INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE
owns all the technologies required for the production of coils and, therefore, it can supply products for each phase of the steel working process, including as follows: - hot rolling lubricants; - inhibitors for pickling lines; - cold rolling oils; - degreasers for annealing, galvanising, and tinning lines; - passivating and anti-fingerprint products for galvanising lines; - products for coil coating lines. Among these steel processing operations, Quaker Houghton has paid particular attention to the pickling phase, which is essential for obtaining a high quality metal surface suitable for the subsequent production phases.
The role of corrosion inhibitors in the pickling process As is well known, during hot rolling of steel, depending on the temperature reached by the material, thermal oxides are inevitably generated (Fig. 1). These must be completely removed from the metal surface, in order not to adversely affect subsequent stages such as cold rolling, annealing, galvanising, tinning, or coating. Moreover, it is essential to prevent wear of the squeezing rollers used downstream for ending the © phonlamaiphoto_AdobeStock
After the presentation of the study carried out by Quaker Houghton to define new analytical methods to develop pickling inhibitors, published on the last issue of ipcm®1, this article lists the characteristics of these new products and their possible industrial applications.
pickling phase and for performing the cold rolling one. Typically, a pickling process occurs on a line composed of three or four tanks, containing hydrochloric acid with different free acid concentration values and at operating temperatures between 70 and 90 °C. In such a system, corrosion inhibitors are
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key to the success of the treatment. Indeed, large company group with great
every phase of the metal production chain,
they protect the coil against the excessive
expertise and decades of experience
from processing to surface finishing. Over
attack of the acidic environment, i.e. the
was born from the recent merger of
the years, it has developed a wide range of
so-called over-pickling phenomenon.
Quaker and Houghton. Thanks to its whole
products that guarantee high levels of quality
They also bring other benefits to the
staff, Quaker Houghton can now provide
and customer satisfaction in various sectors.
process: for example, they greatly reduce
cutting-edge technologies and services for
In the steel sector in particular, the company
the consumption of acid, increase the service life of the pickling bath, and give the
1 D. Buggio and E. Caldana, Analysis of Corrosion Inhibitors for Hydrochloric Acid Pickling Processes – Part One, in ipcm® International Paint&Coating Magazine no. 63 (maggio-giugno 2020), pages 38-42.
surfaces a uniform, glossy appearance while also preventing hydrogen embrittlement.
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