Persistent Challenges in Hot Rolling
In carbon steel hot rolling, four long-standing pain points continue to trouble many steel producers:
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Short roll life and unstable strip flatness, with frequent roll changes disrupting operational efficiency.
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High rolling force, excessive energy use, and rapid roll wear, all driving up production costs.
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Limited load-reduction effect of conventional hot rolling oils, leaving lubrication optimization benefits untapped.
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Poor pickling adaptability and surface roughness, restricting improvements in final product quality.
These challenges not only increase operating costs but also undermine line stability and weaken product competitiveness.
KERUN KR-RSH6013 — A Tailored Solution for Carbon Steel Hot Rolling
As a high-performance rolling oil custom-developed for carbon steel hot rolling, KR-RSH6013 leverages a triple-action mechanism—protection, lubrication, and surface modification—to deliver a stable and sustainable solution that reduces consumption while enhancing efficiency for steel producers.
01. Protecting Rolls and Strip Surface: Controlling Oxide Scale Formation
During hot rolling, oxide scale formed at high temperatures can easily embed into the strip surface, causing defects such as pitting and roughness, while also increasing the pickling load.
KR-RSH6013 offers outstanding oil–water separation and adhesion, enabling it to rapidly form a dense oil film on the roll surface. This film blocks high-temperature oxidation, significantly reducing oxide scale penetration. At the same time, its self-cleaning system effectively prevents nozzle clogging, ensuring stable spraying and continuous oil film formation.
In validation trials at a major steel plant in southern China, the use of KR-RSH6013 substantially improved post-rolling surface smoothness, lowered under-pickling rates, and significantly reduced downgrade ratios in key grades—delivering consistently higher product quality.
02. Strengthening Boundary Lubrication: Extending Roll Life
Frequent roll changes not only increase consumable costs but also reduce line availability.
KR-RSH6013 combines highly refined base oils with synthetic esters and incorporates advanced extreme-pressure and anti-wear additives. Under high-temperature and heavy-load conditions, it forms a stable lubricating film that significantly reduces mechanical wear, thermal fatigue, and chemical corrosion of rolls. At the same time, it improves roll surface smoothness and stability, extending service life and increasing throughput.
In lubrication and anti-wear validation at a major steel plant in northern China, the introduction of KR-RSH6013 delivered:
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21% reduction in roll consumption per ton of steel
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30% increase in throughput
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4% reduction in electricity use per ton of steel
This dual reduction in roll wear and energy consumption translated into annual cost savings of more than RMB 3 million.
At a southern Chinese steel producer, comparative testing showed that KR-RSH6013 improved rolling force reduction from 2–3% with the incumbent oil to over 10%, while average current draw decreased by 12%, significantly alleviating energy pressures.
03. Surface Chemical Modification: Stabilizing Strip Flatness
Under high-temperature and heavy-load conditions, the oxide layer on roll surfaces can easily spall, causing roll marks, edge rust, and localized high spots—major risks to strip flatness and line stability.
KR-RSH6013 demonstrates excellent high-temperature reactivity, enabling the in-situ formation of ceramic phases and intermetallic compounds on the roll surface. This process chemically modifies and stabilizes the friction interface, suppressing oxide layer spallation and eliminating strip surface defects at the root cause.
In trial applications at another large steel plant in northern China, KR-RSH6013 effectively prevented the formation of localized high spots along strip edges, significantly reduced roll-change frequency caused by unstable flatness, and simultaneously improved throughput and surface qualification rates.
Green Manufacturing: Energy Savings and Carbon Reduction
KR-RSH6013 is formulated with an environmentally responsible design, free from toxic or hazardous substances. By lowering rolling force, electricity consumption, and roll wear, it not only reduces costs and improves efficiency but also supports the steel industry in achieving its goals of energy conservation and carbon neutrality.
Every drop of KR-RSH6013 is an invisible driver of productivity in steelmaking.
