Internship and project work at

JSW steel Ltd

Title:-Rolled in scale defects and counter measures

Guide : Vidya Shankar Joshi

Presented By
 Objective
To study rolled in scale defect in HSM -1. As scales formation in hot
rolling is more, so the study to remove the scales produced during the
hot rolling is necessary to prevent the defects in steel and coil
formation. In HSM -1 we get to study about the different reasons for
scale formation and its removal by the hydraulic descaling process.
 Literature Survey
Scale is the name for the iron oxide formation that occurs at high temperatures used on hot strips and
plate mills. The scale formation occurs in three layers according to LeChatelier. The outer layer is
called Hematite (Fe2O3), the middle layer is called Magnetite (Fe3O4), and the layer next to the steel
is called Wusite (FeO).
Wustite (Feo) is the innermost phase adjacent to metal with the lowest oxygen content. Below 570°C
(1058F) wusite is not stable. Its content in scale increases with increase in temperature and when the
steel temperature is above 700 C (1292 F), wustite occupies about 95% 0f the scale layer. The wustite
phase has a relatively low melting point, 1370 to 1425˚C (2498 to 2597 F), compared with that of other
phases of scale and of the steel itself. Melting of the wusite layer ('washing') accelerate the scaling rate
and further increases grain boundary penetration that produces inferior surface quality, increases fuel
consumption and reduces yield.
Magnetite (Fe3O4) is the intermediate phase of scale. When the steel temperature is below 500˚C (932
F), the scale contains only magnetite. As the temperature increases to about 700°C (1292 F), formation
of wustite takes place at the expense of magnetite and, at elevated temperatures, magnetite occupies
only 4%of the scale layer, Magnetite is harder and more abrasive than wustite.
Hematite (Fe2O3) is the outer phase of scale. Hematite is formed at the temperature above
approximately 800˚C (1472 F) and, at elevated temperatures, it occupies about 1% of the scale layer.
Similar to magnetite, hematite is hard and abrasive.
Scale Layer Growth
There are two parts to the scale growth. One is the physical rate of growth, and other is the
individual scale layer growth. It is best to start with the "classic" scale growth equation
W=K * t^(1/2)
Where: W =Weight of Oxygen Gained in Kg/Cm2
K= Scale Growth Factor by Temperature in ˚C
t= Time in minutes
The "K" factors were developed by putting a piece of steel in a heating chamber, and suspending it
from a wire that was connected to a "balance" scale. The scale was "zeroed" to match the weight of
the test sample. The samples were heated to a specific temperature, and then air" or Oxygen is
introduced to cause the surface to oxidize. The increase in weight (Oxygen) was recorded for the
various times. The experiment was run for many different temperatures and times. The results are
expressed in the above formula to show the amount of Oxygen gained.
The "K" factor is not a straight line, but follows a steadily increasing growth rate as the
temperature become higher as seen in Graph 1 below. The vertical axis for the "K factor is in a
logarithmic scale, and the horizontal axis is temperature from 600 F to 2400°F.
Graph between temperature
and scale Growth.This graph
shows that the scale growth
increases with increase in
temperature

Graph between oxidation time and scale

thickness
DESCALING:
 Scale inevitably occurs when heating steel. Exposure of the iron to the oxygen in
the air results in oxide scales forming on the surface. This will affect the
appearance and properties of the steel. In the production of high-quality hot
rolled products it is therefore imperative to remove these impurities.

 Descalers ensure a high surface quality in hot rolling mills. They blast the metal
surface with pressurized water to remove the scale. A descaler consists of one or
several spray headers with recessed spray nozzles directing jets of water
diagonally at the material. Descalers are typically operated with a water
pressure of 100 to 400 bars and a water quantity of 200 to 700 m³/h. The high-
pressure pump unit is therefore a fundamental part of a descaler.
Hydraulic Descaling:

Principle:
Hydraulic descaling systems consist of a pump, which delivers high pressure water to a
header bar over the steel, from which water is sprayed through a series of nozzles. In flat
products each nozzle is designed to spray water in a flat sheet, allowing the jet from a
nozzle to strike the steel in a straight line; the nozzles are angled, so that the
impingement patterns from adjacent nozzles do not overlap, and the force of impact is
not reduced. The jets are also generally directed towards the approaching steel. In Figure
below, the scale is removed from the front to the back while the slab is moved from the
back to the front.

Double- sided industrial descaling process using several nozzles

Rolled in Scale (RIS) and Remedy:

Types of RIS:-

 Primary Scales due to Poor Descaling

 Primary Scales due to High Temperature
 Secondary Scales due to Poor Descaling
 Secondary Scales (Drag / Comet type)
from Coil Box.
 Primary Scales due to Poor Descaling
Scale (Iron Oxides) generated at various Hot rolling Stages get rolled into the
Strip Surface due to different reasons.
Prone Grades: Any grade
Location: Scattered
Appearance: Black-Grey

Origin / Root Cause

 Improper descaling / failure of Primary descaler.
 Nozzle clogging of Primary descaler.
 Sticky Scale (low O2, High Temperature & High Retention
Time).

Remedy / Process Control

 Maintain high Descaler Pressure (>180 Bar).
 Take Impression / Correction of Nozzle Impression.
 Maintain Oxidizing atmosphere (>2%), low
temperature(1200°C) & low retention time 2 ½ to 3 hrs.).
 Primary Scales due to High
Temperature
Prone grades: Grades processed with high RMET-
IFHS

Location: Scattered, in portions where high temp

was experienced by slab

Appearance: ‘M’ shaped

Origin / Root Cause

High Furnace / Roughing Mill Exit Temperature

Remedy / Process Control

Low Roughing Mill Exit Temperature (<1080°C)
 Secondary Scales due to Poor
Descaling
Origin / Root Cause
 Improper descaling / failure of Secondary
descaler.
 Nozzle clogging.
 Low pressure of descaling water.

Remedy / Process Control

 Maintain high Descaler Pressure (>180 Bar).
 Take Impression / Correction of Nozzle
Impression.
 Secondary Scales (Drag / Comet
type) from Coil Box Prone grades:
Location: TE (1/4th) of HR coil, more on bottom (HR)

Origin / Root Cause

 Ovality of Coil in Coil Box.
 Un-flatness of Bar.
 Worn out rolls in Coil Box.
Remedy / Process Control
 Maintain Roughing Mill Exit Temperature.
 Coil Tightness.
 Use of leveller.
 Frequent check / Replacement of Worn out Rolls
Steps to control RIS
 Cleaning off loose scales from slab
surface
 Avoiding overheating of slab surface
 Drop out temp.
 Edging
 Descaling impression test
 Use of scale master nozzle & use of
optimum height between the strip and
the nozzle tip.
 Coil box by-pass
 Oxidizing atmosphere
Descaling Facilities in HSM -1

180 bar water descaling:

40 bar water descaling:
THANK YOU