Process control of aluminium sheet coil annealing

This paper presents the general principles of auto-regulation and control for the process of aluminium coil annealing in Seco/Warwick Vortex® Jet Heating furnaces using the SeCoil on-line simulator of the thermal process. The simulator is designed to determine the characteristic temperatures in an aluminium coil section during the annealing process. Simulation data is transmitted on-line to the digital controller, which is used for automatic regulation. The goal of thermal modelling in the auto-regulation and control system is not only to improve the functional properties of the furnace, but to reduce energy consumption and improve the quality of the finished product.