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Electric Steelmaking

ELECTRIC STEELMAKING — A FULL ARRAY OF ADVANCED AND ENERGY-SAVING SOLUTIONS

Fine-tuning EAF technology to achieve an optimum balance of charge materials, process control, cycle times, logistics, and productivity requires both in-depth experience and a precise analysis of steelmaking requirements.

Sustainable steelmaking is in demand as never before. Challenging market conditions force producers who wish to remain competitive to raise the level of efficiency of their plants. Primetals Technologies offers the right electric arc furnace to meet its customer's requirements. Plants are available that combine high capacity with maximum availability, process a variety of charging materials, and produce a wide range of steel grades without long adaption times that slow down production. At the same time, costs are reduced – both for initial investments and throughout a plant's operational plant lifetime – and the overal environmental impact of electric steelmaking is minimized.

The advantages of Primetals Technologies electric arc furnaces:

  • High reliability of your plant: assured fulfillment of the contractual agreements
  • At the leading edge of innovation: Primetals Technologies is the front-runner: see, for example, our EAF Ultimate for maximum productivity, flexible process control, and high availability, and our EAF Quantum for the most efficient and environment friendly steelmaking
  • Short start-up periods: thanks to the user-friendliness of the system, combined with the process expertise of our specialists
  • High quality and minimized downtime risk: because of the high level of standardization of the system components
  • Short amortization time of your investment: thanks to low consumption levels, high availability, and dependable productivity

Our Technologies​

High productivity: EAF Ultimate

The EAF Ultimate bundles over 40 years of experience and innovative strength from Primetals Technologies in the field of electric arc furnaces. Just about everything is “ultimate” in this new generation. State-of-the-art electric steel production technology and design features deliver maximum furnace performance – in terms of both quantity and quality. Extremely high energy input rates of up to 1,500 kVA/t liquid, innovative RCB technology to boost performance, and an enlarged furnace for single-bucket charging – only the EAF Ultimate offers all of these features in this combination. The result is extremely short tap-to-tap times – and therefore a real boost in productivity. At a capacity of 120 tons, for example, the EAF Ultimate delivers the same productivity as a 180-t standard EAF – or 50 % more productivity at the same tapping weight.

High efficiency: EAF Quantum

Based on an optimized preheating and melting concept, the EAF Quantum delivers minimum conversion costs, maximized output, and environmental compliance. Thanks to 100% scrap preheating, the efficient recovery of energy results in energy consumption of less than 280 kWh/t. This is made possible by a trapezoidal shaft design in combination with a redesigned retaining system, which results in an optimal allocation of scrap and improved offgas routing for efficient heat transfer. Melting scrap in large liquid heels results in pure flat-bath operation with the lowest possible flicker, and also supports preheating efficiency. In combination with the Furnace Advanced Slag-free Tapping system (FAST – siphon design), this new furnace concept allows charging, tapping, and taphole refilling under power-on conditions.

High quality: EAF Stainless

The ever-increasing global demand for stainless steel can be met by installing melting units with the latest technologies and de-sign features. The EAF Stainless combines all of the advantages and benefits of the EAF Ultimate concept with the special requirements of stainless steel production. Maximized power input and high productivity are the distinctive features of this furnace type. Primetals is the world’s leading supplier of EAFs for the production of stainless steel.

High flexibility: DC and AC EAF

Based on decades of experience in designing electric arc furnaces, Primetals offers steel producers a broad range of powerful options for high-performance electric steelmaking.

This includes EAFs of all sizes and types, twin-shell furnaces, and shaft furnaces in addition to all related processes, automation, and environmental systems. The AC and DC EAFs from Primetals is the ideal melting unit for the production of all types of steel, from standard carbon grades to high-alloyed and stainless steel grades. Its overall furnace performance can be further enhanced with the latest oxygen and carbon injection technologies. Our EAFs offer maximum flexibility in terms of input material. Solutions for hot or cold DRI feeding, hot Metal input or pure scrap charging are availabel. Twin-shell EAFs are a highly attractive solution for increasing a plant‘s productivity, especially when the lifting and loading capacities of existing cranes and other infrastructural limitations do not allow an increase in the tapping weight. Poweroff times can be reduced to less than three minutes.

Want to know more? Go to Lifecycle Services & Integrated Plants & Solutions

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Intelligent automation for steelmaking

Our EAF automation solutions are the key to ensure high-performance and cost-effective EAF steelmaking. The modular, expandable and upgradeable automation packages are developed for a wide range of plant setups, operational strategies and input materials.

Outstanding examples for optimizing the EAF production with automation:

Electrode control system

Melt Expert has been developed based on more than 35 years of experience with the well-known Arcos and Simelt electrode control systems. It is a fully automatic end-to-end solution for electrode control in three-phase EAFs and LFs. Melt Expert regulates and dynamically adjusts the electric arc and makes the most efficient use of electric energy. Condition monitoring of electrodes and furnace equipment is also included.

EAF process optimization

Our process optimization system for EAF supports production of a wide range of steel grades, including carbon, stainless and special steels. The application of Steel Expert, a set of metallurgical process models for the optimization of the steelmaking process, leads to fewer steel treatment correction steps, a minimum number of downgraded heats, and exact adherence to tight production schedules.

Further highlighted solutions:

  • Furnace switchgear: perfectly adapted even for the extreme requirements of ultra-high-power arc furnaces
  • Lomas: fully automated continuous offgas measurement and analyzing
  • Leakage Monitor: safety certified leakage detection system
     
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​ECO Solutions for electric arc furnaces — Saving resources, creating value

Please follow the corresponding links to learn more about our competences. 

Gas Cleaning

Energy Efficiency

Water treatment

ECO Consulting

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TECHNOLOGY AND MODERNIZATION PACKAGES

Get striking results with incremental investments

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Scrap Torch Cutting Machine Environmentally clean scrap processing
Scrap Composition Monitor Automatic identification of unwanted or dangerous ingredients in the scrap
Static Var Compensation Respond to load changes in real-time to improve the power grid.
Bag Break Monitor Bag break detection and localization for pulse jet bag filter-plants
Emission Fume Monitor Measurement of emissions in open space for electric steelmaking
Freeboard Monitor Online measurement system for ladle freeboard during tapping
Scrap Type Monitor Fully automated solution to identify and classify scrap on a yard
Scrap Loading Controller Automation supported scrap loading from yard to scrap buckets/chutes
Scrap Profile Monitor Fully automated 3D profile and volume measurement system for scrap piles
Bag Cleaning Monitor Acoustic monitoring of pulse jet bag filter plants
Equipment Position Monitor Reliable identification and tracking of metallurgical equipment throughout the steel plant
Bag Filter Controller Smart control of bag filter cleaning for dedusting plants
DC EAF Anode Fin-type anode for extended lifetime
EAF Automatic Tap Hole Refilling Automatic sand filling device for various furnace technologies
EAF Door Assistant Combined automatic slag door and slag channel cleaning device
EAF Optimizer Dynamic process optimization (Level 2) for Electric Steelmaking
EAF Tap Hole Opener Automatic oxygen lance for emergency opening of tap hole
EAF RCB Injection Technology Refining combined burner systems for chemical energy input
EAF Chargeopt Fully automated EAF charging
Leakage Monitor Leakage detection system for water cooling circuits
Lance Checker Test and diagnosis system for liquid iron and steel measuring devices
LiquiRob for Steelmaking Robotic solution for EAF, BOF, ladle furnace, VD
LF / RH /VD Optimizer Dynamic Process Optimization (Level 2) for Secondary Metallurgy (LF/RH/VD)
Lomas Gas analysis system for very hot corrosive and dust-loaded process gases
Melt Expert Electrode control system for EAF and Ladle Furnace
SlagMon Reliable slag detection for optimized tapping
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Reference Story: World's first EAF Quantum