Some Aspects of Roll Cooling Design:

Introduction:
The basic roll cooling process is by conduction of the heat from the work roll surface
to the cooling water in contact with the work roll. There are two specific types of
water contact with the work roll. One is the water flowing on the work roll surface and
the other is the water from the cooling sprays impacting the work roll surface. Both
contribute to overall cooling of the work roll.
The modern wide hot strip mills have cooling volume in the range of 8000-16000 lpm
per mill stand.
The basic requirement of the work roll cooling on any mill stand is to maintain the
maximum work roll temperature measured within 15 minutes after a work roll change
as ~45-70C. This requirement is to keep the thermal crown as low as possible to
minimize the general shape variations.
The main aspects of roll cooling design in Hot Strip Mill mainly w.r.to cooling volume
and pressure are discussed.
1. Roll Cooling Water Pressure:
Water pressure is required to force the water on the roll surface. All water cooling
applications should aim to employ a moderate rather than high pressure, which
would result in rebounding. Harper [1] indicated that one of the operational difficulties
for water spray cooling was the inefficient heat transfer rate from roll to water, and
concluded that when an increase in water flow is desirable, it should be achieved
without increasing the pressure. It has been found from today's rolling operation that
reducing water pressure is giving the expected advantages [2]. Current cooling
practices in strip rolling involve pressure up to 10-12 bar max. Flow rates are varied
between stands.
From various studies it has been concluded that increasing the pressure does not
always help in cooling the work rolls. After taking many work roll temperatures in
mills at 4 bar, 8 bar and up to 18 bar, the roll temperatures are relatively the same,
using the same amount of cooling water at a similar rolling pace [3].
Using the sae nozzle below 4 bar changes the spray angle abruptly, which results in
changing the overlap pattern that decreases both the direct “spray impact cooling”
and the “surface water cooling”. As the pressure increases above 4 bar, the spray
pattern is uniform and the amount of cooling water increases on the surface, and this
is removed faster to keep it cooler. At ~8 bar, the amount of cooling water becomes
so thick that the direct spray impact cooling would decrease and the surface water
touching the work roll becomes hotter.
2. Roll Cooling Volume:
The roll cooling volume required for each stand can be taken as function of the
contact length (or time) and the time the strip is being rolled. The cooling water
volume should be viewed in relation to the millimetres of width across the work roll.
The crucial temperature on a work roll is the “peak” or maximum temperature, which
occurs at or near the centreline of the work roll. Normally, the cooling volume for a
wide hot strip mill for F1 & F2 mill’s contact length is 6 lpm/mm. This is based on a
mill’s rolling pace reaching a max. of 90% contact time per coil rolled. Other mill
stands van have the same or less cooling volume per unit of roll width. For example,
a reversing roughing mill with a longer contact length on the first pass has a rolling
time of 18 seconds with a 4 seconds reversal time on the exit side of the mill to 8
seconds on the entry side of the mill, for an average rolling pace of 67%. This mill
needs less cooling water than F1 & F2 mills.
Fig. 1 shows the effect of the work roll cooling volume (for stand F1& F2) on the
maximum work roll temperature. The vertical axis is the max. work roll temp.,
compared to the cooling volume shown on the horizontal axis. The blue curve shows
the roll temp. taken after 15 minutes after roll change, and the red cure shows the
approximate peak temp. on the work roll. The dotted black square is where nuclear
boiling can occur and often results in strip cobbles[3].

Fig.1. Roll Temperature versus Cooling

Fig. 2 shows maximum work roll temperature of other finishing stands w.r.t to cooling
volume. If the roll cooling volume is decreased in F3-F7 mill stands, the roll
temperature would follow red curve at a slightly higher temperature. If the volume is
increased, green curve is followed at a slightly lower roll temperature. The reason for
these slight changes in roll temperature is because the surface water cooling does
not increase the cooling of the work rolls, resulting in the only extra cooling due to
the direct impact of the cooling sprays[3].
Fig. 3 show the effects on the thermal crown w.r.to cooling volume. The 6 lpm is
used as base reference for the thermal crown increase, divided by the strip
thickness, and not the work roll diameter, because we are interested in the effect on
the strip shape. This lowering cooling volume in F3-F7 stands may result in thermal
crown variation as shown by red curve. Thus to use as much cooling volume as
possible on F3-F7 stands, results in lowering the thermal crown and decrease the
effect on the strip shape, as shown by the blue curve [3].

Fig.2. Roll Temperature

Fig.3. Effect on Strip Shape

Thus, from these two graphs it can be concluded that, increasing or decreasing the
work roll cooling water volume in the mill stands does little to change the maximum
work roll temperature, because the surface water heat removal is not increased, and
the added direct impact volume has little effect on the maximum temperature. The
best water distribution on any mill is to provide enough cooling volume to keep F1 &
F2 roll temperature below 85 C and increase the cooling volume in the remaining
finishing stands as ,much as possible to keep the thermal crown variations to a
minimum.
The first thing to optimize roll cooling is to decide the maximum work roll temperature
of each stand under the maximum rolling pace and maximum roll cooling water
temperature.
The simple empirical formula for work roll temperature is [3]:
Max. work roll temp.= 22 C+ (75 C x % Rolling Pace x Roll Cooling Factor)
Table 1: Roll Cooling Factor for Finishing Stands
Mill Lpm/mm Heat Factor Cool Factor Roll Cooling Factor
F1 6 0.975 1.0 0.975
F2 6 1.0 1.0 1.0
F3 5.3 0.8 0.958 0.835
F4 5.3 0.65 0.958 0.678
F5 4.5 0.517 0.917 0.564
F6 3.8 0.417 0.875 0.477
F7 3.0 0.35 0.834 0.420
The cooling volume is in Lpm/mm per mill stand for both work rolls.
Table-2: Maximum Roll temperatures
Type of Mill Temperature ( C )
Continuous Roughers 50
Reversing Roughers 65
F1 & F2 Mills 85 C
F3 & F4 Mills 75
F5 & F6 Mills 65
F7 Mills 60

Table-3: Factor for Cooling

LPM/mm Cool Factor
0.75 0.708 1.41
1.5 0.750 1.33
3.0 0.833 1.2
4.5 0.917 1.09
6.0 1.0 1.0
7.5 1.083 0.92
9.0 1.167 0.86
10.5 1.25 0.80
12.0 1.333 0.75

Continuous Roughing Mills:

R1 &R2:
These mills when rolling a 225 mm thick slab, normally take reduction of 33 mm, 41
mm and 38 mm at maximum rolling speed of 1.0, 0.8 and 1.5 m/sec. The rolling pace
in these mills are in the range of 15-25%. The ware volume requirement for these
mills is very low.
These continuous roughing mills usually require cooling volume ~ 1.5 LPM/mm to
maintain the desired work roll temperature i.e. <50 C.
R3- R5:
These mills roll thinner section and the rolling pace increases. The strip reduction in
these mills would be 25mm, 23mm, 17 mm. the mill speed in these mills are in the
range of 2-3.5 m/sec. The resulting rolling pace w.r.t finishing mills would be 20-30%.
These continuous roughing mills usually require cooling volume ~ 3.0 LPM/mm to
maintain the desired work roll temperature i.e. <50 C.
Reversing Roughing Mills:
This mill requires considerably more cooling than continuous roughing mills. A typical
reversing rougher reduces 225 mm thick slabs in five passes. The gap times are
normally 20 seconds entering the first pass, and 5-7 seconds between subsequent
passes. The total gap time is ~40 seconds and the actual rolling time is ~ 120
seconds depending on slab size. The rolling pace with this cycle time would be
~70%. This mills usually require at least cooling volume ~ 6.0 LPM/mm to maintain
the desired work roll temperature.
Finishing Mills:
Every hot strip mill requires the very best roll cooling design. Rolling good shape
depends on the proportional elongation of the strip across the width of the strip.
When rolling in a finishing stands, it demands the rolling crown be uniform and
proportional. The roll cooling design also requires that the cooling pattern from F1
mill to the last finishing mill is symmetrical to the same relative degree to the mill’s
centreline. This does not mean all the rolls have the same thermal crown in each mill
stand, but the thermal crown must have the same shape. This restricts in making
different roll cooling patterns in the last four stands.
There must be only one cooling design for the finishing mill stands. The volume at
each stand can be varied by using: different size nozzles, different pressure, different
nos of headers.
The typical roll cooling volume required for finishing stand is as follows:
Mill F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7
LPM/ 8.4 9.2 7.6 6.1 4.6 3.8 3.1
mm

3. Nozzle Position and Nozzle Angle

The effectiveness of spray cooling can be improved by changing spray nozzle
positions and the angles of the spray headers because the quantity of heat
transferred (Q) is proportional to the roll/water contact area (A) and the temperature
difference (T) between the roll surface and the water. The change in nozzle position
around the roll surface would change the roll/water temperature difference if the
water temperature remains unchanged, and a change in the contact angle can
change the cooling arc length so as to change the roll/water contact area. Thus the
quantity of heat transferred is influenced by the change in both nozzle position and
contact angle from stands.
A) Top Entry & Exit Roll Cooling water:
The spray water has to be aimed somewhere near 90 o impact point. After impact,
50% of the water goes upward and 50% of the water goes downward. The water
flowing upward is slowed by gravity or impacting the top backup roll, and then this
water flows downward by gravity to interfere with the original sprays. The roll cooling
sprays have to overcome half of the water volume flowing down under the gravity.
Thus, the roll cooling pressure of 4-12 bar would be required to penetrate this water
film to cool the work roll.
B) Bottom Entry Cooling Water:
The flow on the bottom work roll is almost similar to the top work roll, except the
water being carried down to the bottom backup roll flows down the bottom backup
roll. Wiper is being placed in bottom work roll to prevent the water bouncing upward
and hitting the bottom of the strip, causing “cold streaks” in the strip. Again, the wiper
cannot fit tight to the work roll, and some water get through and is dragged into the
roll bite where it serve both as a “lubricant” and “causes some erosion wear on the
work roll.
C) Spray Impact Angle Effect:
90o impact angle is the best for heat removal. The work roll diameter varies, causing
a change in spray length and nozzle spray angle, both reducing the impact angle.
The geometry of the sprays and nozzle tip location become a three- dimensional
problem to be solved. It is concluded that the roll cooling spray between 70 o-90o
impact angles is very effective.
D) Offset Angle Effects:
The offset angle by itself is not critical to the roll cooling process, but it can be used
to control the surface water cooling to make the work roll cooling more uniform. Most
roll cooling sprays are set with 15 o offset angle. Offset angle is valuable tool in roll
cooling. It can accommodate design limitations due to confined space. It can make
the surface water cooling uniform and symmetrical on the work roll. It reduces the
potential interference of the cooling spray. Offset angle is not a separate entity. It
must be considered along with the spray angle and spray length to provide 100%
overlap.
E) The Exit Spray Nozzle
Roberts [4] stated that computer simulation studies revealed that typically, delivery
side spray cooling was about 40 per cent more effective than entry side cooling. It
has been reported that the advantage of early and long exit cooling was that it
reduced the bulk roll temperature. A further advantage is a more efficient use of the
cooling water. Stevens et al. [1] also reported a significant increase in the roll life of
roughing stand rolls by initiating the cooling early and sustaining it for some time on
the delivery side.
References:
[1] P.G. Stevens, K.P. Ivens and P. Harper: Journal of the Iron & Steel Institute, Jan.
1971 pp. 1-11.
[2] P. Harper: Iron & Steel Making, Oct. 1988, pp- 34-37
[3] David T. Blazevic, Hot Strip Mill operations Vol II: Roll cooling, Rolling Problems
and Shape)
[4] R.R Carpenter and P.J. Hannan: Wean United, Inc., pp- 69-71.