4TH ESTAD | JUNE 24–28, 2019 - CONGRESS CENTRE DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY

Where is the metals industry heading? What should steel producers be doing to remain competitive? How can plants operate more efficiently, and what impact will trends such as digitalization have? This keynote will discuss some of the most pressing issues that we all—as players in the global metals business—are currently facing as we strive to shape our future. The needs of metals producers and their strategies for remaining competitive include aspects of raw material flexibility, dynamic production, the development of new steel grades, and the use of advanced production planning and scheduling algorithms. Businesses will have to operate with increased energy efficiency, strive to move up the steel value chain, and will need to embrace the kind of digitalization that will ultimately lead to fully automated plants. These aspects and trends, as we will illustrate, are diverse, but have one thing in common: they will define the solutions required to tackle the challenges facing tomorrow’s steel industry. In many areas, sweeping changes will have to be made in order to survive and thrive, and not all of them will be easily implemented. Joint efforts, effective and reliable partnerships combined with an openness to technological innovation, will take steel production into a successful, eco-friendly, and altogether bright future.

Speaker

Aashish Gupta

Blast Furnace operators must address external pressures if they are to meet quality, productivity, and environmental challenges in the modern world. The Primetals Technologies portfolio includes a range of mechanical and digital technology solutions available for the modernization of a blast furnace. These are targeted at economic campaign life extension, production and furnace stability, and eco-economic solutions. In the current climate of lower-cost furnace repairs, these solutions provide steelmakers with the confidence of reliable blast furnace operation with optimized capital and production costs. As regards economic campaign life extension, this paper provides an update on the latest technology for copper staves, where Primetals Technologies is a market leader in novel anti-wear solutions and already has the only anti-bending solution. Hearth repair options recently implemented by Primetals Technologies will also be discussed. As regards eco-economic solutions, the Primetals Technologies Cyclone and DustClone technologies will be described, including the modelling capability through CFD/DEM which can accurately assess existing and proposed designs for efficiency and possible wear issues. As regards production and furnace stability, the Primetals Technologies solutions for instrumentation and automation of the blast furnace, in conjunction with robust mechanical solutions, will be described. Through data evaluation and self-learning, these systems support both process stability and longevity of the staves and hearth, maximizing the value of the modernisation investment.

Speaker

Richard Harvey

Co-Authors

David Osborne, Primetals Technologies

In today’s competitive iron making environment the optimization and continuous supervision of the sintering process is of major importance. Currently, the quality control of sinter raw mixes mainly depends on the experience and expertise of the operating personnel. Developed by Primetals Technologies and the German manufacturer Eirich in close cooperation with the sinter specialists from voestalpine Stahl Donawitz, a new Sinter Raw Mix Tester was installed to allow for the fully automatic sampling and analysis of granulated sinter feed. A robotic system automatically takes sinter raw mix samples from the entire material stream during conveyor discharge. This ensures fully standardized, uniform, and representative sample taking. Following sample preparation, the moisture content, permeability, and bulk density of the sinter raw mix are measured. The benefits of sampling, sample preparation, and analysis are even more important when they are combined with process models and expert systems. Only a comprehensive and detailed knowledge of the process parameters together with measurement of process variables enables corrective actions and an optimized operation of the plant. Direct action is taken via level2/expert system to change process parameters (e.g. moisture) according to the measurements. The fluctuation of the moisture content of the charged sinter raw mix can be reduced significantly, resulting in a stabilized sintering process and improved sinter quality. Furthermore, the moisture content is automatically optimized for best permeability, enabling an increased production level. Continuous adjustments and design modifications result in a stable and robust measuring system, including peripheral devices and a sophisticated control unit. This paper focuses on the operational results and achievements of the first installed, fully automated sinter raw mix analyzer.

Speaker

Dr. Johann Reidetschläger

Co-Authors

Edmund Fehringer, Primetals Technologies
Andreas Seiler, MASCHINENFABRIK GUSTAV EIRICH GMBH & Co KG
Stefan Muenkel, MASCHINENFABRIK GUSTAV EIRICH GMBH & Co KG
Sonja Zeiler, Voestalpine Donawitz
Johann Zirngast, Voestalpine Donawitz

This paper deals with a number of new improvements and digitalization efforts for Midrex® direct reduction plants geared toward increasing product quality and plant efficiency. New plant improvements were recently developed by Midrex and Primetals Technologies for implementation at new direct reduction plants, but each of the following can also be retrofitted to existing DR plants as well. The technical plant improvements presented here are: – Product quality conservation system (PQCS) for Midrex plants – Onsite generation of gaseous nitrogen for supply of critical inert gas consumers and integration into the plant inert gas system – Waste Heat Recovery for Top Gas and Reformer Flue Gas – Production of steam or electricity based on framework conditions – Bottom Seal Gas Hot Dry Dedusting System – Recovery of hot DRI dust for increase of product yield and conditioning of vent gases. The digitalization of data obtained from Midrex plant operation is already technologically well advanced and consists of the following state-of-the-art configuration: – Level-1 Plant automation with improved data storage & recording – Level-2 DRIPax Carbon and Metallization Prediction – Improvement of plant operation by stable operation – Level-2 Expert System Improvements – Increased support of operation team with latest results from DRIPax Expert system Gowest.

Speaker

Robert Millner

Co-Authors

Hanspeter Ofner, Primetals Technologies
Dr. Dieter Bettinger, Primetals Technologies
Johannes Rothberger, Primetals Technologies

Until recently, ironmaking process optimization systems focused on the production processes of stand-alone operations such as individual sinter plants, pelletizing plants, and blast furnaces. This control has been based on locally-stored recent—and therefore limited—data. Process models convert data into usable information, expert systems evaluate the process conditions and derive required actions through rule-based decision support systems so that a standardized operation strategy can be achieved. “Holistic Ironmaking” takes a wider view, encompassing the interaction and coordination of the related plants in order to achieve the plant-wide optimum. The two key pillars of Holistic Ironmaking are the “Ironmaking Expert” and “Through Process Optimization” systems. These systems provide a digital assistant to supervise the overall plant and to offer decision-making solutions to meet the required KPIs of (for example) productivity, cost, and quality. Automatic control and decision support systems naturally rely on data: The integration of innovative data sources such as Acoustic Measurements, Tuyere Optics, and Intelligent Staves into the automation landscape and related benefits are discussed. Together with the individual process optimization systems, Holistic Ironmaking offers an increased degree of transparency and standardization in order to move the ironmaking plants closer to the optimal operational setpoint. The interaction of these systems with the local optimization systems is described in this paper.

Speaker

Dieter Bettinger

Co-Authors

Harald Fritschek, Primetals Technologies
Thomas Kronberger, Primetals Technologies
Wolfgang Oberaigner, Primetals Technologies
Jan Friedemann Plaul, Primetals Technologies
Martin Schaler, Primetals Technologies

Greater flexibility is a key component of modern plant operation and hence of the respective automation system. At the same time, any downtime of a production facility causes loss of production and can negatively impact a plant. The complex processes involved in ironmaking—in particular in blast furnaces and direct reduction plants— require a reliable and highly available automation backbone. This system has to be able to control the process at any time, deliver sound performance in daily operation, and guarantee easy and flexible maintainability. A clearly structured system (based on proper system design, advanced programming tools, and software management), flexible communication and interfaces, the inclusion of smart sensors, simulation with a digital twin for operator training and development of software modifications, online documentation (to support operating and maintenance personnel), as well as virtualization concepts, are among the cornerstones of digitalization—features that are covered by state-of-the-art automation systems. Common features of the control systems, as well as a customer-driven approach—tailored to the boundary conditions and respective requirements—are illustrated by four recently finalized projects for high-end customers: • raw material handling and ore preparation • blast furnace revamping • new blast furnace • direct reduction plant

Speaker

Dieter Bettinger

Co-Authors

Harald Fritschek, Primetals Technologies
Norbert Laister, Primetals Technologies
Roman Lamplmayr, Primetals Technologies
Manfred Lehner, Primetals Technologies
Helmut Lindbichler, Primetals Technologies
Bruno Schwarzbauer, Primetals Technologies
Daniel Ulrich, Primetals Technologies
Wolfgang Braunschmid, Primetals Technologies

A huge number of companies in the steel industry have launched digitalization initiatives in recent years and early implementations of these initiatives have already proven successful. During implementation of such systems it became apparent that technology is essential as an enabler, but in order to make full use of the implemented systems the cultural aspects of a company also need to be taken into account. Software systems can also trigger changes to workflows that unlock the full potential of the installed systems. Software systems that support business processes have been around for decades, and critical success factors have been exhaustively researched already, so the challenges involved in implementation are nothing new to current digitalization initiatives. Nevertheless, the lessons learned from these past installations are not always used to the extent required. This paper shows in a few case studies the critical success factors in selected digitalization projects. One of the digitalization projects shows how the acceptance of the digital twin in a continuous casting machine increased over the years. Early installations of digital twins were commissioned decades ago and had basic functionalities. Over the years, the functionalities of the digital twin have developed further, providing plant operators, plant designers, and start-up engineers with a package to model, simulate, optimize, and control machinery. Another example shows how a Through-Process Optimization system created transparency along the whole value chain, allowing a plant to be optimized and controlled in a holistic manner, turning strong cross-departmental alignment and senior management involvement into critical success factors. A further case study shows that the available process know-how became a critical success factor when installing and optimizing a production management system so that it was accepted and fully used by the operators.

Speaker

Dieter Bettinger

Co-Authors

Markus Ringhofer, Primetals Technologies
Kurt Herzog, Primetals Technologies
Eva Tatschl-Unterberger, Primetals Technologies
Wolfgang Oberaigner, Primetals Technologies
Paul Pennerstorfer, Primetals Technologies
Jan Friedemann Plaul, Primetals Technologies
Kai Ankermann, Primetals Technologies

State-of-the-art automation technology enables digitalization of the continuous casting process that goes far beyond conventional automation of industrial production. Primetals Technologies provides a digital twin that combines an intelligent digital representation of a casting machine as well as the casting process and the slabs, blooms or billets that are produced. It allows metallurgists and process engineers to predict the behavior of the complex production process involved, and to optimize parameters before applying them to real production. New steel grades or production processes can be evaluated off-line without any risks to process stability and product quality. Primetals Technologies installs the digital twin with every new installation of a continuous caster optimization system. This paper describes how the setup and simulation possibilities of the digital twin provide numerous benefits by modelling and simulating the casting process. It allows, for example, the calculation of material properties according to the actual composition, strand surface temperature profiles, and dynamic soft reduction before the final point of solidification. An outstanding feature of the digital twin is the replay functionality provided for various models to analyze and further optimize real production situations. The paper also gives examples of how usage of the digital twin has optimized production for various customers.

Speaker

Reinhold Leitner

Co-Authors

Daniel Fuchshuber, Primetals Technologies
Paul Pennerstorfer, Primetals Technologies
Christian Brugger, Primetals Technologies

The separation of steel and slag during tapping is crucial to improving steel product quality and steel cleanliness and to reducing costs for ladle treatment in BOF converter steelmaking. Primetals Technologies’ innovative pneumatic slag retention system, the Vaicon Stopper, makes it possible to almost completely prevent the carry-over of slag at the end of the tap. For slag detection in the tapping stream, the Vaicon stopper is combined with the SlagMon, an infrared camera which enables fully automated operation with no manual interaction and therefore maximum operational safety. Thanks to the customer benefits of reliable and fully automated operation, the Vaicon stopper is the leading slag retention system in converter steelmaking. In a continuous improvement process, feedback from the operation of close to 150 references was used for the development of an updated, improved version of the Vaicon Stopper. Comprehensive CFD and FE simulations were performed to prove the functionality of the new retaining procedure and to optimize the design. Before market introduction a prototype of the new patent-pending slag stopper was successfully tested at a European steel plant. Given its more compact design, lower maintenance requirement and cleaning effort, and its longer lifetime, the new generation slag stopper opens the door for new BOF customers with no, or outdated, slag retention systems. Combined with new and advanced automation packages for automated tapping, ladle freeboard measurement, and fast converter upright solutions, the new Vaicon Stopper and the SlagMon are an integral part of Primetals Technologies’ fully automated steel plant. This paper  gives an overview of the recent Vaicon Stopper references, the development and testing of the new next generation slag stopper, and the related automation packages geared toward meeting the requirements of steelmaking in the age of Industry 4.0.

Speaker

Bernhard Voraberger

Co-Authors

Gerald Wimmer, Primetals Technologies
Paul Georg Oberhumer, Primetals Technologies
Seppo Ollila, SSAB Europe
Tuomas Palovaara, SSAB Europe
Johannes Rosner, Primetals Technologies

In May 2018, the newly introduced DynaJet Flex spray cooling system from Primetals Technologies was started up at the two-strand continuous slab casting machine CC2 in the Dangjin, Korea, plant of Hyundai Steel. This is the first industrial application of DynaJet Flex technology. DynaJet Flex allows for pulse width modulated cooling, thus enabling highest discretization of cooling zones in width direction and widening the operation window with higher turn-down ratios compared with cooling systems currently in use. This minimizes the appearance of corner cracks, especially for advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), and consequently scarfing losses are reduced. In addition, air consumption for secondary cooling is reduced compared with conventional air mist systems. This paper describes the DynaJet Flex system itself, the installation at Hyundai Steel, and the operational results achieved.

Speaker

Paul Pennerstorfer

Co-Authors

Jong-Hyun Park, Hyundai Steel Company
Se-Ho Lim, Hyundai Steel Company
Andreas Mittermair, Primetals Technologies

The understanding of a digital EAF production means the seamless interaction of the installed equipment and any new feature and digital assistance system, which are added during a continuous plant modernization and step-by-step upgrade activities. It covers the implementation of small automation steps, the usage of digital information of smart sensors as well as major changes in the automation system towards digital assistance tools like a dynamic Know-How database and a flexible Rule Engines for an efficient production of demanding steel grades. Digital EAF steelmaking starts with automated scrap handling and preparation, followed by a fully automated melting process guided by camera systems and automatic measuring devices. Autonomous transport systems for ladles and materials guarantee the safe handling and the precise execution of the defined process logistics. Powerful tools for process analysis and Business Intelligence systems provide a deep insight into physical production and deliver information for key decisions and lifecycle measurements. Encrypted state-of-the-art cloud technology for selective data exchange in combination with service contracts with a dynamic duration offers access to professional big data analysis algorithms to fix insufficiencies. In cooperation with a powerful service center, the end-user is able to establish modern maintenance strategies in the EAF melt shop.

Speaker

Dr. Jens Apfel

Co-Authors

Hannes Beile, Primetals Technologies
Thomas Reindl, Primetals Technologies
Brigitte Laimer, Primetals Technologies
Richard Stadlmayr, Primetals Technologies

The detection of moving vessels and equipment like ladles, slagpots, torpedos, etc., is a common requirement in the steel industry. This task is complicated by aspects such as harsh environments, dust, contamination, etc., within a steelplant. Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH has developed a new approach to overcoming these problems and tracking equipment reliably. It is based on the three-dimensional measurement of the vessel surface. The evaluation of characteristics and unique features leads to the identification of the equipment. This method is described in detail using the experience gained at a pilot installation. The paper concludes with a presentation of the results achieved.

Speaker

Andreas Rohrhofer

Co-Authors

Swatshish Thazhath Johnce, Primetals Technologies

Today’s steel production is driven by process optimization and efficient productivity. For a reliable and sustainable solution the answer is digitalization, but where do we start, how do we integrate, and where do we buy digitalization? This paper shows intelligent automation solutions from Primetals Technologies, including its overall view of plant and process know-how from the bottom up and all along the value chain based on a modular modernization design. Structural connectivity linking vertically from basic automation to process optimization systems and horizontally from ironmaking to the final product. The development of process optimization and simulation tools, which are known as “digital twins”, is ongoing, and both are intensively used to make steady improvements in the presented benchmark example for continuous casting. Data-based approaches, through-process optimizations, and business intelligence will contribute to the overall goal. New dimensions in condition monitoring and automatic diagnostic will gain more production time and ensure higher productivity and lower maintenance costs. The vision is a fully automated steel plant.

Speaker

Thomas Kühas

Co-Authors

Richard Stadlmayr, 
Reinhold Leitner, Primetals Technologies
Roman Aspetsberger, Primetals Technologies
Wolfgang Oberaigner, Primetals Technologies

A tough economic environment, together with constant demand for higher quality, are the main challenges facing today´s steel producers. This calls for flexible and well-designed production plants with reduced maintenance requirements and extended equipment lifetimes. This paper provides an overview of the latest solutions for bloom/billet continuous casters, with a particular focus on the machines designed for high-quality automotive grades. Centre segregation and porosity in high-quality blooms and billets can cause inconsistent mechanical properties and potential failure of the final product. DynaGap Soft Reduction® technology, which includes an online 3D thermal tracking system, Dynacs 3D, for the calculation of solid fraction, is already integral to high-quality billets and blooms. Additionally, the introduction of the DynaPhase model further improves thermal tracking, resulting in superb quality of the cast product.

Speaker

Dr. Denijel Burzic

Co-Authors

Martin Hadler, Primetals Technologies
Franz Wimmer, Primetals Technologies

Primetals Technologies has devised a product that connects to a steel plant, collects the information available, and then analyzes and structures it, turning fuzzy data into an asset. From the collection of sensor data in harsh environments or from mobile equipment to displaying the information on mobile devices, from the shop floor to the “manager‘s pocket”: m.connect is a real example of how a steel producer can benefit from state-of-the-art communication technology. Sets of data such as gas pressure or temperature measurements, when brought together, paint a bigger picture that can help identify areas for improvement, turning decision-making into a more proactive task. The talk will cover collection and processing of the Tyasa Quantum EAF plant. We will provide real-life examples of how collected data is analyzed by a business intelligence tool. Examples range from management dashboards covering basic KPIs like capacity and yield to detailed evaluation of factors influencing energy consumption and product quality. Among others, we can compare different KPIs for fast root cause analysis, identify anomalies by filtering and drilling down/up, and visualize causal relationships between KPIs.

Speaker

Dr. Gerald Hohenbichler

Co-Authors

Manuel Sattler, Primetals Technologies
Alois Altendorfer, Primetals Technologies
Erich Mikk, Primetals Technologies
Mario Carlos, Primetals Technologies

Intuitively, living beings interpret sounds in the environment.  Acoustic Expert from Primetals Technologies uses this seldom applied but very bionic approach for process monitoring in metals industries. One application of this flexible 24/7 acoustic monitoring system is the supervision of materials on conveyor belts. Sounds emitted at take-over points are recorded and analyzed to obtain real-time information about the type and quality of materials. Using several example installations, the method is described in detail. Results achieved are also presented. An outlook of integration into Primetals Technologies’ condition monitoring system concludes the paper.

Speaker

Andreas Rohrhofer

Co-Authors

Franz Hartl, Primetals Technologies
Adnan Husakovic, Primetals Technologies
Andreas Rohrhofer, Primetals Technologies

New sensor technologies enable previously unimagined insight into the casting process, improving both operational control and quality, as well as optimizing maintenance practices. The positioning of Fiber Bragg Gratings can be individually arranged to suit the customer’s mold configuration and monitoring objectives. Depending on the orientation of the fibers, there is almost no limitation to the number and location of measuring points in the mold. There are two possibilities for the fiber orientation. Typically, a horizontal installation with 2-4 rows of fibers replaces the conventional thermocouples. This not only provides more accurate breakout prevention, but also makes better crack detection possible. Maintenance is easier, too, as it eliminates the enormous amount of cabling required by the thermocouples. The horizontal installation thus provides a cost-effective alternative to the traditional thermocouple arrangement. Although there is an associated higher cost, a vertical installation arrangement allows a high density of measuring points over the entire mold. This makes the solidification process and the flow in the mold much more transparent than the traditional thermocouple arrangement. Thus, the view inside the mold now reveals the solidification process as never seen before. This leads to a variety of new analysis options and possibilities for evaluating defects. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each configuration and show that Fiber Braggs can be used in standard production and not only for research and test purposes.

Speaker

Dr. Oliver Lang

Co-Authors

Nicole Oberschmidleitner, Primetals Technologies
Christian Ortner, Primetals Technologies
Martin Schuster, Primetals Technologies
Franz Ramstorfer, Primetals Technologies

Primetals Technologies has been a preferred partner for the outsourcing of maintenance work in steelmaking for several decades and on three continents. The demands on maintenance work are always increasing, but there is a pressing need to reduce costs. This can only be achieved through meticulous auditing, quality control, structuring and optimizing work flows, planning and scheduling, streamlining routines, and by maximizing feedback and learning curves. Primetals Technologies has been introducing the latest methodologies and technologies of Industry 4.0 in the form of a computerized maintenance management system, fully digitalized and operational in the first two phases. This paper will present current technologies available for digitalization of outsourced maintenance, with a particular focus on casting operations. The challenges and aspects of the development and implementation of computerized maintenance management and its use also for workshop audits, as well as benefit measurement, will be presented.

Speaker

Klaus Frauenhuber

Co-Authors

Ludwig Reiter, Primetals Technologies
Florian Hollensteiner, Primetals Technologies
Michael Weinzinger, Primetals Technologies
Katharina Mertens, Montanuniversität Leoben
Karl Purkarthofer, Primetals Technologies

In addition to the robust mechanical design of steel melt shop equipment, the installation of an online condition monitoring system (CMS) is an important measure in terms of keeping equipment availability at an optimal level. The presented CMS solution is based on a modular package concept, which allows the addressed equipment and equipment groups to be monitored at different levels of detail. This paper focuses on equipment for converter steel making, especially the converter main bearings. The CMS example addresses the main sources of converter bearing failures, which include loss of lubrication and sealing failure due to high grease temperature, steady point loads on the outer bearing raceways, reaching of mechanical limits or locked position of the expansion bearing, violation of the admissible inclination of the trunnion pin, which can no longer be compensated by the bearing, and omitted maintenance activities defined by the bearing supplier. For each failure source, dedicated evaluation packages (EPs) are designed to inform the maintenance team about irregular operation and violation of design limits. In addition to evaluation of bearing temperatures, a measuring system for detection of axial displacement and calculation of trunnion pin inclination are presented, which helps to prevent a mechanical limit from being reached, for instance. Beyond sensor-based EPs, software-based EPs are also implemented to provide a more comprehensive view of equipment use. For example, an extended odometer function summarizes information on the load profile and the effective bearing rotation in a long-term view. Advanced analysis techniques and tools for slowly rotating bearings demand deep expert knowledge, which is accessible via on-demand supplementary support and customized service agreements. A valid service contract guarantees the customer a short response time, avoiding repeating purchase processes and providing continuous and reliable information on equipment status.

Speaker

Bernhard Voglmayr

Co-Authors

Arno Haschke, Primetals Technologies
Klaus Stohl, Primetals Technologies
Richard Stadlmayr, Primetals Technologies

For many years steel makers have been increasing efforts to support human operators and improve safety. Manipulators are standard equipment in most plants nowadays. These manipulators are typically designed for a specific task and operated semi-automatically, so while these operations are state-of-the-art, they still do not allow operators to remain completely out of the hazardous area. Using the latest robot technology in combination with state-of-the-art machine vision devices from Primetals Technologies, it is possible to eliminate the disadvantages of the manipulators and establish a full integration of this technology into the steelmaking and continuous casting process. Robot technology in the steelmaking area: There is an advantage to using standard 6 axes industrial robots. Robot systems can perform tasks fully automatically and the robotic movements can be easily reconfigured to suit different process requirements. An obvious example for a fully automated robot in steelmaking is probe attachment, measurement, probe disposal, and tool check. Robot technology on the continuous caster: Besides the standard tasks of sampling and all variants of measurements in the tundish, with the combined technology package of Primetals Technologies it is possible to fully automate the ladle exchange process, not only on the LOP but also in the ladle preparation area. This means one robot takes care of connecting media to the ladle and attaching the ladle gate cylinder, while a second robot connects the shroud before the ladle is opened. In this paper, Primetals Technologies will share its experiences with different applications in various areas of steel melt shops and continuous casters. Achieved performance targets for a fully automated solution for horizontal measurements at a tilted converter vessel as well as fully automated (without endangering personnel) casting applications will be presented.

Speaker

Michael Stiftinger

Co-Authors

Mario Hirth, Primetals Technologies
Gregor Gerstorfer, Primetals Technologies

For several months worldwide scrap availability has been improving. Prices for electrical energy are rising, making the efficiency of electric arc furnaces even more important. Possible upgrades to pre-heating furnaces are very often limited due to scrapyard and meltshop logistics, meltshop heights above the EAF area, and crane heights, as well as lifting capacities. The biggest challenge of a brownfield integration of shaft furnace technologies is to reduce the shaft height without compromising the efficiency of the scrap pre-heating. Existing meltshop bays as well as crane heights usually limit the possibilities for shaft furnace integrations. Furthermore, scrap logistics and shorter tap-to-tap times have to be taken into account. This paper will outline the available technical solutions offered by Primetals Technologies, and will show the benefits in terms of OPEX and productivity increase by using the latest shaft furnace technologies with minor changes to the existing meltshop.

Speaker

Hannes Beile

Co-Authors

Jens Apfel, Primetals Technologies

“Made in China 2025” is a strategic plan of China issued by the Chinese government in May 2015. The goals of “Made in China 2025” include increasing the Chinese domestic content of core materials to 40% by 2020 and to 70% by 2025. This initiative is directly inspired by the German Industry 4.0. It is an attempt to move the country's manufacturing up the value chain. Even if the steel industry in China is already very advanced and it could be assumed that there are no further efforts needed to improve the Chinese domestic content, several new Primetals Technologies slab casting orders prove otherwise. For example, the LiquiRob system—which offers a high repeatability of metallurgical processes—is already supplied in 3 slab casters in China. Furthermore, hard reduction up to 20mm, which will allow better center quality, is supplied for 2 slab casters in China. Several other advanced technologies like Opal or the DynaTac high temperature casting package, which allow higher quality grades to be produced, and how they fit into the China 2025 strategy, are described in this paper.

Speaker

Dr. Martin Hirschmanner

Co-Authors

Hermann Willeit, Primetals Technologies

New targets for CO2 emissions and minimal energy consumption dominate the daily news as we strive to keep global warming under control. In parallel, the steelmaking raw materials industry is changing structurally as Chinese obsolete scrap increases substantially. In the long term, this means increased usage of the electric arc furnace route for flat products. Investors in the steel industry have to keep this in mind when applying for production approvals and new investments. In steel production, melting and rolling are the process steps with the highest energy consumption and therefore warrant further investigation. The combination of EAF and Arvedi ESP is the perfect solution for achieving significant energy and emission reductions, while local raw material sources can be used. Based on scrap input, this energy-saving flat minimill allows for premium products at minimum energy input, thus drastically reducing costs. Details of plant setup, parameters, and reference projects will be discussed in this paper.

Speaker

Dr. Martin Fleischer

Co-Authors

Andreas Viehböck, Primetals Technologies
Giovanni Arvedi, FINARVEDI SpA

What is the future of secondary metallurgy? The improvement of material quality is linked to higher safety standards and reduced conversion costs. The combination of higher safety standards and proper process control is connected to higher automation. The key resource of steel making know-how will be increasingly centralized, in the context of a reduction in investment costs and a shift in steel making strategies all over the world. Process and design know-how will be made available on digital platforms, accelerating reaction speeds and eliminating long distance travel. Quality will be monitored remotely in competence centers, constant feedback will lead to new customer assistance concepts. The m.connect platform is the latest development of Primetals Technologies in this area. Robotic solutions for sampling and temperature manipulators is already a typical solution for secondary metallurgy. Logistics will be linked closer to plant operations. Secondary metallurgy has to cover different design concepts: •The Ladle Refining Furnace is a fundamental part of this area. Its operation will be made easier and will be better monitored. For example, special mechanical solutions for reduced distance between heating stations are reached anchoring the electrode columns gantry on the transformer wall. •Vacuum Metallurgy will be a zero-waste process, vacuum operations will move to dry solutions: the latest Primetals Technologies startups are described in the paper. •Plant operations using active video camera intelligence is installed and used and is described in the paper. •Low raw material quality with high-end quality demands will be obtained by new process practices and detailed monitoring. Secondary metallurgy has the smallest energy demand in the overall process but the highest potential for increases in quality in the whole steelmaking process.

Speaker

Andrea Pezza

Co-Authors

Jens Apfel, Primetals Technologies

Primetals Technologies has developed a new generation of measurement devices that guarantee the highest product quality, fully automated processes, and efficient maintenance. These attributes are focus areas for digitalization in steel plants. The aim is to eliminate human error and make the operation repetitious and as simple as possible. With this generation of measuring devices and connected systems, handwritten records and manual entries become a thing of the past. Connectivity via WLAN or Bluetooth is standard, data are immediately available and automatically processed. Generated reports document the quality status of the monitored equipment and ensure error-free operation. During the mold maintenance process, the copper plate is heated in a fully controlled manner by a new device so that full functionality of the complete system of thermocouples installed in the copper plate is checked and ensured. Wireless sensors for measuring oscillation accuracy increase operational usability and safety. Other wireless sensors are used for automatic calibration of the mold narrow face taper. The condition of the strand is monitored with online measurements during each run and the data provides long-term trend information regarding the condition of the segments. In addition to gap and alignment measurement, it is also possible to monitor the condition of the nozzles. An optical monitoring device for bloom casters provides information about the roll diameters and profile of the rolls and additionally records videos and images from inside the machine. This paper will present current technologies available for digitalization in the steel plant process with a particular focus on casting operations. The challenges and considerations in developing these measurement devices and their integration into existing plants will also be presented.

Speaker

Dr. Oliver Lang

Co-Authors

Thomas Blin, Primetals Technologies
Nicole Oberschmidleitner, Primetals Technologies
Daniel Ott, Primetals Technologies
Christoph Stummer, Primetals Technologies
Klemens Winkler, Primetals Technologies
August Wurm, Primetals Technologies

Meeting customers’ specific strip profile targets, e.g. C40 values, is a major task of profile and flatness control (PFC). In the case of a large variety of steel grades to be rolled and small lot sizes, the application of highly sophisticated mathematical models within the PFC is required to meet given target values. We present the latest versions of Primetals Technologies’ core models. They take different effects both within and between mill stands into account, such as roll bending and flattening, material flow in the roll gap, stand stretch, thermal and wear crown, as well as inter-stand profile transmission. These models have been verified across a broad spectrum of plant types such as hot strip mills, medium-wide hot strip mills, plate mills, Steckel mills, and Endless Strip Production (ESP) mills, and a broad spectrum of strip dimensions up to 5m width in plate mills and down to 0.7mm thin strips in ESP mills. To be able to shape strips correctly, it is important to compare measured with calculated, model-based contours. This comparison can also be used to ensure model quality. Besides models that calculate strip contours with sufficient accuracy, collecting real mill process data that allows offline recalculation is important. With both at hand, we present an optimizer that is able to adjust internal model parameters to improve model accuracy and to analyze external model inputs to reveal input errors. This leads to reduced commissioning times, increased commissioning ramp ups, less adaptation, and better extrapolation for new materials. Moreover, these models can be used to analyze and classify contour defects. Some can be resolved by bending and shifting within PFC setup, others by mechanical modification of the plants or by changing the production schedule. Being able to handle these defects, controlling strip contour is the obvious next step.

Speaker

Dr. Alexander Thekale

Co-Authors

Matthias Kurz, Primetals Technologies
Marco Miele, Primetals Technologies
Andrea Schmidt, Primetals Technologies
Jens Frenzel, Thyssenkrupp Hohenlimburg GmbH
Christopher Gusek, Thyssenkrupp Hohenlimburg GmbH
Martin Vogt, Thyssenkrupp Hohenlimburg GmbH

Arvedi ESP is the first ever hot rolling process to produce cold rolled substitutes on an industrial scale, and a wide variety of end products are now being produced directly from ESP hot band without implementing a cold rolling process. Energy consumption and related CO2 emissions are drastically reduced through the compact layout of ESP lines, as well as through the omission of subsequent cold rolling steps. Details of successful endless strip production, as well as new features under development for current projects, will be discussed in this paper.

Speaker

Andreas Jungbauer

Co-Authors

Thomas Lengauer, Primetals Technologies
Simon Grosseiber, Primetals Technologies

The hot strip mill line for TATA steel Kalinganagar (TSK ) is the latest and most-leading edge hot strip mill in India. Primetals Technologies have developed a number of advanced technologies in the field of hot strip rolling and provided them for the TSK hot strip mill so that solutions  could be offered to meet customer demands. The Pair Cross mill provides the highest strip crown/flatness control combined with mill stabilizing device to improve capabilities for high reduction. A Looper Shape Meter was installed between the last three finishing stands and successfully detects the flatness distribution of the strip under loading tension. Primetals Technologies’ Looper Shape Meter is the only interstand shape meter that is working in commercial production of a hot strip mill line due to its robust design. For the TSK plant, dynamic strip flatness control was first provided by using feedback data from the Looper Shape Meter, though it was impossible to control the strip shape dynamically by using a conventional optical shape meter after loading strip tension between a finishing mill and a down coiler. The dynamic flatness control was properly operating and improved strip flatness continually. This paper introduces the unique technologies of Primetals Technologies applied in the hot strip mill for the TSK plant, especially focusing on the Lopper Shape Meter.

Speaker

Naoto Migakida

Hot Strip Mills can have a wide variety of configurations depending on the material grade, strip range, width, quality requirements, and productivity. The demands related to the capabilities of a conventional hot strip mill have changed in recent years. In addition to the high level of output and productivity, the demand for quality improvement and extension of product mix is still ongoing. Today there is a clear trend toward developing new steel grades like 3rd generation AHSS (Advanced High Strength Steels). This trend challenges hot strip mill technology because it requires new technologies which provide greater flexibility in metallurgical treatment during the rolling process. Additionally, there is a trend toward producing a very wide thickness range on today’s hot strip mill, starting from 1.2 mm (or even lower) up to thick pipe grades with 25.4 mm thickness. In parallel, the high level of productivity and quality must be maintained. In order to meet and promote these trends, Primetals Technologies is developing a new mill stand technology called FLEX-HI HOT, which allows the last finishing HSM-mill stand to be adapted by efficiently switching from 4-high to a WR-driven 6-high mode with small work roll diameter based on production needs. A smaller work roll diameter allows higher reductions and deformation rates to be achieved, resulting in thinner hot-strip gauges with metallurgical benefits. FLEX-HI HOT minimizes the required revamp modernizations and represents a low investment compared to an additional new finishing mill stand. It places no limitations on the existing product mix (in 4-high configuration) and allows it to be extended with thin (and wide) hot strip gauges (produced in 6-high mode). The developed solution concept as well as the technological and metallurgical benefits will be presented in this paper.

Speaker

Manfred Hackl

Co-Authors

Alois Seilinger, Primetals Technologies
Sergey Bragin, Primetals Technologies
Konrad Krimpelstätter, Primetals Technologies

The worldwide trend toward electro-mobility requires higher amounts of electrical steels in order to reduce emissions, as well as high-strength steels to reduce the weight of vehicles. The electrical drive system for these vehicles requires high-grade, non-grain-oriented electrical steel sheets (HNGO) for high performance and advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) for a lightweight body, which contributes to the extension of the driving distance. The “HYPER UC-MILL” is the advanced 6Hi UC-Mill (Universal Crown Control Mill) equipped with significantly smaller work rolls. This allows for rolling of the harder and thinner materials with the 6-high technology with a higher productivity compared to the conventional cold rolling process using a 20-high cluster type mill. The small work rolls of the HYPER UC-MILL are driven by newly developed gear type spindles called “MH Spindle” to transmit the higher rolling torque compared to conventional universal joint type and/or gear type spindles. At the same time, the new spindles minimize work roll horizontal deflection for high product flatness quality with the optimized combination of intermediate and back-up roll diameters. The first conversion of an existing reversing cold mill to a HYPER UC-Mill was successfully completed in Maanshan Steel in China during a short downtime period in August 2018. After completion and fast start-up, Maanshan Steel expanded the product mix from middle-grade NGO to high-grade NGO (HGNO) and was able to improve both product quality and productivity. This paper introduces the effects of the conversion of the existing mill to a HYPER UC-MILL for the expansion to HNGO, comparing the production data before and after the upgrade.

Speaker

Toru Nakayama

Co-Authors

Ke Hu, Maanshan Iron & Steel CO.,LTD 
XingLiang Yang, Maanshan Iron & Steel CO.,LTD 
Mingcheng Ye, Maanshan Iron & Steel CO.,LTD 
Shinichi Yasunari, Primetals Technologies 
Takoyoshi Tomino, Primetals Technologies 

To enable outstanding strip thickness quality and high stability during thin strip rolling up to 0.6 mm exit thickness in Endless Strip Production (ESP), Primetals Technologies has developed an innovative control concept for the finishing mill called “Ultra-Thin Rolling Control” (UTR). This is an adapted control concept of Tandem Cold Mills, which has been used successfully many times during cold rolling. The UTR is successfully in operation at Rizhao ESP line 4 during thin strip rolling with outstanding stability and exit thickness performance. Depending on the material dimension or the rolling condition, UTR mode will be selected during rolling and with smooth transition functionality. UTR consists of an entry tension control via roll gap and roll speed and contains a Roll Eccentricity Compensation for work and backup rolls. The load cell of the interstand looper measures the strip tension between the stand while the looper is in position control and maintains a constant position.

Speaker

Daniel Kotzian

Co-Authors

Asgar Grüss, Primetals Technologies
Bernd Linzer, Primetals Technologies

One requirement in wire rod production for achieving uniform material properties throughout a finished coil is trimming head and tail ends to eliminate any rings with property variations. Installing in-line trim shears prior to coiling at the laying head has been the only automatic option, but this requires space in the rolling line and the shears are difficult to operate and maintain. Therefore, most mills rely on manual operator trimming at a coil inspection station ahead of the coil compactor, which is a labor-intensive and potentially dangerous task. Manual trimming also results in variations in yield, since the number of rings to be removed is usually subject to operator judgement. In wire rod lines such tasks will be eliminated, as operators will have a more sophisticated skill set and focus on more value-added functions. A new Autonomus Robotic system system has been developed for trimming within the coil handling area. A The robotic system is guided with an “intelligent” vision-assisted system and the robot equipped with a ring separator and trimmer can identify, trim, and remove unwanted rings. As a self-contained, accurate, and repeatable system, it ensures superior performance and control of the process, and thus improves efficiency and coil quality. The new system’s capabilities are presented with results from a pilot facility and an operating wire rod mill.

Speaker

Ruth Kirkwood-Azmat

Co-Authors

Sudhakar Teegavarapu, Primetals Technologies

In cold rolling, tribological effects prevailing at the interface of the work roll and strip surface greatly influence the rolling process and the quality of the final cold rolled product. In particular, the amount of iron fines generated in the roll gap significantly influences strip surface cleanliness. Research done on this topic has shown that improving lubrication efficiency, especially in the early mill stands, helps to avoid excessive wear generation and thus allows the surface quality of the final product to be improved. This paper explains the wear mechanism and the influence of strip, process, and lubricant parameters on the generation of strip wear in cold rolling. Innovative lubrication systems such as Minimum Quantity Lubrication MQL® allow mill operators to take advantage of unused optimization potential. Minimum Quantity Lubrication MQL® was installed in Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe’s batch tandem cold mill in Bruckhausen, Germany. MQL® applies small amounts of rolling oil atomized with air directly onto the surface of the work roll and allows the oil film thickness to be flexibly controlled independently of the mill speed, ensuring a product-specific lubrication. The system is currently operated based on a lubrication table dependent on the steel grade and process parameters. Operational results are presented that demonstrate a reduction of the required rolling forces and power consumption by improved roll-gap friction. Measurements of the strip surface cleanliness after cold rolling have shown a significant improvement compared with the previously installed conventional emulsion lubrication system. Currently, intelligent model-based lubrication control concepts are being investigated that allow crucial process parameters such as the coefficient of friction or the forward slip to be influenced.

Speaker

Dr. Martin Bergmann

Co-Authors

Konrad Krimpelstätter, Primetals Technologies
Björn Nilsson, ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe
Stephan Karakavaf, ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe
Robert Leffers, Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG

Primetals Technologies was commissioned to build a new, fully integrated hot-rolling mill on a process-turn-key basis, including a water treatment plant. The hot rolling mill was put into operation jointly with Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) in the year 2014 in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The mill is capable of rolling a wide range of highly diversified carbon and stainless steels and specialty metals at widths up to 2,083mm. A core component of the hot strip mill at ATI is its next generation coil logistic system with the Modular Coil Shuttle (MCS) system. The MCS system is a rail-based, fully automated modular coil transport system arranged in a loop design. There is a loaded track (coils are transported from down coiler area to the coil yard or the next processing facility) and an unloaded track (the empty cars are transported back to the coiler). Multiple stations located around the track perform several movements, like shifting, turning or lifting/lowering of the MCS car. These modules can be flexibly arranged to realize each plant layout according to the customer’s needs. The operating cars are controlled independently of each other using industrial WLAN. The number of active cars can be flexibly adapted to the mill requirements. The coil yard area set-up, fed by the MCS cars, is split into two coil yard bays. It allows a maximum number of coils to be stored for one shift of production at short pacing by using automatic overhead cranes with automatic coil loaders. The coil loaders pick and place the coils from the MCS cars onto coil saddles in the coil storage and from the coil saddles onto rail road cars. The benefits of Primetals Technologies’ MCS system and operational results from the hot strip mill of ATI will be presented in the paper.

Speaker

Dr. Lukas Pichler

Co-Authors

Christoph Salzmann, Primetals Technologies
Roland Hofer, Primetals Technologies
Tom DeLuca, Allegheny Steel

By virtue of a combination of different cultures, Primetals Technologies represents a particularly favorable environment for the emergence of new technologies. This also applies to strip welding, where the respective significant experience and technological setups have been assessed and mutualized: European and Japanese expertise, from laser optical to metallurgical and mechanical skills, from laboratory and robot-based test facilities to 1:1 scale pilot machines. Driven by the ever growing demand for new grades, Primetals Technologies has achieved a breakthrough in strip welding by expanding the welder LW21M “Asolid” technology used on low gauges for high-end markets such as automotive CAL/CGL. Addressing the usual drawbacks in maintenance, operation, and the safety of current welding systems based on mechanical cutting and CO2 laser welding, the newly developed LW21H “solid-state” technology now benefits from a smarter approach by processing thicker strips up to 7 mm with solid-state laser cutting and welding. This new welder generation is state-of-the- art and has been realized through a 1:1 scale pilot developed, manufactured, and tested in Primetals Technologies’ workshop. The latest results will be shared by a multicultural team.

Speaker

Stanislas Mauuary

Co-Authors

Takahiro Yagi, Primetals Technologies Ltd.
Shinichi Kaga, Primetals Technologies Ltd.
Stanislas Mauuary, Primetals Technologies S.A.S
Sebastien Maillard, Primetals Technologies S.A.S

In 2010 development of a cyberphysical cooling system began, and now the pilot project at the Thyssenkrupp hot strip mill I in Bruckhausen has been completed. While a classic automation system divides the plant into its process areas—roughing mill, finishing mill, and cooling section with separate controllers for each—, Primetals Technologies has reorganized the automation of the finishing mill and cooling section with only one comprehensive controller and underlying model. With a classic automation system, the separate controllers for the  finishing mill and cooling section often interfere with each other when trying to achieve competing control targets, resulting in semi-optimum overall performance. Primetals Technologies’ Comprehensive Strip Temperature Control enables optimum performance results for both the finishing mill and the coiling temperature, as the results from the pilot plant show. The hot strip mill in Bruckhausen is equipped with Primetals Technologies’ state-of-the-art strip cooling technology. For transfer bar cooling, equipment which was first operated as a prototype installation in 2002 at voestalpine is installed. One major feature is a special header design with 3 separate individually controllable chambers. In the run-out table cooling, Primetals Technologies’ Power Cooling is installed, featuring 16 pairs of top and bottom headers. The advantages of Power Cooling technology lie in very high achievable cooling rates and homogeneous water flow over the width, which are both required to improve production costs and strip quality. Furthermore, the model also drives the transfer bar cooling device and entire water management system. Homogeneous temperatures along the length and width of the transfer bar when entering the finishing mill improve material quality. Thus, the newly developed cooling technology combined with the cooling model forms a cyberphysical system with proven superior performance at Thyssenkrupp steel WBW 1.

Speaker

Dr. Klaus Weinzierl

Co-Authors

Eduard Hermann, Primetals Technologies
Lukas Pichler, Primetals Technologies
Alois Seilinger, Primetals Technologies
Alexander, Reljic, Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG

One of the keys to success in steel making and the metals industry is the achievement of a highly efficient overall production process that enables the economical production of high-quality products with high yield at competitive, low cost. This can be taken to the next level through digitalization and by leveraging know-how. Primetals Technologies has developed a pioneering digitalization solution called TPO, Through Process Optimization. TPO combines the modern, highly functional Primetals Technologies Digitalization IT System “TPQC – Through Process Quality Control” with the digitalized know-how and expertise of domain experts and AI algorithms. TPO enables metals producers to control and optimize production and product quality across the entire process chain. After collecting appropriate data with TPQC from all automation systems, measurement systems, smart sensors, and even from operators, the data is transformed into valuable information, KPIs, decisions, advices, and actions, enabling a higher level of production and product quality. This papers explains the cornerstones and main elements of TPO, the background of the development, a view and outlook of the further potential, and gives some examples of successful customer implementation.

Speaker

Dr. Thomas Pfatschbacher

Co-Authors

Jan Friedemann Plaul, Primetals Technologies
Lukas Pichler, Primetals Technologies
Bernhard Schürz, Primetals Technologies
Wolfgang Oberaigner, Primetals Technologies
Norbert Hübner, Primetals Technologies
Manfred Kügel, Primetals Technologies

Recently, a Transfer Bar Cooling system supplied by Primetals Technologies was commissioned for the hot strip mill of Tata Steel Port Talbot. The purpose of the new cooling system, installed after the roughing mill, is the precise control of the strip temperature before it enters the finishing mill, without having to slow down the roughing mill or to increase the finishing mill entry temperature. This can significantly improve productivity at the hot strip mill and still ensures a finishing rolling below recrystallization temperature, especially for thick thermo-mechanically rolled products. The Transfer Bar Cooling system is based on Primetals Technologies’ Power Cooling technology in combination with a full-fledged state-of-the art automation system. It employs a total of 9 pairs of spray headers and has a total length of approximately 10 meters. In order to cope with a large variety of steel grades and process requirements, especially the minimum surface temperature of the bar during cooling, the flow rates of the Power Cooling headers are adjustable over a wide range. Therefore, a lower cooling intensity is also achievable as required for each individual product. The benefits of Primetals Technologies’ Transfer Bar Cooling technology and first operational results from the hot strip mill of Tata Steel Port Talbot are presented in the paper.

Speaker

Dr. Lukas Pichler

Co-Authors

Alois Seilinger, Primetals Technologies
Axel Rimnac, Primetals Technologies
Franz Xaver Lettner, Primetals Technologies
Klaus Weinzierl, Primetals Technologies
Jonas Daniel Milbredt, Primetals Technologies

While all currently running ESP lines are using longitudinal flux induction heaters, Rizhao’s ESP line 4 is the first Arvedi ESP line with transverse flux induction heater. Right from the first production sequences, significant energy savings were recorded. Flexible heater adjustments provide the freedom to optimize energy consumption for all operation cases. The installation just next to Rizhao’s ESP lines 1-3 offers perfect comparison possibilities. Measurements from the newest ESP line operating transverse flux in comparison with the existing ESP lines powered by longitudinal flux will be discussed in this paper.

Speaker

Dr. Bernd Linzer

Co-Authors

Thomas Lengauer, Primetals Technologies
Simon Großeiber, Primetals Technologies
Bernd Linzer, Primetals Technologies
Andreas Jungbauer, Primetals Technologies
A. Umbrasko, ABP Induction Systems GmbH
A. Thus; ABP Induction Systems GmbH, Germany

The world steel market has evolved from a supplier-driven to a customer-driven one. Customers are becoming increasingly demanding, and margins are becoming tighter. This challenge is being addressed through increasing levels of digitalization and a more service-orientated customer focus. In parallel, the delivery of higher quality products, introduction of new steel grades, and further customization of high-end products for niche markets are of prime importance in terms of maintaining or increasing market share. Operating successfully in this challenging business environment is heavily reliant upon solid research and development. The development cycle time to market for new products needs to be minimized, but increasing pressure on development budgets requires even more efficient and effective R&D work. Addressing these challenges in terms of the operational practice is achieved through a combination of physical simulation, numerical simulation, and digitalization, all of which are driven by metallurgical know-how as a complete system. This combination provides increased understanding as the basis for efficient development and production of new steel grades. Increasingly, the role of the plant supplier is to develop and provide solutions to support steel producers in achieving these objectives for fast and efficient process development, including mechatronic systems, metallurgical know-how, and simulation technologies. This paper will discuss the structure and requirements for the aforementioned integrated system approach and the current technologies to deliver it. The benefits of a digitalized product development cycle encompassing the strategies of Industry 4.0 that are intrinsic to customers’ operations in terms of efficiencies in development of new, higher value products, and in the use of metallurgical know-how, will also be presented.

Speaker

Axel Rimnac

Co-Authors

Wolfgang Hackl, Primetals Technologies
Nicholas John Champion, Primetals Technologies
Thomas Pfatschbacher, Primetals Technologies

Iron and steel making requires a wide range of different raw materials that significantly influence process performance. This demands a continuous optimization of process routes with respect to energy efficiency as well as environmental emissions. Steadily changing raw material prices and qualities, market situations, and product variations are challenging integrated steel plant operators in terms of production planning and cost optimization. Encouraged by state-of-the-art process simulation practices as applied in the petrochemical and oil and gas industries, Primetals Technologies decided to develop a comprehensive metallurgical flow sheet model library for simulation and optimization of integrated steel plants. Intensive development efforts were made in order to migrate existing, well established calculation and engineering routines as well as integrate newly developed models. The generated model library enables the setup of mass and energy balances for integrated steel plants in tandem with professional simulation and optimization capabilities. Development and evaluation of new process concepts as well as investigations of impacts of raw material changes and trace material distributions can be performed on one platform. Using this process integration system, it is possible to compare different iron and steelmaking routes within one standardized environment. In this publication an insight into how an integrated steel plant operates will be given using the example of a real operation simulation, along with an analysis of selected trace materials via the full ironmaking production route. Additionally, the functionalities for raw material planning by usage of optimization techniques and consideration of core KPIs will be shown. The effect of applied functionalities on operation figures and operation costs will be clearly illustrated.

Speaker

Dr. Bernd Weiss

Co-Authors

Andreas Spanlang, K1-MET GmbH
Walter Wukovits, Technische Universität Wien

Digitalization has also arrived in emissions control. In addition to process technologies, a digitalization approach and automation packages can help plant operators to improve their energy consumption as well as process control of their environmental plants. Secondary de-dusting systems based on fabric filter technology often suffer from non-optimized operation in terms of energy efficiency. Primetals Technologies has developed know-how-based solutions which incorporate various energy efficiency measures across the gas cleaning plant and link the de-dusting operation to the primary plant operation. This kind of digitalization either reduces energy consumption or increases suction capacity, either improving the emission situation or positively influencing the productivity of the system (i.e. reduction of charging time). Besides intelligent process models, online data analysis can also help to reduce maintenance costs or improve process control. In combination with a video analysis system for emission control and quantification, a holistic optimization strategy can be achieved. Practicable solutions and intelligent automation packages for plant improvements to support operators to upgrade their off-gas system and minimize operational costs of their off-gas system are presented within this paper.

Speaker

Dr. Thomas Steinparzer

Co-Authors

Alexander Fleischanderl, Primetals Technologies
Franz Hartl, Primetals Technologies
Rainer Schmied, Kappa Filter Systems GmbH

For many years now, stricter and stricter regulation of environmental emissions has been imposed all over the world. In order to meet or even exceed local emission requirements, modern electric arc furnaces have to monitor and treat off-gas emissions accordingly. This paper outlines the differences between conventional electric arc furnaces and shaft furnaces in terms of environmental emissions. All relevant emissions such as particle matter, carbon monoxide, NOX, VOCs, dioxins, furans, etc., will be discussed in detail. Emission generation within the furnace as well as different technical solutions for off-gas cleaning and monitoring will be presented. The different approaches and technical solutions for both furnace types will be highlighted, from the emission source to the stack. The conclusion of this paper will show that differences in final emissions of the two furnace technologies are minimal.

Speaker

Hannes Beile

Co-Authors

Thomas Steinparzer, Primetals Technologies

For decades the majority of the blast furnace slags have been utilized as cement clinker additive, applying the traditional wet granulation process. Although well proven, the wet process has some disadvantages, such as an inability to recover the enthalpy of 1.8 GJ per ton of slag, process water consumption, and odor problems around the plant. Over the last couple of years Primetals Technologies has developed the DSG, Dry Slag Granulation process, which allows for the recovery of heat from the liquid blast furnace slag. After an intensive pilot plant operation phase it was decided to install a first of its kind industrial prototype at voestalpine’s BF #A with a design capacity of up to 2 tons per minute liquid slag. The plant was commissioned in May 2017. Between June 2017 and April 2018, many trial campaigns were performed and hundreds of tons of slag were granulated with the dry process. A relining of the connected blast furnace in summer 2018 allowed plant upgrades to be installed for the upcoming trial campaign starting in winter 2018/19. The new installations should bring the development of dry slag granulation technology a huge step closer toward industrial maturity. This paper will discuss trial results, product analysis, achieved process parameters, and reports the actual technology development status with an economic outlook for the DSG process.

Speaker

Dr. Alexander Fleischanderl

Co-Authors

Thomas Fenzl, Primetals Technologies
Robert Neuhold, Primetals Technologies

Environmental protection has become a decisive factor for steel producers over recent years. Also, existing gas cleaning systems have to comply with the most stringent environmental regulations set by national and local governments. For existing steel plants in particular, the modernization and revamp of their off-gas systems is a challenge in terms of achieving future emission standards. Primetals Technologies has considerable experience in revamp projects that fulfill current emission standards. Due to the high complexity of these projects in terms of technical solutions, interface coordination, and strict order management, they require extensive knowledge in all technical fields. In this paper, the modernization of basic oxygen furnace primary dedusting systems in Europe will be introduced. Furthermore, the revamp of a European electric arc furnace dedusting system, including the upgrade to waste heat recovery with minimum standstill and a record start-up time, will be presented, as well as the first operational results from the waste heat recovery systems. In addition to steelmaking plants, Primetals Technologies has also successfully implemented gas cleaning solutions and energy recovery solutions for sinter plants and blast furnaces. The modernization of 3 sinter plants with the patented MEROS technology, including waste treatment and a novel concept for a top gas recovery turbine arrangement for a blast furnace, will be presented in the paper. The revamp projects as well as operational achievements in terms of emissions and recovery rates will be presented.

Speaker

Paul Trunner

Co-Authors

Thomas Steinparzer, Primetals Technologies
Herbert Anton Pasteiner, Primetals Technologies
Andreas Steinwandter, Primetals Technologies

Primetals Technologies has developed a new vertical sinter shaft cooler that is not only highly energy-efficient but is also much more environmentally friendly than conventional circular sinter coolers. It is based on a counter-flow cooling process, so heat transfer efficiency is significantly higher than in a conventional sinter cooler. The shaft cooler design allows the optimized utilization of sensible heat contained in the hot sinter. With this approach the temperature of the cooling air exiting the shaft can be maximized and more efficiently applied for the generation of steam. The total cooler off air of the process is finally cleaned in a dedusting unit which gives the environmental benefit of zero diffuse dust emissions. Primetals Technologies and Ansteel Engineering Technology implemented the first industrial scale shaft cooler at a 265m2 sinter plant at Anshan Iron & Steel, China. The system consists of a pan conveyor for charging the shaft cooler, the shaft cooler, a heat recovery system, and a bag filter unit. Operational results and achievements of the first installed shaft cooler will be presented.

Speaker

Dr. Michaela Böberl

Co-Authors

Johann Reidetschläger, Primetals Technologies
Markus Kastner, Primetals Technologies
Karl-Heinz Zellinger, Primetals Technologies