Thermodynamic aspects and kinetic modeling of decarburization of steels in walking-beam furnaces

An open-fired walking-beam furnace is considered as a reactor with enthalpy-controlled stages and counter-current flows of gaseous and solid phases. The model is initially tuned using the basic characteristics of the real system: the number of heating zones; the temperature profile; the chemical composition of the fuel; the air:fuel ratio and the fuel consumption in each zone; the amount of steel loaded into the furnace per unit time, etc. Heat …