Levels under extreme temperatures.

"Another milestone in safety technology."

There are applications that push level measurement to its limits. Until recently, this included a process called iron briquetting, where it was almost impossible to achieve reliable measuring results due to extreme temperatures. That has changed. Now, the new high-temperature version of radar sensor VEGAPULS 6X provides a groundbreaking solution for processes at temperatures up to 450 °C.

Sponge iron is an intermediate product in steel production. To store or transport it economically, it is often processed into briquettes. The technique involves passing the porous, spongy mass through heat-resistant roller presses at temperatures of 400 °C and higher.

For many years, precise level measurement was the bottleneck in this process. Conventional measurement technology was not able to function reliably under the harsh conditions, because in addition to the heat, the low conductivity of iron also proved to be an impediment.

For challenging applications such as these, VEGA is offering the high-temperature version of its VEGAPULS 6X radar sensor. Thanks to its hollow ceramic cone and graphite seal, the sensor achieves a thermal performance that was previously not possible. “It’s true that hot briquetting is a niche process,” admits product manager Marvin Moser. However, there are countless such extremes and special cases for which reliable measurement technology is all the more important. “Failure is not an option here,” he says, convinced that “if VEGAPULS 6X can handle this, then it is suitable for all such extreme cases.”

In order to achieve significantly better performance under extremely high temperatures, VEGA protects its radar sensors with a new type of sensor design. The combination of hollow ceramic cone and graphite seal creates additional measurement certainty. By minimising the mass to be penetrated in the hollow cone, the performance of the sensor is significantly enhanced. The use of graphite as a sealing material also contributes greatly to the robustness of the sensor. As a result, it has a temperature resistance range from -196 °C to +450 °C and a pressure resistance range from -1 bar to +160 bar. Even large temperature fluctuations are not a problem.

Besides being highly resistant, VEGAPULS 6X offers another major advantage that is particularly useful for compact vessels. It can be used with a wide range of available process fittings, compact threads and small flanges, and operates without a blocking distance i.e. dead band. Process vessels can thus be filled right up to the top edge with no problem. Its high frequency of 80 GHz also enables particularly good focussing of its measuring beam, which in turn has a positive effect on measurement in tanks with internal installations and agitators. What is more, its high dynamic range makes it possible to reliably measure media that were previously considered nearly impossible to measure due to their low dielectric constant.

Maximum system security is one of the most important goals in the process industry. To achieve this, VEGA has implemented a comprehensive security concept with the VEGAPULS 6X level sensor. At the top of the list is the sensor design itself, which easily withstands extreme ambient conditions. In addition, the sensor covers security and safety issues such as cybersecurity, functional safety in accordance with the Machinery Directive and explosion protection, all the while complying with the highest international standards and current directives. “With the new version of VEGAPULS 6X, we’ve achieved another milestone in safety technology,” says Marvin Moser.

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@VEGAControls #PAuto

Application note on temperature monitoring in steel.

Helping the steel industry meet global decarbonisation challenges with a range of solutions.

With the steel industry responsible for approximately 7% of global man-made CO₂ emissions, finding a way to meet the ongoing demand for steel while reducing and eventually eliminating carbon emissions, is a major challenge.

Ametek Land offers steelmakers several temperature monitoring solutions, and the technology, to meet their challenges when transitioning to more sustainable methods of steelmaking, supporting decarbonisation in several ways.

A specially designed solution, the Slag Detection System (SDS) from LAND, leverages the capabilities of mid-wavelength thermal imaging to help deliver improved yields, higher quality steel, and reduce costly downstream processing for EAF steelmaking operations. It is specially designed to withstand the harsh conditions of continuous operation in a steel plant, with minimal maintenance requirements.

Other solutions from LAND that play a part to help improve product quality, efficiency and reduce emissions include:

• The MWIR-640 390, a mid-wavelength thermal imager that provides reliable, robust and real-time thermal imaging measurements and imagery
• The NIR-2K is a high-precision thermal imager capable of producing high temperature measurements. It combines high accurately with high resolution measurement temperature distributions to identify hot and cold spots for process optimization
• Offering a full temperature measurement range of -20 to 1000°C, the LWIR-640 long-wavelength thermal imager provides high-precision temperature measurements and thermal profiles to continuously control, document and visualise industrial processes.

Manfred Hayk, Head of Product Management at Ametek Land, said: “Process parameters are changing throughout the industry in a bid to bring down carbon emissions. We know that there is no single solution to carbon reduction in steelmaking. However, several changes to existing practices can each make a significant contribution to decarbonisation in the industry.
“We offer accurate, reliable, proven solutions for temperature measurements that support these changes. For example, switching to thermal imagers rather than dip thermocouples helps support decarbonisation efforts by reducing the use of consumables, and delivers more information to support process efficiency.”

A new application note looks at all these processes, and explains the importance of accurate temperature monitoring within each of them, along with expert advice on the best method to use.

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@landinst @codacomms #PAuto #Steel

Slag detection.

The slag detection system (SDS) from AMETEK Land, has been enhanced,leading to improved yields, higher-quality end products and reduced costly downstream processing.

Prasath Venkatasamy - Global Industry Manager – Metals, from AMETEK Land, said: “The cost of additional downstream processing time and materials can be a significant burden on an operating plant. By controlling slag carry-over with the aid of the latest version of our SDS, this costly downstream processing can be reduced or eliminated, improving plant throughput, product quality and operating margins.”
 

The SDS V2 is ideal for use in a variety of applications across the steel-making process, including secondary steel-making vessels such as electric arc furnaces (EAF) and basic oxygen furnaces (BOF), argon oxygen decarburization (AOD) as well as specialty metals processes like stainless steel, copper, and platinum smelting.

The SDS uses an industrial high-resolution, medium-wavelength smart thermal imaging camera to detect the transition between steel and slag. This dedicated camera has been specifically designed to work in harsh operating conditions where smoke and fumes obscure vision, through utilising a particular wavelength path.

Real-time camera data allows operators to make informed decisions about the tapping process, with clear alarm notifications to stop the tap before slag is carried over.

The SDS has been shown to improve operator response time and consistency at the end of each tap. This typically results in a reduction in slag depths of up to 25% compared to traditional methods of stream monitoring.

Designed for automatic operation, the system helps to ensure accurate, real-time detection of steel and slag independent of charge weight and without operator intervention.

The SDS also assists the de-carbonisation process in steel production by supporting continuous process control and optimisation, energy savings and carbon emission reduction.

Slag detection is a critical process during the early stages of production, as slag can negatively affect steel quality and increase costs. Detecting and analysing the composition and amount of slag in the steel melt helps manufacturers take timely corrective actions to ensure the production of high-quality steel with minimal waste, contributing to more sustainable and efficient manufacturing processes.

The SDS is supported by AMETEK Land’s powerful IMAGEPro thermal imaging process monitoring and control software. This includes the IMAGEPro SDS application, which allows users with the optional multi-camera licence to seamlessly integrate additional imagers into the system, enabling them to operate independently from the camera and continuous slag detection system.

By using additional analysing features, such as regions of interest (ROI), together with a secondary thermal imaging camera integrated into the system, optional features such as stream position or freeboard height can provide advanced process monitoring and control.

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@landinst @AgilityPRS #PAuto #Steel

What does the journey to fossil-free steel look like?

Carbon capture, hydrogen and electrochemistry evaluated as routes to a fossil-free steel future.

A new report that considers carbon capture, hydrogen and electrochemistry as routes to decarbonizing primary steel production has been published by ABB. It spotlights innovative new technology developments and approaches in Brazil, China, India, Sweden and the US – the countries that are leading the way towards fossil-free steel. It includes insights from leading steel manufacturers SSAB, Tata Steel and Aperam, as well as experts from the American Association for Iron and Steel Technology and ABB.

The report named ‘What does the journey to fossil-free steel look like? How to achieve a sustainable future’ discusses decarbonization challenges including cost, the complexity in transitioning to lower carbon technologies and access to hydrogen, clean electricity, high grade iron-ore and fossil-free carbon and lime.

Current steel production is carbon and energy intensive and classified as one of the six ‘hard to abate’ sectors. Globally, the steel industry is responsible for an estimated 8 percent of the world’s energy demand and generates between 7 percent to 9 percent of CO₂ emissions – most of which are from burning fossil fuels, according to various sources including the recent International Energy Agency (IEA) Iron and Steel Technology Roadmap.

To meet the criteria set out in the United Nations Paris Agreement on climate change and limit the global temperature increase to below 1.5 °C compared with pre-industrial levels, the steel industry must achieve a target of net zero emissions by 2050. This will require radical transformation, especially in context of global steel demand which is projected to rise 30 percent by the same date.

The ABB report spotlights fossil-free steel innovation in five steel producing markets. These include:

• the Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology (HYBRIT) piloted in Sweden by steelmaker SSAB, state-owned iron ore miner LKAB, and state-owned energy company Vattenfall to make steel using green hydrogen and fossil-free electricity using the high grade iron ore from the LKAB mines instead of coking coals;
• the ResponsibleSteel™ industry association-backed Aperam, which has interests in stainless steel and agriculture, and the use of charcoal produced from its own 100,000 hectares of FSC®-certified forests in Brazil as a renewable substitute for coal-based coke in steelmaking to significantly reduce CO₂ and entirely eradicate the use of extractive coal;
• the HIsarna process by Tata Steel in India which uses a powdered form of the raw ore material instead of processed ores such as coke, sinter or pellets to make liquid pig iron and can reduce emissions by up to 20 percent compared with the traditional Blast Furnace-Basic Oxygen Furnace (BF-BOF) method.

“Digitalization is not only intrinsic to collaboration between entities but to optimizing the use of resources and energy management, and in providing the traceability required to keep organizations accountable to emissions targets,” said Shiva Sander Tavallaey, Senior Principal Scientist at ABB Corporate Research Center.

The ABB report presents actions that steel producers can make now to reduce carbon in the short and medium term as well as steps to take with industry suppliers and partners to work together towards a fossil-free steel future.

“Regulatory, commercial, and social drivers are accelerating the journey to decarbonize steel,” said Frederik Esterhuizen, Global Business Line Manager for Metals at ABB. “But to address the core challenges set out in ABB’s report and phase out fossil fuels, the steel industry will need powerful, integrated solutions and must collaborate at every level of the global steel supply chain in order to succeed.”

“A digital, autonomous and fossil-free steel industry is possible through partnership. ABB is taking an approach of partnership and collaboration to integrate innovative technology with ABB’s existing portfolio for the steel industry. Initiatives from around the world show that the industry is committed to a sustainable future, with several promising developments in the works. Through innovation and partnership, a green steel future is an achievable reality.”

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@ABBgroupnews @ABBMeasurement @abb_automation #Steel #Pauto

Automation & electrification for cold rolling mill.

ABB has been appointed to provide electrification and automation systems for ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India’s (AM/NS India) advanced steel cold rolling mill (CRM) in Hazira, Gujarat (Ind). The contract at the flagship manufacturing plant comes through John Cockerill India Limited (JCIL), the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for the project.

A leading integrated flat carbon steel producer in India, AM/NS India has a crude steel capacity of 9 million metric tons per annum with state-of-the-art downstream facilities. It produces a fully diversified range of flat steel products, including value-added steel, and has a pellet capacity of 20 million metric tons.

AM/NS India, which is a joint venture between two of the world’s leading steel companies ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, is setting up the new CRM as part of its downstream expansion plan.

ABB is providing advanced electrification and automation systems, including the ABB Ability™ System 800xA distributed control system (DCS) and associated equipment and components, to support enhanced energy efficiency, optimized zinc consumption and high levels of corrosion resistance throughout the steel production process. This will support AM/NS India in its bid to reach greater levels of sustainability at Hazira.

“Our goal is to help create smarter steels for brighter futures, brighter futures for people and the planet. To do this, we place safety, innovation, and technology at the heart of our manufacturing operations and product development and ABB’s technology will support us in this,” said Mr. Dilip Oommen, Chief Executive Officer, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India). “The new processing lines are designed to produce new-age value-added steel, embedding the most demanding quality standards. This expansion will help us meet the growing demand for high-end steel, while also enhancing our portfolio of value-added, sustainable steel.”

“We are proud of having been chosen by such a first-class steelmaker for the supply of two highly automated processing lines, combining cutting-edge equipment with integrated quality control and enhanced energy efficiency,” said Frédéric Midy, Project Director, John Cockerill Industry. “The fight against climate change is part of John Cockerill’s mission. This new contract will not only enable us to accompany AM/NS India on its journey towards sustainability but will also contribute to the country’s low-carbon economy ambitions.”

“The metals industry is essential for the transition to a net-zero world. Working with JCIL on this milestone project will support AM/NS India in developing one of the most sustainable, efficient, and modern steel operations,” said Vinod C, Local Division Manager, Process Industries, ABB.

The new CRM with advanced processing lines is due to be commissioned in 2024.

@ABBgroupnews @ABBMeasurement @abb_automation #PAuto

Pyrometer for liquid steel & metal.

Liquid steel and metal foundry and tapping operators can now benefit from improved and smart temperature measurements for process control and product quality improvements with the new smart SPOT Meltmaster (MM) application pyrometer from Ametek Land. It offers a single-sensor solution for liquid metal temperature measurements in foundry and tapping applications.

This smart application pyrometer accurately measures tapping stream and liquid steel and metal temperatures independent of surface and condition changes during the process. This is done through optimised signal processing and a dedicated application mode, by just choosing the application mode of Plug’n’Play.

It also has millisecond responsivity with advanced time functions to monitor and hold the tapping temperature for a configured time, or until the next tapping process starts.

Multiple digital and analogue interfaces enable easy integration into both new and existing process control systems or a fully autonomous operation. These include the Ametek Land Jumbo Display, which can be used with the SPOT MM to monitor the tapping temperature via the 4-20mA output of the pyrometer.

The SPOT MM also incorporates an internal visual camera to aid alignment and provides a remote process view via the integrated webserver of the pyrometer. The webserver and industrial ethernet interface (Modbus TCP/IP) enable full remote access to the SPOT MM without any additional software requirements.

Compatible with the SPOT Actuator for alignment and tracking of tapping streams, the SPOT MM can also be used with a range of accessories, including the industrial enclosure with cooling and air purging options. This allows the SPOT MM to work in harsh, extreme, environmental conditions.

@landinst  #PAuto #LiquidMetal

Slag detection.

The AMETEK Land SDS-640 slag detection system is helping Celsa Steel UK to improve yield during the tapping process.

Celsa Steel UK is the largest producer of steel reinforcement products in Britain, and one of the country’s largest manufacturers of high-quality steel long products including wire rods, reinforcing bars, high-yield coils, flat bars, channels, and angles.

Producing approximately 1.2 million tonnes of finished product, Celsa was experiencing slag carryover on a frequent basis, resulting in a loss of steel. To reduce the loss of yield and improve accuracy in ladle slag measurement, the company installed AMETEK Land’s SDS-640 slag detection system.

The SDS-640 slag detection system is a proven solution for accurate and timely detection of slag carry-over, allowing steel plants to improve product quality, reduce slag carry-over and improve operator safety.

Specifically designed to survive and operate in challenging and hostile environments, it has a high-resolution thermal imaging camera that detects the transition between liquid metal and slag, using the 3.9μm wavelength to see through smoke, dust, and fumes.

Following installation of the system, Scott Evans, Process Manager at Celsa Steel UK, said: “The system is working as we expected, and is delivering quantifiable cost benefits. It has led to a reduction in ladle tips – decreasing delays – an increase of ferro alloy recovery, and better control of the hot heel.”

Other benefits of the system include improved operator response times and consistency at the end of each tap. Compared with traditional methods of tapping stream monitoring, slag depths of up to 25% are being achieved, as well as improved productivity. Read their Case Study: The Benefits of Slag Detection. 

@landinst @CELSASteelUK @codacomms #PAuto #Steel #Britain  

State-of-the-art safety upgrade for stainless steel rolling mill!

ABB's new safety PLC has provided the platform for Sandvik Materials Technology to add zoned safety guarding to a large cold rolling mill at its Sandviken plant in Sweden. The mill is a key part of the production line for precision strip steel at the plant.

Sandvik's cold rolling mill has been upgraded a number of times throughout its life - including recent changes that added servomotors, and new machine control using ABB's standard AC500 PLC and touchscreen operator interface panels.

The latest upgrade adds safety PLC modules from ABB's AC500-S PLC to the machine control system to enhance the safety of the 20m-long mill with a networked architecture using the PROFIsafe protocol over PROFINET to provide independent control of six separate safety zones. The zoned arrangement means that parts of the machine can remain operational while an operator gains safe access to some other zone - where safety is assured by disabling power.

Some 50 safety PLC I/O channels are employed to link to gate switch and light curtain guarding, and emergency stop buttons. The I/O also monitors pressure switches to sense that hydraulic power is disabled so that maintenance can take place, and controls power supplies to the motor drives. Safe speed control is another aspect of the safety control provided by the new PLC - to ensure that hands or fingers cannot be trapped between the mill's belt and rollers.

Sandvik chose ABB's AC500-S safety PLC for this application because of good experience of the standard non-safety AC500 PLC architecture on both this machine and other machinery control projects. The AC500-S safety PLC also offered Sandvik the possibility of using floating point numbers, which simplified the safety programming required for this project for tasks such as calculating speed.

The fact that the standard version of the ABB PLC was already used on the mill measurably simplified the safety upgrade. This is because the safety PLC hardware shares the same look and feel as standard AC500 PLCs allowing safety and non-safety functions to be mixed in the same system. This compatibility includes identical dimensions to CPU and I/O modules, and the same mounting and wiring scheme.

The new dual-processor safety CPU module and the safety I/O channels have been integrated alongside the machine's existing AC500 PLC - which controls a total of six DC and AC drives and motors. The DC motors drive the main steel belt and rollers. The AC motors adjust roller position to achieve the desired pressure during strip steel processing. The standard PLC also links with four operator interface panels from ABB's CP600 series.

Programming the safety solution was made simple by the fact that ABB's integrated PLC development tool, Automation Builder, included support for safety PLC programming in its CODESYS-based integrated development environment - and support for the PLCopen Safety Library. ABB also provided its own safety code analyzer tool, SCA, which verifies the safety programming rules.

The familiarity of the programming environment and the sophistication of these tools helped Sandvik's developers to quickly understand safety PLC programming concepts. This allowed them to develop the enhanced machine safety architecture in a very short time - meeting the company's tight timescales set for this upgrade project - and quickly bring the enhanced mill into operation.

This project also took place before ABB had actually launched the AC500-S safety PLC. Prior to commercial release, the new PLC was extensively field tested in a large number of pilot applications. Sandvik was one of ABB's pilot customers and developed this safety control system before the product and tools were formally launched. This was made possible by good support from ABB's product development team. Since this application, Sandvik has gone on to use the safety PLC on three other machine refurbishment projects.

"We were very pleased to find such an easy-to-apply solution for adding state-of-the-art protection, in the form of the ABB's safety PLC - which integrated directly with the machine's existing PLC," says Torbjörn Pettersson, an engineering development specialist with Sandvik Materials Technology.

"The fact that ABB could supply the spectrum of machine control components required for this project, from the non-safety and safety variants of the PLC, to the operator panels, motor drives, contactors and safety hardware, both simplified and speeded this upgrade," says Jonas Rehnberg of ABB Sweden. "The modularity of the new safety solution also means that it is now very easy to upgrade or modify safety functionality in the future, to enhance the safety of the mill even further, or to integrate additional aspects of the production process."

The safety PLC - the AC500-S - is a recent addition to ABB's well-known AC500 PLC range and features a dual processor architecture that complies with SIL3 (IEC 61508:2010 and IEC 62061)/PL e (ISO 13849-1) functional safety levels. The integrated AC500-S safety PLC can run even if the non-safety PLC is stopped for maintenance. This means that personnel can still easily move within the machine during the maintenance phase, because the safety PLC will continue monitoring the state of the machine's safety sensors and executing its safety function.

Hot steel, cool gears!

The steel industry is one of the harshest industrial environments and the technical demands on plant and machinery are extremely high. Watt Drive (part of the WEG Group) helical bevel gearboxes are being used in a new straightening unit at steel producer ArcelorMittal’s plant in Belval, Luxembourg. The project was carried out by engineering company TBR casting technologies (part of the Inteco Group). The Type K139 gearboxes prove that compactness and robustness can deliver with high performance.

Watt Drive Type K139 gearboxes drive the straightening rollers TBR Casting Technologies planned and supplied the new straightening unit TBR opted for the Watt Drive K139 helical bevel gearbox, mounted on the plant shaft by means of a hollow shaft

With annual steel production of 130 million tonnes and around 245,000 employees, ArcelorMittal is one of the world's largest steel producers. At its plant in Belval, Luxembourg, the industrial giant uses an electric arc furnace and large continuous casting equipment to produce steel products such as light and medium girders and sheet piles. The annual capacity of the plant is approximately one million tonnes of steel.

They wanted to convert one strand on a six strand caster to a new casting format, the Beam Blank 4 (BB4). The requirements for this strand included a new straightening unit in order to be able to cast the BB4 format, which is around 30% larger than the previously biggest format, which will continue to be produced on the other five strands (BB3). The new casting format is intended mainly for the production of girders as well as special profiles in the downstream rolling mill. The annual production of the BB4 strand is planned to be around 100,000 tonnes of steel.

ArcelorMittal contracted engineering specialist TBR (previously Technisches Büro Rumpler) Casting Technologies to modify the plant. TBR, an innovative engineering company for customer-specific, high-end solutions for the metallurgical industry, took care of the engineering, planning and delivery of the components such as the mould, segment comprising secondary cooling and straightening unit. TBR called on Watt Drive to drive the straightening rollers. The decision was made to install the K139 helical bevel gearbox, which can be easily mounted on the plant shaft simply by means of a hollow shaft. Watt Drive delivered five of these models as geared motor units, four of them for use on the straightener and one as a spare.

Little space and high temperatures
As steel production is exposed to constant high temperatures, special materials and seals are required on the gearbox in order to ensure heat resistance. Another particular challenge in the design of the straightening unit was the limited space available – as a result of the larger casting format – together with a strand separation of only 1,400 mm. In addition, all straightener frames had to be very stable, easy to maintain and interchangeable within the unit.

Because of the demanding requirements, Watt Drive customised the standard K139 helical bevel gearbox. The geared motors must withstand a high ambient temperature on the BB4 strand while at the same time delivering a high torque, and in the most compact possible housing. In addition to the high ambient temperatures, harsh environment and large control range of the self-ventilated motor, Watt Drive also took into account ArcelorMittal’s requirement for an integrated water cooling system when designing the motor and gearbox.

Compact, robust design essential
The drives are designed for a maximum ambient temperature of +100°C without additional oil cooling. At the client's wish, Watt Drive's developers also fitted a water cooling system providing the gearbox with additional thermal protection. The water cooling system ensures a lowering of the oil temperature by means of internal gear pipework. At these high temperatures, special motor and gearbox seals are also required. Here, Watt Drive used temperature-resistant shaft seal rings (Viton) on hardened running surfaces.

The almost 100 mm wider BB4 format results in extremely cramped conditions between the strands with the strand spacing kept unchanged. Thanks to the especially compact, slim design of the Watt Drive gearboxes, it was possible to implement the new straightener alongside the existing five strands. The gear housing is a uniblock design (“Multimounting”) and can be fastened on all sides. The Watt MAS (modular drive system) principle enables the standard gearbox to be quickly customised to application-specific requirements.

Each of the K139 helical bevel geared motors delivers a drive power of 5 kW, a torque of 17,580 Nm and a rotational speed of 2.2 rpm at 50 Hz. The drives are designed for frequency inverter operation, which adjusts the rotational speed of the geared motor, thereby regulating the strand speed – the larger the beam blank formats produced, the slower the speed at which the strand must to be driven. An integrated 100 Nm brake with manual release – also specially designed for the high ambient temperature – serves to hold the cold strand in a fixed position at the point of entry because at the start of the casting process, a “dummy bar” closes the mould exit outlet. Thanks to the manual release, the brake can be released by hand in an emergency, enabling the strand to be moved.

To improve ease of maintenance, Watt Drive designed the oil level indicator to be more prominent and easier to read. The gearboxes also feature a special expansion tank or oil expansion chamber. The vertical construction requires more oil in the gearboxes, which expands at the high operating temperatures. The expansion tank accommodates the expansion of the oil such that no pressure increase occurs, thereby extending the longevity of the seals and contributing to greater operational reliability.

“The comparatively slim design of the K139 gearbox was a fundamental prerequisite for creating a reliable and easy to maintain straightener,” Leonhard Paar, Engineering Manager at TBR Casting Technologies explained. “Thanks to its particular compactness and robustness, the larger BB4 format at the modified plant can be cast to the required quality, while at the same time reducing the servicing overhead.”

A gearbox for all occasions
The steel industry demands high performance as well as special robustness and temperature resistance. With its application-specific, customised helical bevel gearboxes for the driving rollers in ArcelorMittal's new straightening unit, Watt Drive has demonstrated that its gearboxes can be quickly and precisely customised to extremely demanding applications. Thanks to their robust, compact design, the K139 models supplied meet all application-specific requirements while being especially easy to maintain. The partnership with TBR Casting Technologies could soon be repeated as it is anticipated that a further strand at ArcelorMittal Belval will be converted.

Vortex meters & furnace efficiency

Vortex flowmeters help MORE s.r.l. reduce energy usage and optimise electric arc furnace efficiency

MORE s.r.l. has reduced energy consumption and optimised the quality of steel produced from its electric arc furnaces by using Rosemount® 8800 Vortex flowmeters from Emerson Process Management. The flowmeters are being used to more accurately measure and optimise oxygen used in the steel making processes. Optimisation of the oxygen-fuel ratio is critical to minimising conversion costs, reducing oxygen and fuel consumption, and avoiding rework. In addition, accurate control of oxygen improves furnace safety and reduces environmental impact.

Based in Gemona del Friuli (UD, I), MORE supplies a wide range of technologies and auxiliary equipment for electric arc furnaces used in the steel-making industry. These include sidewall injector systems used with chemical energy packages such as oxygen, carbonaceous fuels, lime and other fines. These chemicals are injected into the furnace during the manufacturing process to improve steel quality and provide additional energy from exothermic reactions, helping to reduce overall energy consumption.

MORE had been using differential pressure (DP) flowmeters to measure the oxygen flow in its electric arc furnaces. However, the capabilities of the existing meters made it difficult to meet customer demand for even more accurate control, as well as changing process requirements. More accurate instruments with a broader measurement range were required.

Always eager to use the best available technology for its furnace installations, MORE decided to evaluate flowmeters based on vortex technology. This type of meter is recognised as being both accurate and suitable for challenging applications.

"We tried vortex meters from various other manufacturers but found that their products were not sturdy enough, or they were too sensitive to vibrations that resulted in an unreliable measurement and consequently, poor control of the oxygen-fuel ratio," said Roberto Urbani Purchasing Manager, MORE s.r.l. "Using Rosemount vortex flowmeters eliminated these problems – delivering the accurate and reliable measurements we required."

Emerson’s Rosemount 8800 Vortex flowmeters feature a unique design that addresses the limitations of traditional vortex flowmeters. Its signal filtering (Adaptive Digital Signal Processing-ADSP) and a mass-balanced sensor design maximise measurement reliability and eliminate the impact of vibrations on measurement accuracy.

In addition, to meet customer demands for greater flexibility in their furnace installations, the 25:1 rangeability of the 8800 helps to optimise gas heaters, providing greater opportunities to vary the characteristics of the steel for different applications. And while DP flowmeters can have up to 30 leakage points, the gasket-free sensor design of the 8800 means there are no potential leak points, reducing maintenance requirements and enhancing safety. The unique meter body design eliminates all ports and crevices that can affect the ability of the sensor to measure flow, and the isolated sensor design eliminates the need to break process seals for sensor replacement.

"By implementing Emerson’s Rosemount vortex technology, we have been able to build electric arc furnace solutions that guarantee optimum furnace efficiency for users," continued Urbani. "MORE and its users have been able to optimise furnace efficiency in terms of productivity and steel quality. Over-oxidation is no longer an immediate concern, extending the furnace life cycle. Energy consumption and ambient pollution have also been reduced."

The accurate measurement of oxygen is critical in the steelmaking process. Too much oxygen causes over-oxidation (decarburisation), which requires expensive re-work to obtain steel of suitable quality. It also creates over-heating, which can damage the furnace. Too little oxygen, on the other hand, slows production. The application therefore demands measurement devices that enable accurate control of the injector feed oxygen-fuel ratio.

Over the past decade, MORE has installed more than 1000 Rosemount 8800 Vortex flowmeters across many of its furnace installations and has experienced optimum performance (+99% reliability). This has contributed directly to the Overall Equipment Efficiency of the furnace.

Wireless in control

Emerson’s Smart Wireless network helps Northstar Bluescope Steel boost production and reduce maintenance costs

Northstar Bluescope Steel is using Emerson’s Smart Wireless technology to monitor and control temperatures on an electric arc furnace at their facility in Delta, Ohio.

Replacing the traditional wired network with a wireless solution for control and monitoring has improved operations and worker safety in a harsh environment

Emerson Process Management’s Smart Wireless technology has helped Northstar Bluescope Steel improve furnace control at its mini-mill in Delta, Ohio, USA. As a result, the mill has been able to boost production by as much as one batch per day, cut maintenance costs by €145,000 annually, and improve worker safety.

Emerson's self-organising wireless network, based on the IEC 62591 (WirelessHART®) standard, collects data used to control the temperature of cooling panels and water-cooled burners on the mill’s electric arc furnace. This data is critical to safe furnace operation. Overheating cooling panels can lead to major furnace damage, with a blown-out panel costing as much as €14,500 to repair. Production time is also lost when the furnace must be shut down during maintenance or repairs.


“Better temperature control through wireless has allowed us to add up to one additional batch per day,” said Rob Kearney, maintenance supervisor for Northstar Bluescope Steel. "With each batch worth as much as €145,000 , that's a significant advantage."

Emerson’s wireless solution replaced a hard-wired monitoring network with hundreds of wiring junctions. The old network suffered frequent measurement failures in the mill's harsh environment, with its high electromagnetic field, flying slag, vibration, moisture, and temperatures as high as 1,650°C.


“Between nine and 12 measurements per week would fail due to high temperatures or physical damage to sensors, cable or conduit," said Kearney. "And when a measurement point fails, the furnace must be shut down. The new wireless solution eliminated almost 100 per cent of the cable and conduit – which reduced maintenance costs by €145,000 annually. The new wireless solution has been up and running for four months without a single failure.”

The wireless network includes 32 of Emerson's Rosemount® wireless temperature transmitters; 28 are used for control and four for monitoring. The transmitters send their data to a Smart Wireless Gateway, which interfaces with the mill’s transformer-regulation and burner-control system.

“Safety has also been improved,” Kearney said. “The furnace’s cooling panels are operating consistently at a safe temperature, and there is less maintenance required around the hot furnace shell, where ambient temperatures can be 60°C.”

Due to its success with Emerson's Smart Wireless, Northstar Bluescope intends to implement a similar wireless solution for a second electric arc furnace.

Steel production managment made efficient

GE Intelligent Platforms has been selected by Qatar Steel to provide a complete production management solution designed to improve operating efficiency through a reliable and optimum production process. The overall contract, worth $2 million, features GE’s suite of Proficy® software including Plant Applications, Historian, iFIX and Portal rolled out in a phased format led by a significant pilot project.

The Proficy software solution covers design and implementation for data collection from multiple systems including material storage, handling and control, direct reduction furnaces, electric arc furnaces, ladle furnaces, continuous casting machines, bar rolling mills, the plant’s Quality Control Centre and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

“This new solution will enable Qatar Steel to better monitor and control material flow, production processes, equipment performance, operator activities, and other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) at various levels of the organization,” said Erik Udstuen, Vice President of Software & Services for GE Intelligent Platforms, “It will also be able to aggregate data for top management reporting and decision-making.”

The Middle East is expected to produce more than 60 million tons of raw steel by 2010 and Qatar Steel will be a forerunner in this production. The company is regarded as an innovator and has been instrumental in the development of the region since 1978 when production began.
“The GE team engaged us well and has taken the time to understand our requirements and made every effort to demonstrate the capabilities of their technology to meet our demands in Qatar,” said Sheikh Nasser Al Tani, Managing Director of Qatar Steel.

“The decision was made after an exhaustive evaluation process including current and future requirements analysis, return on investment scenarios and implementation methodology,” said Malek Hamdieh, Manager IT for Qatar Steel.

The extensive pilot project tackled the plant’s biggest problem area –- tracking and optimizing the raw material input to the plant. The previous system was based on large quantities of hand written material that was difficult to control and use making information analysis slow and prone to error.

The planned implementation will include Proficy iFIX providing the tools for monitoring the process from the control room, and Proficy Portal providing web access to the analysis tools. The PACSystems RX3i will be used to automatically collect and bring plant process data to the Proficy software where no such systems existed in the older sections of the plant.

“The Proficy Software enables us to deliver on work simplification, elimination of errors and delays in providing real time information with the context for better and faster decisions,” said Yousef Al Emadi, Qatar Steel Production Manager.

The pilot project took two months to develop and install. The implementation of the Proficy Software solution is expected to be complete in 14 months.