STEEL + TECHNOLOGY 01/2020 EXTRACT

NEWS ROUND-UP | 25
SPAIN
Acerinox Europa enhances AOD performance by installation of torque retainer
Acerinox Europa, Los Barrios, Cádiz, has
successfully commissioned a torque
retainer installed by SMS group at its
120 t AOD converter No. 2.
Since installation of the compact electrohydraulic
torque retainer designed by SMS group,
uncontrolled vibrations in the gear unit and the
converter vessel have been significantly
reduced. Likewise have the destructive forces
acting on the bearings and the foundation
when operating the AOD converter. According
to the Acerinox, which issued the FAC shortly
after the commissioning, the new equipment
reduces maintenance and improves the operational
reliability of the AOD converter.
The plant shutdown time for the equipment
installation was very short thanks
to the new installation concept developed
by SMS group especially for Acerinox
Europa.
• SMS group
ArcelorMittal Asturias to upgrade reheating furnace at the hot strip mill
SMS group will supply a new combustion
system for the existing walking
beam furnaces 2N, 3N and 4N in the
Aviles hot strip mill of ArcelorMittal
Asturias.
The supply will consist of replacing the existing
burners with the SMS EcoFlamePLUS
dual fuel burners in the zones that will be
upgraded and converted to basic oxygen
furnace (BOF) gas utilization. 22 burners will
be replaced on each furnace. This solution
will guarantee more efficient combustion
and an optimal flame mix, resulting in a
reduction of NO x emissions. The new technology
will enable ArcelorMittal to drastically
reduce NO x emissions to lower than 150
mg/Nm3 and decrease CO 2 emissions.
The new burners can be fed either
with a mix of BOF gas and natural gas
or with BOF gas only. Thus, it is possible
to use the gas from the upstream
processes, making the works of ArcelorMittal
more sustainable and environmentally
friendly. Switching between
the two gases will be performed automatically.
• SMS group
Global Steel Wire to modernize six-strand billet caster
Global Steel Wire S.A. (Celsa Group),
based in Santander, has placed the order
for the upgrade of their continuous billet
casting machine with SMS Concast, a
company of SMS group.
Steel production at Global Steel Wire S.A.
(GSW) is focused on wire rod in special
steel grades for the automotive and special
engineering industries. Currently, the
existing caster processes roughly 900,000
t/year of steel into 180 mm square sections.
The aims of the revamp are to
increase the production flexibility by adding
200 to 240 mm square sections and to
achieve higher casting speeds.
The order includes the installation of
CONDRIVE mould oscillation drive systems
on all strands. The modulated wave
stirring feature will make for low energy
consumption of the stirrers. The start-up
of the upgraded casting machine is
scheduled for early 2021.
• SMS group
SWITZERLAND
Steel industry in the focus of the World Economic Forum 2020
Solutions for “green steel” can help the
steel industry to move forward
Burkhard Dahmen, Chairman of the Managing
Board (CEO) of SMS group gave an
interview to the US tv station CBS News
in the run-up to the World Economic
Forum in Davos in January. CBS presenter
Andrew Wilson asked questions “about
the seemingly endless potential for one of
the most important basic materials in our
global civilization” and how high-performance
metal-making enables the world’s
biggest innovations. Burkhard Dahmen
explained the contribution to the modern
steel production processes and plant solutions
his company is offering. The possibilities
of 3D printing materials and technologies
and the innovative, efficient high-bay
storage system Boxbay are only a few
examples of the company’s broad scope.
(The QR contains a link to the eight-minutes
interview on cbsnews.com).
• SMS group
The interview is available on the website
of CBS news
STEEL + TECHNOLOGY 2 (2020) No. 1