TPT September 2011

T echnology U pdate

Inline measurement of cold strip

KIENZLE Prozessanalytik develops high- precision, high-speed optical systems for spectrometrical applications and measurement of lowest concentrations. The systems are designed for industrial use, especially for real-time online process control. Special light sources illuminate the substances or surfaces to be analysed, detectors capture the optical signal, and a high-speed electronic unit selects the useful signal. The company’s Lubrivisor system will for the first time be used on a coupled pickling line/tandem rolling mill for measuring the residual amount of emulsion on strip surfaces. In future, it will be possible to use the measurement signals for controlling the application of emulsion and optimising consumption of cooling lubricants. At the same time, the amount of residual hydrocarbons on the strip surface will be reduced, having a positive effect on downstream processes such as annealing. Lubrivisor systems measure the thickness of films of hydrocarbon-containing

substances, such as cooling lubricants, on strip surfaces. They can also handle foreign oils such as hydraulic oils, bearing oils or greases. The systems are already in use in numerous cold rolling and skin passing mills as well as in inspection and coil coating lines. The system consists of a pulsed microchip laser as light source and a photomultiplier as detector. The connection between the measuring head and the evaluation electronics is by fibre-optic cables. The system operates on the principle of laser-induced, time-integrating fluorescence spectroscopy LIF(t). By this method, not only the intensity of the backscattered light but also the decay behaviour of the signal is evaluated. Unlike IR-based systems, this absolute measurement is not influenced by the surface structure of the strip: it delivers precise results independent of the surface. The systems can also be used for inline control of oil or emulsion application to optimise the use of rolling emulsion. This optimises energy consumption by the rolling process and minimises the amount of

residual hydrocarbons on the strip surface. In contrast to other – IR-based – processes, the Lubrivisor is capable of measuring the thickness of a fluid film on any surface structure. Kienzle Prozessanalytik GmbH – Germany Fax: +49 461 57029 70 Email: info@kienzle-pa.de Website: www.kienzle-prozessanalytik.de

The Kienzle Lubrivisor system

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S eptember 2011

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