulations can be very useful. The commercial pro-
gram Fluent was used for the computational uid dynamics
(CFD) calculation. It is based on the nite volume method for
solving the three-dimensional NavierStokes equations and
it incorporates effective equation solvers with user-friendly
modules for the pre- and post-processing. Two-dimensional
simulations were carried out; rst for a simplied geometry,
see Fig 8, and afterwards for the geometry shown in Fig. 4.
The calculations were carried out on a grid containing cells
of such dimensions that further grid renement would not
signicantly inuence the results for the mean heat transfer
coefcient of the wires. The velocity elds were calculated
using both the k, -turbulence model with constant velocity
at the inlet and outow conditions. The local and mean heat
transfer coefcients were determined using the temperature
eld calculated for constant wire temperatures as a boundary
condition. Fig. 8 shows an example of how the cooling air is
increasingly deected as the distance between the wires de-
creases, the air speed at the edge is reduced to almost 0 m/s.
In the result of the numerical experiments, the limiting coor-
dinate is set at the point at which the distance between two
A. Lindemann, J. Schmidt / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 169 (2005) 466475 471
Fig. 8. Simulated speed distribution at a height of 0.5 m along with speed and temperature eld in the case of an asymmetrical distribution of the distance
between wires in the plane; u
a,0
= 20 m/s, T
a,0
= 303 K, T
w
= 1000 K, d
w
= 0.01 m.
wires corresponds to the diameter of one wire:
s(x = x
lim
) = 2d
w
. (30)
The assumption x
rp
= 0.9x
lim
is applied and the weighting
factor is stipulated as G = 0.5. The investigation of the sig-
nicance of the parameters Gand x
rp
shows a relatively small
inuence on the simulation results for heat transfer [4].
Area x
lim
< x r
l
: To calculate the convective heat trans-
fer coefcients directly on the edge of the conveyor, the Nus-
selt equations are employed for the plate which is blown
against in a longitudinal direction, thus taking into account
the technological parameters of cooling air speed and wire di-
ameter along with the effective physical characteristics. The
characteristic length l
ch
, which is determined by considering
the known mechanismof convective heat transfer, is a free pa-
rameter in the Nusselt equations for the plate blown against in
a longitudinal direction with the laminar and turbulent com-
ponents, which can likewise be calculated in accordance with
Eqs. (20) and (21), and the Reynolds number:
Nu
x=r
l
=
_
Nu
2
lam
+Nu
2
turb
_
0.5
=

x=r
l
l
ch

a
and Re =
u
a
l
ch

a
. (31)
To this end, extensive CFD simulations were also carried
out on the simplied assumption of cylinders lying parallel
to one another. Fig. 9 shows an example of the simulated
speed eld on the edge of the wire packing. Also presented
are the heat transfer coefcients determined, which in turn
provide the basis for determining the characteristic length l
ch
.
The complex heat transfer conditions and ow conditions at
the edge of the conveyor are approximately reected by the
determined dependence:
l
ch
= 2.636 10
3
y
0.791
l
, (32)
in conjunction with the known correlation for the plate blown
against in a longitudinal direction (Eq. (31)). Marked in Fig.
10 is the recommended gradient which complies not only
with the CFD simulation, but also with the experiment in the
rolling mill. The modelling of the heat transfer coefcients
between the limiting coordinate and the edge is effected on
the basis of the parabolic formula:

fc
(x) = a
1
+a
2
x +a
3
x
2
(33)
with the boundary conditions
_
d
fc
dx
_
x=x
lim
= 0 (34)

fc
(x = x
lim
) =
x
lim
(35)

fc
(x = r
l
) =
r
l
, (36)
Fig. 9. Enlarged sector of the simulated speed eld with marking of the cross sections on the periphery; local heat transfer coefcients and their mean values
calculated as an example; u
a,0
= 20 m/s, d
w
= 0.01 m.
472 A. Lindemann, J. Schmidt / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 169 (2005) 466475
Fig. 10. Gradient of the characteristic length l
ch
as a function of the loop
distance y
l
.
where the coefcients are also determined by solving the
system of equations using Cramers rule.
5. Natural convection
The distance between the wire loops decreases from the
center to the edge of the conveyor. At the outer edge, analo-
gous to the forced convection, the limiting case of the vertical
plate by approximation is assumed (Fig. 11). In the middle of
the conveyor, the wire loops are so far apart that they may be
regarded as single cylinders. The heat transfer coefcients for
free convection both at the vertical plate
plate
and at the hor-
izontal cylinder
cyl
may be calculated using characteristic
equations according to Michejew [6]:

cyl/plate
=
Nu
a,m
l
ch
(37)
with
Nu = 1.180(GrPr)
0.125
1.00 10
3
< GrPr 5.19 10
2
(38)
Nu = 0.540(GrPr)
0.25
5.19 10
2
< GrPr < 2.00 10
7
(39)
Fig. 11. Qualitative gradient of the heat transfer coefcients of the free
convection in the case of locally constant air and wire temperature (motive
power).
Gr =

a,m
g(T
w
T
a
)l
3
ch

2
a,m
. (40)
For the characteristic length, it is necessary to insert the wire
diameter d
w
(cylinder) or the equivalent characteristic length
(Eq. (32)) for the edge (plate). If the adjacent wire loops
have an impact on each other in respect of the heat transfer,
which occurs whenever the boundary layers of both wires
overlap, the correlation for the single cylinder can no longer
be employed. According to [7], it is possible to calculate a
mean thickness for the surface of the cylinder using the
Nusselt number calculated with (38) or (39):
= 0.5d
w
(e
GrPr
1) GrPr < 10
5
. (41)
This may be used as a limiting value for the scope of validity
of the correlation for the single cylinder. For the area where
the cylinders inuence each other, the heat transfer coefcient
is calculated by approximation according to:
x

< x r
l
:

nc
(x) =
plate
+
[
cyl
(x

)
plate
]a
w
(x)
a
w
(x

)
. (42)
The wire distance a
w
(x) may be calculated from the horizon-
tal distance s(x), which was determined using Eq. (17):
a
w
(x) = [s(x)
2
+z
2
]
0.5
d
w
. (43)
As the upper wire sections in particular are additionally
cooled by the movement of the conveyor, it is important to
distinguish between upper (t) and lower (b) wire position. In
the case of the upper wire position, consideration is given
both to the superposition of a forced convection (mixed con-
vection) and to the modied motive powers caused by the
heating of the air as it ows through the lower wire loops.
According to [6], the Nusselt number of the resulting mixed
convection may be calculated correspondingly:
Nu
mc
(x) = [Nu
3
fc
(x) +Nu
3
nc
(x)]
0.33
=

mc
(x)0.5d
w

a,m
(44)
with
Nu
nc
(x) =

nc,t
(x)0.5d
w

a,m
and T
m
= 0.5(T
w
+T
a
).
(45)
In doing so, it is necessary to take account of the fact that the
wire sections in the middle are lying transversely, and those
at the edge longitudinally, to the moving direction; it is, there-
fore, recommended to perform the calculation in accordance
with the following equation:
Nu
fc
(x) =
__
1
x
2
r
2
l
_
(Nu
cd
Nu
ld
)
2
_
0.5
+Nu
ld
. (46)
The Nusselt number for the cylinder Nu
cd
cross owis calcu-
latedinaccordance withEqs. (19)(22) using = 1, whereas
A. Lindemann, J. Schmidt / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 169 (2005) 466475 473
the Nusselt number for the cylinder Nu
ld
blown against lon-
gitudinally may be calculated according to [6] using:
Nu
ld
= 1.1K
0.5
+1.0

5K
0.1
10
3
K 10
4
Pr = 0.7 with
K =
4L
Z

a,m
d
2
w
u
c
and L
Z
= y
l
. (47)
6. Radiative heat transfer
On account of the complex structure of the wire loops on
the conveyor, it is necessary to reduce the mathematical effort
required to determine the shape factors to manageable pro-
portions by restricting what is essentially a three-dimensional
problem to a two-dimensional problem. This simplication
is justied by the fact that it is possible to perform an ad-
justment of the shape factors by means of temperature dis-
tributions determined through experiments. This is described
in [5]. The laying geometry of the wire cross sections in the
vertical plane form the basis for determining the shape fac-
tors from the wire to the surroundings
wa
(x) and from the
wire to the side wall
wSW
(x), analogous to the modelling of
the convective heat transfer. For the sake of simplication,
innitely long cylinders lying parallel to one another are as-
sumed; these are subdivided into wire sections of the upper
(t) and lower (b) half of the ellipse (cf. Figs. 2 (right) and
4) with A
ht,t
= A
ht,b
= 0.5A
ht,t
(x). The following apply for
the heat ow transferred by the wire to the surroundings as a
result of radiation:

Q
wa,b
=
wa,b
(x)
w
0.5A
ht

s
(T
4
w
T
4
a
) (48)

Q
wa,t
=
wa,t
(x)
w
0.5A
ht

s
(T
4
w
T
4
a
) (49)

Q
wa
=

Q
wa,b
+

Q
wa,t
= 0.5[
wa,b
(x) +
wa,t
(x)]
w
A
ht

s
(T
4
w
T
4
a
). (50)
Conditional upon the geometrical conditions and the assump-
tion validated by experiment that both the lower conveyor
areas and the lower part of the side walls acquire the same
temperature as the wire by approximation, it is stated that no
radiative heat transfer takes place from the lower part of the
wire loops to the side walls. This means that the heat ux
emitted from the wire to the side walls (SW) as a result of
radiation amounts to:

Q
wSW
=

Q
wSW,t
=
wSW,t
(x)
w

SW
0.5A
ht

s
(T
4
w
T
4
SW
).
(51)
The shape factors for the upper and lower wire position

wa,t
(x) and
wa,b
(x) as well as for the side wall
wSW,t
(x)
are modelled below.
The radiation exchange of any given piece of wire with
its surroundings may be hindered by adjacent wires or by
the side walls. Fig. 12 shows the wire cross sections in the
Fig. 12. Geometrical values for calculating the aperture angle to the sur-
roundings for the upper wire position; shielding is effected by the neighbor-
ing wires and the side walls.
upper wire position arranged in an elliptical pattern and the
associatedgeometrical dependencies. The shape factor for the
upper wire loops
wa,t
(x) to the surroundings can be given as
follows:

wa,t
(x) =
_
0.5
wa,t
(x)
0.5[
w,t,i+
(x) +
w,t,i
(x)]
_
. (52)
The rst term on the right-hand side of Eq. (52) describes
the proportion emitted to the surroundings as the ratio of the
aperture angle
wa,t
(x) to the angle 2, which corresponds
to the entire surroundings (see Fig. 12). The aperture angle

wa,t
(x) according to Eq. (52) is the result of the relative
position of the observed wire vis-` a-vis the neighboring wires
(case 1) or side walls (case 2). In case 1, where shielding is
exclusively effected by the neighboring wires, the following
applies:

wa,t
(x) =
3
2

1a
(x)
1b
(x). (53)
In this case, with the exception of the outer areas and with
x(z = h/2 z) x x(z = z), the following applies
for the angles
1a
and
1b
:

1a
(x) = arctan
_
z
s
a
(x)
_
;
1b
(x) = arctan
_
s
b
(x)
z
_
.
(54)
The horizontal distance s
b
(x) corresponds to the horizontal
distance to the next piece of wire in the x direction dened in
Eq. (17) and the distance to the previous piece of wire s
a
(x)
is given by:
s
a
(x) = x r
l
_
1
4(|z| z)
2
h
2
_
0.5
. (55)
The shape factors to the two neighboring wires still required
for Eq. (52) may be calculated using the equation specied
in [8] for the case B1.26 as follows:
474 A. Lindemann, J. Schmidt / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 169 (2005) 466475

w,t,i
(x) =
1

_
[X
2
w,t,i
(x) 1]
0.5
+arcsin
_
1
X
w,t,i
(x)
_
X
w,t,i
(x)
_
with
X
w,t,i
(x) = 1 +
a
w,t,i
(x)
d
w
.
The distance between the wire loops is calculated according
to the equation:
a
w,t,i
(x) = [s
2
a
(x) +z
2
]
0.5
d
w
;
a
w,t,i+
(x) = [s
2
b
(x) +z
2
]
0.5
d
w
. (56)
In case 2, where shielding is effected by the side walls (SW),
the shape factors to the neighboring wires as described in Eq.
(52) are not applicable (
w,t,i
(x) = 0). The following can
be applied instead (cf. Fig. 12):

wa,t
(x) =
L,t
(x) +
R,t
(x) (57)
and
z
SW,L
z
SW,L,min
:
L,t
=

2

SW,L
z
SW,R
> z
w
:
R,t
=

2

SW,R
z
SW,L
< z
SW,L,min
:
L,t
=

2

1a
z
SW,R
< z
SW,R,min
:
R,t
=
1b
z
w
z
SW,R
z
SW,R,min
:
R,t
=

2
+
SW,R
.
For the shape factor to the side wall, it is recommended to
employ the equation specied in [8] for the case B1.25 (cf.
Fig. 12):

wSW,t
(x) = 0.5d
w
{
SW,R
(x)/[z
SW,R
z
w
(x)] (58)
+[0.5
1b
(x)]/[z
w
(x) z
SW,R,min
]}. (59)
The equation applies for the shape factor between an in-
nitely long plane of nite width and a parallel, innitely
long cylinder to which the radiation exchange between wire
and side wall can be reduced by approximation.
To describe the radiation exchange of a piece of wire in
the lower wire position, the shape factor to the surroundings
without hindrance by the upper wire loops is rst calculated
and then corrected by the shape factor F
rad
. This shape factor
describes the degree of shielding and expresses the reduction
of the radiative heat emitted by the upper wire loops. Analo-
gous to the wire sections in the upper wire position the radia-
tion energy exchange with the lower parts of the installation
is ignored here too on account of their high temperature. The
extremely simplied view of the shielding by the wire sec-
tions in the upper wire position generally only allows qualita-
tive statements to be drawn, but is justied by the possibility
of performing an adjustment to the results of experimental
investigations. The shape factor to the surroundings can be
calculated in accordance with:

wa,b
(x) =
0.5F
rad
[
L,b
(x) +
R,b
(x)]

;
F
rad
=
1 nd
w
L
arc
, (60)
where the given geometrical values are depicted in Fig. 13.
For the two aperture angles on the left and on the right, the
following applies with c

L
= 1 and c

R
= 1:

L/R,b
(x) = arctan
_
0.5s
SW
+c

L/R
x
w
(x)
z
SW,L/R
+|z
w
(x)|
_
. (61)
The values L
arc
and n in Eq. (60) represent the arc length of
the ellipse and the number of cross sections thereon in the
vicinity of the aperture angle. To determine the number of
cross sections, it is rst necessary to calculate the coordinates
of the intersecting points with the elliptical arc P
L
(x
P,L
; z
P,L
)
and P
R
(x
P,R
; z
P,R
), with c
L
= 0.5 and c
R
= 0.5:
z
P,L/R
=
N
L/R
hx
w
C

_
_
N
L/R
hx
w
C
_
2
+
h(M
2
L/R
r
2
l
N
2
L/R
x
2
w
)
C
_
0.5
(62)
x
P,L/R
=
(z
P,L/R
N
L/R
x
w
)
M
L/R
with
C = h +4r
2
l
M
2
L/R
and (63)
N
L/R
=
|z
w
(x)| x
w
(z
SW,L/R
+|z
w
(x)|)
(c
L/R
s
SW
x
w
)
(64)
M
L/R
=
(z
SW,L/R
+|z
w
(x)|)
(c
L/R
s
SW
x
w
)
. (65)
Knowing that z represents the vertical distance between
two wire cross sections (see Fig 5), it is possible to calcu-
Fig. 13. Geometrical values for calculating the aperture angle to the sur-
roundings for the lower wire position; shielding is effected by the side walls
(SW) and the upper pieces of wire.
A. Lindemann, J. Schmidt / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 169 (2005) 466475 475
late the number of wire cross sections on the encompassed
elliptical arc:
n =
(h z
P,R
z
P,L
)
|z|
. (66)
The overall arc length L
arc
corresponds to the length of the
elliptical arcs encompassed between the intersecting points
and the coordinate x = 0, which can be calculated in accor-
dance with the well-known approximation formula. In view
of the high laying density of the wire on the periphery, the
radiation energy exchange of the wire sections in the lower
wire position with the side walls can be ignored.
7. Summary
To simulate wire cooling in an air-cooling line, a model
was developed which describes the complex heat transfer
conditions as a function of the technological parameters. The
model is based on the analysis of the three-dimensional struc-
ture of the wire loops, taking into consideration the signicant
geometrical interrelationships. Proceeding from the empiri-
cal correlations for describing the heat transfer in the case of
forced and free convection as substantiated in the literature,
adequate calculation specications have been established by
employing the characteristic geometrical values of the loops.
To adjust individual model parameters, the ndings fromsim-
ulations performed with the CFDprogramFluent were incor-
porated. On account of the very complex laying structure of
the wire loops, the description of the radiation energy ex-
change was reduced to a problem of cylinders lying parallel
to one another, taking into consideration the shielding of the
wire from the surroundings brought about by other wires and
by parts of the installation, with a distinction between those
loops lying on top and those lying underneath. In conjunction
with the overall heat ux density determined as a function of
the transverse and longitudinal coordinates, the solution of
the Fourier differential equation for the thermal conductiv-
ity not only permits the temperature eld across the entire
conveyor to be calculated, but also for example enables the
temperature gradient of a single loop to be determined at any
given conveyor position. This, hence, furnishes an algorithm
which can be substantiated by means of a direct comparison
with the results of experimental investigations into the tem-
perature eld of the wire on the conveyor and can be adjusted
to the specic prevailing conditions by means of correspond-
ing parameters. The algorithm which has been developed
makes it possible to calculate the various shares in the heat
transfer as a function of both the design of the cooling line and
the technological parameters, while at the same time offering
an interface for coupling with a materials-based model.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the SKET-
Walzwerktechnik GmbH. We thank Ms. Bischoff and
Mr. Schr oder for their insightful comments, and Ms. K uhne,
Dr. Boye, and Mr. Gnther for their assistance with the
research.
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