Numerical Modeling of a Walking-Beam-Type Slab Reheating Furnace

Three-dimensional of the turbulent reactive flow and radiative heat transfer problem in a walking-beam-type slab reheating furnace simulations are successfully performed in the present study by the commercial software STAR-CD. The geometric model built herein considers the whole furnace, including the burners, the walking-beam system with skid buttons, the slab, the dams, and the down-take outlet. The results show that the difference between the predicted and measured heating efficiencies is 6.8%, and that the predictions of the temperatures at selected checking points differ from the measurements within only 10%. The present study also shows that the walking-beam system causes significant radiation shielding to the bottom surface of the slab, resulting in skid marks.