Cooling a rolled product upstream of a finishing train of a hot rolling mill

A method for cooling a rolled product in a cooling section which is arranged upstream of a finishing train of a hot rolling mill, comprising:

• transporting the rolled product through the cooling section along a cooling section path one of:
• one time at a predetermined transport speed;
• and
• more than one time in alternating directions, each time at the predetermined transport speed;
• arranging along the cooling section path one of:
• a cooling device with an active region;
• and
• a plurality of cooling devices arranged one behind the other, each with an active region, the active regions of adjacent cooling devices being directly adjacent to one another;
• wherein each cooling device is configured to deliver, in its active region a coolant flow of a coolant onto a rolled product surface of the rolled product, which can be set between the value zero and a maximum value specific to the cooling device;
• accepting a minimum value for a surface temperature of the rolled product surface during the transport of the rolled product through the cooling section;
• assigning, in order to maintain the minimum value, a set value for the coolant flow to each cooling device for each cooling section pass through the cooling section, and
• delivering a coolant flow onto the rolled product surface by each cooling device for each cooling section pass, which is set to the set value assigned to the relevant cooling device for the cooling section pass;
• wherein, in order to determine the set values for a cooling section pass, the cooling section pass is simulated at least once for a rolled product section of the rolled product through the cooling section at the predetermined transport speed;
• wherein, for each simulated cooling section pass, the following values are determined successively for each cooling device:
• a default value for a coolant flow to be delivered by the cooling device is received or determined at the latest immediately before the rolled product section enters the active region of the cooling device;
• based on at least one of an initial enthalpy distribution and an initial temperature distribution in the rolled product section upon entry into the active region of the cooling device, at least one of an enthalpy distribution and a temperature distribution in the rolled product section upon exit from the active region of the cooling device using a physical model;
• the set value so that it quasi-maximizes the coolant flow to be delivered from the cooling device onto the rolled product surface under secondary conditions that the set value does not exceed the default value and a surface temperature of the rolled product surface derived from at least one of the initial enthalpy distribution and the initial temperature distribution or a further surface temperature of the rolled product surface derived from at least one of the calculated enthalpy distribution and a calculated temperature distribution of the rolled product section does not fall below the minimum value upon exit from the active region of the cooling device;
• wherein for each two active regions passed through in immediate succession by the rolled product section during the cooling section pass, at least one of the enthalpy distribution and the calculated temperature distribution calculated for the first active region passed through is assigned to the other active region as at least one of the initial enthalpy distribution and initial temperature distribution upon entry into the other active region;
• and
• wherein at least one of an original initial enthalpy distribution and an original initial temperature distribution is accepted for the first cooling device through which the rolled product section passes during the cooling section pass.