Join us at ABM Week in São Paulo, Brazil

Per: Andrea Pezza, Willi Anton Buehler, Edilson Maranhao

Area: Fusion, Refining and Solidification

Theme: Secondary Steel Metallurgy

Event: 50th Non-Ferrous Steelmaking, Casting and Metallurgy Seminar

Type: Oral Presentation

Date and time: 01/10/19 | 08h35

Room: 18

Abstract: The vacuum process is the typical solution applied when it is time to upgrade the steel quality level of an existing steel mill. The installation of the new 150t RH vacuum degasser in the integrated plant in Mexico and the new 135t Vacuum Degassing Tank (VD) in Canada for the production of high quality pipes in North America is a typical example. The new facility includes the latest design concept for this type of equipment: fully automated operations and lower environmental impact are key aspects of the project. The mechanical dry pump solution remains the best investment and operating cost approach for vacuum technology. Key aspects of plant design are described in this document. The RH vacuum degasser that will be addressed in this paper is responsible for improving metallurgical performance, especially in terms of nitrogen, hydrogen removal and steel purity level. The downstream process and results are closely linked to the performance of the vacuum degasser. Full line process monitoring is a standard practice for effective product quality improvement. The metallurgical performances of the vacuum degasser are analyzed and commented in this work.

Per: Robert Paul Mawer

Area: Ore Reduction and Agglomeration

Theme: R&D, innovation and new technologies for primary iron production

Event: 49th Minerals and Raw Materials Reduction Seminar

Type: Oral Presentation

Date and time: 01/10/19 | 08h35

Room: 1

Abstract: In recent times there has been an increase in the demand from Steel plants for a technology that offers the most economical environmentally sustainable solution. In terms of blast furnace off gas cleaning this has seen a drive towards Cyclone technology replacing the older Dustcatchers. Cyclone technology can achieve dust removal efficiencies as high as 95% increasing the dust yield at the primary stage of gas cleaning. The dry dust (rich in Fe and C) can then be recycled to the Sinter Plant or Blast Furnace. Capture of dust at this stage also has the benefit that sludge generation from the secondary stage is also reduced meaning less waste to landfill and / or recovery of some of the by-products for further use. Primetals Technologies already offer a state of the art Tri-Axial Cyclone installed on many sites world-wide, however, this paper focuses on a hybrid of this technology, the DustClone. The DustClone is a low CAPEX unit that is essentially a Cyclone housed inside the Dustcatcher. This unit is aimed at operators who may be carrying out smaller scaled shutdowns / repairs that normally have a reduced CAPEX. This paper describes the technology that Primetals Technologies have developed.

Per: Richard Harvey

Area: Ore Reduction and Agglomeration

Theme: R&D, innovation and new technologies for primary iron production

Event: 49th Minerals and Raw Materials Reduction Seminar

Type: Oral Presentation

Date and time: 01/10/19 | 09h50

Room: 1

Abstract: The copper stave was a development of the Blast Furnace cooling system intended to utilise the high heat transfer properties of copper within a fully covered shell cooling solution. It was originally conceived as being able to provide a permanent cooling lining for use primarily in the higher heat zones of the Blast Furnace. Despite a large number of campaign successes around the world the concept has not proven universal, with some plants having suffered issues in two particular areas: stave bending (leading to water leaks at back of the stave) and stave wear (erosion on the hot face). Primetals Technologies have been approached to provide assistance to a number of Blast Furnace operators who were experiencing operational issues with the copper stave and furnace cooling systems, among others. Through knowledge gained resolving these issues, and with the positive experiences of their own copper stave designs, Primetals Technologies have worked towards developing a new concept in copper stave design capable of providing a more robust solution to cope with the greater productivities of modern ironmaking. This paper will provide an outline to the concepts that have driven the design of this new technology.