- SMS group

ACTING ECONOMICALLY GROWING SUSTAINABLY
More ecoplants solutions from SMS
All ecoplants solutions can be found on
the internet at www.sms-ecoplants.com
2
CONTENTS
Ecoplants – the idea4
Ecoplants – the criteria6
Ecoplants – the references8
EFA™ process 10
SOPRECO® offgas cleaning system
12
Increased efficiency for smelting processes
14
BOF dedusting systems
16
CSP® eco thin slab casting
18
Airwash™ exhaust air purification system
20
Drever® UFC cooling system
22
Perfect Arc® spiral pipe welding
24
CMT™ minimill
26
PSM® mill block
28
30
Optimized technology for furnace plants
MEERtorque® forging press drive
32
SMS group
34
3
ECOpLANTS — ThE IDEA
Our responsibility for the environment and business
Reconciling sustainability with economic growth is
a challenge facing practically all markets worldwide.
Particularly in the metal industry with its comparatively high energy savings potential, this topic is
Ecoplants is our mark for sustainable
solutions, in recognition to the fact
that sustainability has become a key
growth factor for our customers — for
economic and ecological reasons.
Economic because saving energy and
raw materials reduces costs, and ecological because protecting resources
is becoming increasingly important.
Ecoplants solutions do both.
ORIGIN
The idea for ecoplants did not just appear overnight.
Engineers at SMS have long been redesigning
processes to boost energy efficiency or reduce
emissions. Ecoplants provides these efforts with a
framework, a set of rules — and makes them a top
priority when it comes to the future development of
innovations. In all of our product units, we systematically examine how we can continually improve the
sustainability of the solutions we offer.
4
playing an ever more important role. SMS Meer has
recognized this and offers its customers solutions
which give equal consideration to both aspects.
ecoplants
REALITY
This is not a declaration of intent, it’s a living reality.
This brochure contains demonstrative case studies
of ecoplants solutions which are already in operation
and are providing customers of SMS with a wide
range of advantages. This is added value that we can
quantify by comparing it to the respective standard
technology. Ecoplants has already started having an
effect — sustainably and profitably.
5
Ecoplants – The Criteria
Calculated in detail and shown in concrete terms
Comparability and the ability to present things objec­
tively are two decisive preconditions for demonstrat­ing
sustainability. That’s why we have defined factors that
6
can be used to measure the added value of ecoplants
solutions — as a rule in direct comparison to the
predecessor technology.
When a technology is proposed as an ecoplants solution, the engineers in charge conduct a sustainability check.
The criteria for an ecoplants solution comprise the following four areas:
Significant reduction in the use of raw materials
Significant reduction in the use of energy and operating media
Significant reduction in emissions
Significant improvement in the recycling quota
The conditions are checked on a reference plant. If they are met, we evaluate the product in question and the
associated reference plant as an ecoplants solution. That is, provided one further crucial condition is also met:
our customers gain economic added value from the new solution.
ENERGY &
PROCESS MEDIA
Process result
RAW MATERIAL
END PRODUCT
EMISSIONS
re-usable
non-reusable
Overall result
7
ECOPLANTS – THE REFERENCES
Sustainable and profitable worldwide
All SMS product units are busy developing solutions
that merit the ecoplants mark. These are presented on
the following pages, whenever possible with practical
references to the advantages for their business and
the environment.
For the most current references, visit ecoplants on
the internet:
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www.sms-ecoplants.com
9
EFA™-Process
State-of-the-art offgas cleaning for
sintering facilities
The use of sintering facilities in modern, integrated steelworks not only allows sinter to be
produced for the blast furnace process but has
the valuable advantage of extensive recycling of
reusable materials, such as dust and other
particulate matter produced during the sintering
process. Sinter offgas plants were already
equipped with dust collectors (cyclones or
electrostatic precipitators) when sintering
technology was introduced into the smelting
process. Current legislation calls for a reduction
in all harmful substances and materials that
downstream dust collectors such as these are not
able to meet. In order to clean the offgases
produced during sintering Paul Wurth Umwelttechnik GmbH, part of the SMS group, has
developed the EFA™ process.
The EFA™ is installed at the end of the sinter plant
process chain, downstream of the electrostatic separator and fan. It essentially consists of an entrained
flow absorber (EFA™) and a bag-type filter. The offgas
taken in from the sinter plant typically contains dust,
sulphur oxides, hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids as
well as dioxins and furans. The entrained flow absorber has calcium hydroxide added to remove the acidic
compounds and brown coal coke to absorb dioxins
and furans.
At the same high-pressure water is sprayed into the
reactor to maintain optimum reaction conditions. The
reaction temperature is thereby kept constant within
the 80 to 110 °C range. The injected water evaporates
completely such that the dust entrained in the offgas
stays dry and is collected via the bag-type filter.
Circulating air
Calcium
hydroxide
Brown
coal
coke
EFATMentrained
flow absorber
Fan
Bag-type
filter
Stack
Water
Residue
material
container
Sinter
plant
gas
Recirculation
Container
10
Discharge pump for residue material
CYCLICAL pROCESS
The majority of the dust is circulated directly back
into the entrained flow absorber. Only a relatively
small portion is discharged into a container, and from
there it is either disposed of or fed back into the blast
furnace for recirculation. The high dust recirculation
volume in conjunction with the targeted use of water
and calcium hydroxide with brown coal coke is what
makes the EFA™ process incredibly efficient.
FUTURE-pROOF AND
COST-EFFECTIVE
A key feature of the process is that it offers extremely effective desulphurization, up to concentrations in
the clean gas of < 50 mg/m³ STP (standard temperature pressure). The process covers all sinter plant
conditions, including start-up and rundown conditions
and continuous sintering procedures during a line
stoppage with temperatures of > 250 °C.
With the EFA™ process sinter plant operators can
meet even the most stringent emissions limits, such
as those applied in the European Union. What‘s more,
as far as any future tightening of these regulations
is concerned, the process also offers investment security without the need for modifications. The EFA™
process has already been implemented by Paul Wurth
on four plants, using both the by-pass and end-of-pipe
design.
Ecoplants criteria
Ecological benefits:
Exhaust air sulphur content < 50 mg/m³ STP
Dust content < 5 mg/m³
Furans/dioxins < 0.1 ng/m³ STP
Economic benefit:
up to 1 €/t pig iron*
* based on the possibility of using less expensive coal
11
SOPRECO®
Reduction in coke oven gas emissions
Reducing the high gas emission levels at the start
of the coke distillation process and the intake of
air through the oven doors at the end of distilla­
tion are a challenge for coke plant owners from
both a business and environmental point of view.
That is why Paul Wurth, part of the SMS group,
has developed SOPRECO® (Single Oven Pressure
Control) - a system that is capable of controlling
the pressure for each individual oven in a coke
oven battery.
12
The process is based on the principle of controlling
the oven pressure via a special ball valve installed
between the collecting main shut-off valve and the
elbow. The valve is driven by a pneumatic actuator,
controlled by a PLC and continuously flushed with
ammonium hydroxide. This mechanical system
allows the pressure conditions in the collecting main
to be kept constantly below zero.
Ecoplants criteria
Ecological benefit:
Savings potential:
– 90 % fugitive emissions*
Economic benefit:
Savings potential:
0.50 €/t
* refers to benzopyrene and fine dust, during tests on
furnaces in operation
The suction action in the initial coking phase is
optimized and emissions through leaking doors
caused by an overpressure in the oven are drastically
reduced. During the coking process the pressure
control system ensures a minimal positive pressure
at the base of the oven, including in the final phase,
thereby preventing air from being sucked into the
ovens.
AS EFFECTIVE AS IT IS ROBUST
The overall result is a reduction in fugitive emissions
through doors, covers and vertical pipes of up to
90 %*. What‘s more, SOPRECO® allows charging to
be performed without high-pressure ammonium
hydroxide injection. The system has proven its
effectiveness in coke oven batteries with both top
and ram charging in over 400 installations worldwide.
Its compact, robust design means it is built to last: all
components are designed for reliable operation
under harsh conditions. SOPRECO® is easy to install,
virtually maintenance-free and can be fitted to
existing batteries without interrupting ongoing
production.
13
INCREASED EFFICIENCY FOR
SMELTING PROCESSES
Energy savings thanks to recovery and
­continuous processes
Almost all metallurgical melting units are run
using a great deal of energy which often remains
largely unused. For example, up to 40 % of the
energy expended exits the furnace together with
the hot offgas. In order to minimize these losses,
SMS Siemag offers tailor-made solutions for
more efficient processes.
At the Turkish ferrochrome producer ETI KROM, for
example, the energy from the approx. 600 °C offgas
produced at two electric arc furnaces is to be converted into superheated steam in future. It will be
used to drive a steam turbine which generates 5 MW
of electrical energy. As a result, our customer can
indirectly reduce CO2 emissions and make energy
­savings totalling up to EUR 3.5 million every year.
CUSTOMER‘S VIEW
”We do not see any contradiction between ecology and economy. We have
therefore decided in favor of the energy recovery system from SMS Siemag
for the electric arc furnace and the AOD converter. SMS Siemag has put
­together for us the optimum package for combining ecology and economy.“
Tzuo-Ying Mei
Fujian Fuxin Special Steel, PR China
14
Since mid-2013 the Chinese steel producer Fuxin has
been working with energy recovery systems from
SMS Siemag for an electric arc furnace and an AOD
converter. The systems convert the exhaust gases
with a temperature of above 2,000 °C into saturated
steam. This steam is fed into the plant network and
is used for cooling electrical units for example.
COST-EFFICIENCY WITh NONSTOp
OpERATION
The new SMS Siemag electric arc furnace,
ARCCESS® S/EAF® (steady electric arc furnace),
increases productivity in steelmaking by 30 % –
thanks to a degree of continuity in the production
process that was technically impossible up to now.
All components are designed for nonstop operation
of approximately one week. In the melting process,
systems are used that SMS Siemag had originally developed for submerged arc furnaces. The furnace is
continuously charged and the level of slag controlled
by a new, patented slag door system. The furnace
is equipped with an energy recovery system and
noise and dust emissions are reduced thanks to the
closed-type design of the furnace. The result of such
innovation is considerably lower energy consumption
and production costs as well as a measurable improvement in environmental impact.
Ecoplants criteria
Ecological benefit*:
Potential for reducing CO2 emissions:
60,000 t CO2 p. a.
Economic benefit*:
Potential for cost savings:
3–4 €/t
* calculated for the above-mentioned Fuxin reference plant
15
BOF DEDUSTING SYSTEMS
Customized solutions for high air purity
During the melting process, a quantity of between
10 and 20 kilograms of dust per ton of steel are
generated which must be removed via the
exhaust air. Cleaning of the exhaust air is necessary to ensure sustainable steel production
and is governed by numerous regulations. BOF
(Basic Oxygen Furnace) dedusting systems from
SMS Siemag ensure that these regulations are
met and offer considerable economic advantages.
SMS Elex, part of SMS Siemag, developed dry-type
electrostatic precipitators in combination with a conditioning tower for the new converter meltshops to be
erected. The low pressure loss, the maintenance-friendly design and the high service life of the precipitator unit
ensure low operating costs. Thanks to the high efficiency and separating output, low residual dust contents
can be attained and ambitious environmental standards
observed.
Gas accumulator
16
Flare
Switch-over station
SMS Elex offers a wet-type electrostatic precipitator
for meltshops with existing converter offgas wet
cleaning systems. This innovation, which is the only
one of its type in the world, allows the integration of an
electrostatic precipitator into the existing gas cleaning
system. The convincing features of this solution are
Ecoplants criteria
Ecological benefits:
Reduced emissions:
Dust: < 10 mg/Nm³
CO2: approx. 6,500 t p.a.*
Economic benefits:
OPEX: around 10 cent/t steel
CAPEX: around 75 % savings**
* Potential for reducing CO2 emissions with grid emission
factor for Germany; all values calculated for the Kryvyi
Rih reference plant
** compared to conversion to dry dedusting system
Wet electrostatic precipitator
Wet cleaner
low investment costs and progressive plant technology which make it possible to react quickly to more
stringent regulations.
HYDRO HYBRID FILTER SYSTEMS
FOR ARCELORMITTAL
SMS Siemag is retrofitting six existing converters with
hydro hybrid filter systems at ArcelorMittal‘s Kryvyi Rih
works in the Ukraine. For this purpose, the existing
BOF wet dedusting systems are to be equipped with
wet electrostatic precipitators. In doing so, the investment costs and the costs for production downtimes
are considerably reduced, compared with the new
installation of a conventional dry dedusting system.
The electricity costs saved by ArcelorMittal amount to
approximately one million euros per year. This innovative process also speaks for itself from an ecological
point of view: We guarantee clean-gas dust content
levels of below 10 milligrams per standard cubic meter
of converter gas.
17
CSp® ECO
Energy consumption minimized
for thin slab casting
CSP® stands for Compact Strip Production, the
method used for casting steel into thin slabs
which, following temperature homogenization
in the tunnel furnace, can be rolled directly in
the mill without the need for prerolling. With
CSP® eco SMS Siemag now offers a package of
measures, designed to minimize energy consumption, for this proven technology which has
been continuously developed since its launch in
1989.
By directly linking the casting and rolling processes,
energy consumption is kept particularly low. The CSP®
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Ecoplants criteria*
Ecological benefit:
Energy consumption:
– 45 %
Economic benefit:
Cost reduction:
€ 9.6 million p.a.**
* compared to other thin slab facilities
** based on 2012/2013 electricity and gas prices in P.R. China,
calculated for a single-strand plant with 1.5 million t.p.a.
technology has been expanded to include modular
packages which not only enable new plants to be
customized but existing CSP® facilities to be upgraded.
The CSP® eco package is designed to minimize energy
consumption, CO2 emissions and production costs
too.
A WINNING COMBINATION
It is based on the concept that very few products
manufactured on a CSP® plant actually require the
maximum tunnel furnace temperature. Combining
gas-heated tunnel furnaces and induction heating
plants means the tunnel furnace temperature can be
maintained at a low level – products requiring a higher
rolling temperature are induction-heated to the re­quired initial rolling temperature directly before being
fed into the first stand of the CSP® mill train. The
lower furnace temperature makes it easier to use
uncooled, dry transport rolls in the tunnel furnace
which, compared to water-cooled rolls, reduce furnace
heat losses. One of our customers, Nucor, is currently
installing an induction heating plant in its CSP® facility
at its Berkeley site in the USA. Combined with the
use of dry rolls the energy consumption of the tunnel
furnace can be reduced by up to 50 %.
OPTIMIZATION ACROSS
THE WHOLE PROCESS
The hydraulic descaler has also been optimized for
the CSP® eco package: a minimal gap between the
water nozzles and slab surface ensures maximum
head pressure. As a result, the water quantity used
as well as slab heat loss during descaling can be
reduced. The use of a new type of high-performance
spindle in the mill train, allowing smaller-diameter
working rolls to be installed, means its energy
consumption is lowered by 8 %. Looking at the opti­
mizations made across the entire process, CSP® eco
offers energy savings of around 45 % – compared to
other thin slab facilities – with lower CO2 emissions
and production costs at the same time.
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Airwash™ EXHAUST
AIR PURIFICATION SYSTEM
Rolling oil recycling that pays off
For cleaning the exhaust air from aluminium cold
rolling mills, SMS Siemag has developed the
Airwash™ system. It helps protect the atmosphere
and reduce operating costs at the same time,
since the rolling oil recovered can be fully re-used.
A portion of the rolling oil used during the cold rolling
of aluminium evaporates. It is predominantly gaseous
and, to a lesser extent, drop-like in form. By contrast
with mechanical filters, which only separate droplets,
the Airwash™ system from SMS Siemag filters both
drop-like and gaseous particles out of the air.
20
INTELLIGENT PROCESS
The exhaust air containing rolling oil is first drawn in
to the exhaust air purification system and conveyed
into the absorption column. It flows from the bottom
to the top through separation packings, while the
washing oil, such as Airwash™ Oil 300 from SMS
Lubrication, trickles downwards in a countercurrent.
The rolling oil is thereby absorbed by the washing
oil. The cleaned exhaust air is discharged into the
atmosphere via the stack. The particle-laden washing oil is collected and continuously treated in the
downstream rectifying column. There the oil, which
has a low boiling point, evaporates, is condensed,
captured in distillate form and fed back into the oil
circulation system.
CONVINCING BENEFITS
Airwash™ is already in use by 24 customers worldwide. One such customer is Yunnan Aluminium,
based in China, for which SMS Siemag supplied a
cold rolling plant for aluminium in 2010. The integrated Airwash™ system attains an exhaust volume
of 120,000 m³/h while meeting high environmental
protection requirements at the same time. The
end result is clean air, recovered rolling oil for the
rolling process and treated washing oil for repeated
cleaning of the exhaust air. Thanks to state-of-the-art
technology, between 150 and 400 kg rolling oil per
hour can be filtered from the exhaust air, depending
on the plant in question.
Airwash™ is also suitable for existing rolling mills,
which can be easily upgraded with this technology.
The Airwash™ exhaust air purification system is an
investment that pays off in just a few years.
Ecoplants criteria
Ecological benefit:
Reduction in oil consumption:
up to 2,800 t.p.a.
Economic benefit:
Cost reduction:
22 €/t*
* calculation based on an oil price of € 1.70 per litre
21
Drever® UFC
Clean technology for high-quality cold strip
One of the key stages within cold strip processing lines is high-speed cooling of the strip
following recrystallization annealing. With the
Drever® UFC (Ultra Fast Cooling) system, Drever
International, part of SMS Siemag, has developed
a technique for achieving ultra-high, consistent
cooling rates in radiant tube furnaces. Not only
that, it saves huge amounts of energy and
valuable raw materials at the same time.
The high cooling rates are attained thanks to the direct
injection of pure hydrogen into the cooling chamber.
By contrast with other systems, hydrogen consump­
tion is maintained at low levels. In addition, the gas
22
pressure can be lowered, meaning electrical energy
consumption can be drastically reduced. What‘s more,
for some steel grades savings can be made in terms
of alloying elements thanks to the high cooling rates
possible.
The system was first used in 2008 in a continuous
annealing line for high-quality cold strip. The customer
was China Shougang Corporation, who placed the
order for its works in the Greater Beijing area. The
in-line, high-performance annealing furnace is de­
signed such that a wide range of products including
advanced multi-phase and TRIP steel grades can be
processed. The integrated UFC can cool strip at rates
Ecoplants criteria*
Ecological benefits:
Energy consumption: – 40 %
Hydrogen consumption: – 40 %
Economic benefit:
Cost reduction:
up to 4.12 €/t
* calculated for the Shougang CAL reference plant
at 1 mill. t.p.a.
of 120 K/s/mm and plays a key role in safeguarding
the flexibility and productivity of the plant.
It also has an impressive track record from an environmental point of view: compared to conventional
furnaces power consumption is down 40 %, thanks to
the lower gas pressure. Hydrogen consumption was
also reduced by 40 % for some high-strength steel
grades. These were the findings of a study published
by the plant owner.
Supplier 1
2.14
Supplier 2
2.72
Shougang
CAL No . 1
1.94
3.26
BLUE FURNACE
The next breakthrough in terms of greater sustainability in furnace technology is just around the corner:
Drever is working on a regenerative solution for
continuous annealing lines, whereby energy is
transferred from the heating to the cooling process.
A pilot plant has already been built; the target is over
40 % energy savings, a marked improvement in the
cooling rate and a reduction in cooling power consumption to zero.
0.93
4.36
Combustion gas
2.55
2.45
0.84
0.26
1.92
4.09
Electricity
Hydrogen gas (H2)
/t
Nitrogen gas (N2)
23
pERFECT ARC®
Digital welding across the whole process
PWS, part of the SMS Meer Business Area, is
taking a whole new direction when it comes to
arc and submerged arc welding for the manufacture of spiral tubes and pipe. Instead of
thyristor current sources, which have been used
as standard up to now, a fully digitalized current
source is used. The result is the ”perfect arc“
that can be precisely controlled any time –
Perfect Arc®.
The disadvantage of conventional thyristor current
sources is their high energy consumption; added to this
is the fact that control of the welding process is
relatively imprecise and slow. PWS has succeeded in
digitalizing not only the process control system but the
current source itself. It is based on IGBT technology*,
a digital semiconductor device which allows virtually
powerless control of current and voltage and is
well-known for its resilience to short-circuits. The
result: depending on the operating point, Perfect Arc®
can achieve 30 to 40 % energy savings.
* insulated-gate bipolar transistor
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GREATER pROCESS STABILITY
Welding process control is provided by a microcontroller with integrated wire feeder control system.
The extremely high control intervention frequency
of 20 kHz (50 µs) enables the characteristics of the
entire welding process to be modified in microseconds. As a result, the three phases of the welding
process – start (ignition), welding (welding stability)
and stop (end crater behaviour) can be significantly
Ecoplants criteria*
Ecological benefits:
Energy savings: 2.7 kWh/t
CO2 savings: 1.7 kg/t
Economic benefit:
Energy cost savings:
approx. 0.50 €/t
* savings based on the total of all welding tasks in tube
and pipe production (MAG welding / SA welding inside /
SA welding outside)
improved. This technology allows the welding
process parameters to be changed in microseconds
and perfectly adapted as and when required. Overall,
the welding process as a whole is more stable and
more reproducible than with conventional welding
systems.
hIGh SpEED AND LESS WASTAGE
A spiral pipe plant equipped with Perfect Arc® is
capable of achieving top speeds of 12 m/min and can
run continuously at 8 – 9 m/min – twice as fast as
previous plants. Another advantage is the significant
reduction in wastage and wear and tear thanks to
permanent, AI-controlled optimization of the process
automation system. There‘s no question about it: the
wide range of benefits of the Perfect Arc® process
will set new standards in spiral pipe welding in
future.
25
CMTTM-Minimill
Pioneering energy efficiency
CMT™ (Continuous Mill Technology) takes the
basic minimill concept a step further: short routes
are ensured by linking the rolling mill directly to
the steelworks. Unlike previous plants CMT™ no
longer requires a heating furnace. Instead, rolling
is carried out directly using the casting heat.
With this new process continuous casting and rolling
have been re-aligned. The Concast Invex® system
means higher casting speeds can be attained and the
billets can be fed directly into the rolling mill thanks
to uniform core and surface temperatures. The
intermediate induction heating system records the
temperature on the billet and adjusts it only
at specific points if necessary. The investment
26
costs for the induction heating plant developed by
SMS Elotherm are around 25 to 30 percent lower
than those for conventional furnace concepts. The
bottom line is that CMT™ is an innovation that pays
off in more ways than one: the process not only
reduces CO2 emissions considerably but brings
operating costs down at the same time.
CHALLENGING ORDER ­
FROM TAIWAN
The first CMT™ reference plant is the Tung Ho Steel
minimill in Taoyuan/Taiwan. SMS Meer was commissioned to build a rebar rolling mill. Two of the require­
ments set out were that the mill should have the
lowest possible energy consumption levels as well
as minimal emission values. We developed CMT™
technology as our answer to this challenge.
The steelworks with electric arc furnace, ladle furnace
and a five-strand billet caster produces 1.2 million
tons of billet every year. The rebar rolling mill has an
annual capacity of 800,000 tons. On leaving the continuous caster the hot billets are merely brought to a
consistent temperature in the downstream induction
heating plant before being fed directly into the rebar
rolling mill.
Under certain conditions induction heating itself is
no longer required, since the billets are formed in
such a way that they lose hardly any heat during the
subsequent production process. This process, which
offers far greater sustainability overall, results in
significant, long-term savings in terms of both ecology and economy.
Ecoplants criteria
Ecological benefits:
Emission savings:
72,000 t CO2 p. a.
410 t SO2 p. a.
225 t NOX p. a.
Economic benefit:
Cost reduction: 11 €/t
CUSTOMER‘S VIEW
”The new minimill from SMS fulfils our requirements: We were able to up production, cut
costs thanks to energy-efficient processes,
and do something for the environment at the
same time. So we not only save on emissions,
we save hard cash too.“
Tim Hsu
Tung Ho Steel, Taiwan
27
pSM® MILL BLOCK
Innovative 3-roll technology
PSM® stands for ”Precision Sizing Mill“ and
therefore for wire rod and bar production that
meets today‘s demands for maximum flexibility
and process transparency. SMS Meer has again
optimized this process with sustainability
in mind. It achieved this by integrating the
MEERgauge® cross-section measurement system.
An outstanding feature of the innovative 3-roll technology is the ability to position the rolls using hydraulic
cylinders, even under load. Combined with the TCS
technological control system, rolling processes can
be fine-tuned in real time and the finished products
improved significantly. The 3-roll PSM®, successfully
in use since 2006, can also be applied in fully automatic mode by combining it with the MEERgauge®.
28
The new technology comprises a laser precision
gauge for measuring the cross-section with pinpoint
accuracy, as well as a highly dynamic monitor control
system. Dimensional and temperature fluctuations in
Ecoplants criteria
Ecological benefits:
Savings:
Material savings: approx. 3,700 t.p.a.
Energy savings: approx. 18,500 MWh p.a.
Emissions savings: approx. 16,200 kg CO2 p.a.
Economic benefit:
Additional revenue:
up to 10 €/t
the preform can be automatically rectified using
MEERgauge®, thereby ensuring a perfect end product. In this way rolling tolerances of 1/8 DIN EN
10060 and higher can be achieved, thus reducing the
peeling volume and associated labour considerably.
Rolling with improved dimensional accuracy means
that both energy and material costs can again be
significantly lowered. All in all, the PSM® process
benefits from greater precision, cost efficiency
and sustainability through the integration of the
MEERgauge® system.
FIRST-CLASS REFERENCE FOR A
SUCCESSFUL UpGRADE
Deutsche Edelstahlwerke, at its site in Siegen-Geisweid, mainly produces materials for the automotive
industry. In 2011 SMS Meer was commissioned to
expand the company‘s existing 3-roll PSM® to include
a precision cross-section measurement system with
integrated automatic size control. With the implementation of the MEERgauge® system both the efficiency
of the mill and the quality of the steel produced were
improved even further.
CUSTOMER‘S VIEW
”With the 3-roll PSM we can reliably attain
target tolerances of 1/8 DIN EN 10060 and
higher.“
Jens Eisbach, Plant Manager
Deutsche Edelstahlwerke Siegen
OPTIMIZED TECHNOLOGY
FOR FURNACE PLANTS
Combining innovations to protect
the environment
Looking to the future, SMS Meer has set itself
the primary goal of drastically reducing the fuel
consumption and emission values of furnace
plants. To this end it is working hard on develop­
ing eco-friendly, high-quality alternatives to
conventional furnace technology.
30
SMS Meer SpA has developed a new technology for
tube furnace plants based on a digitally-controlled
flameless recuperative burner. This innovative
process, in combination with a special furnace
chamber design and advanced process and automa­
tion technology, will set future market standards in
terms of emission reductions and fuel consumption.
Ecoplants criteria*
Ecological benefits:
Emissions savings:
– 14,000 t CO2 p. a.
– 15.2 t NOX p. a.
Economic benefit:
Cost reduction through
fuel economy: 8 $/t
* calculation based on values for last plant completed
CASE STUDY: FURNACE pLANT FOR
NUCOR STEEL
The new billet furnace Nucor Steel has ordered for its
Darlington plant in the USA is based on a concept that
is as sustainable as it is commercially rewarding. It is
equipped with UltraLow NOX burner technology,
which cuts nitrogen oxide emissions by 17.1 tons per
year, and the new SMS Prometheus™ mathematical
optimization system. This innovative heating solution
provides a more efficient metal yield by reducing
scale formation by between 0.1 and 0.5 % and
delivers significant savings in fuel consumption
thanks to optimized heat distribution.
Compared to conventional furnace technology, a
combination of the innovations described above can
lead to sustainable process improvements. Depending on operating conditions, nitrogen, sulphur and
carbon oxide emissions can be cut by around 12 to
15 % and fuel consumption reduced by as much as
20 to 25 %, which equates to a proportional reduction
in energy costs.
Nucor Darlington, USA – main section of reheating furnace
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MEERtorque®
Sustainable drive concept for forging presses
When developing the most innovative drive
concept yet for automated mechanical forging
presses from SMS Meer, a key requirement was
to attain shorter pressure dwell times combined
with a higher ram speed during the forging
process. The aim here is to secure the longest
possible tool lives to provide a more convenient
time window for workpiece transfer and die
servicing using cooling and lubricating processes. This in turn means longer plant service
lives, bringing with it significant productivity
improvements and remarkable savings in terms
of emissions and energy and process media
consumption.
The technical solution to this task, on which the
MEERtorque® concept is based, lay in separat­
ing the press movement and energy supply. The
world‘s first closed-die forging press with servo
drive is possible thanks to the new drive unit. It
can achieve a theoretical stroke frequency of up to
120 strokes per minute which, taking the tool lives
into account, allows for an operating frequency of
40 strokes per minute. Standard market solutions
only allow for frequencies of around 32 strokes per
minute.
The new type of motor drive system is not only
more efficient, it is also far less expensive com­
pared to previous technology: the entire drive gear
unit is no longer required as the flywheel is directly
driven. By using a direct shaft drive it is possible to
do without a press brake entirely.
Ecoplants criteria
Ecological benefits:
Savings:
Energy: – 25 %
Consumables: – 10 %
Economic benefit:
Energy cost savings: 25 %
ENERGY RECOVERY DURING ThE
pROCESS
This new concept offers an impressive array of
optimized features: there are no more wear parts
thanks to the new, non-slip safety coupling. Overall,
far fewer mechanical parts are needed, thus reducing maintenance and repair costs noticeably.
Reduced temperature influences mean a marked
improvement in availability and energy efficiency.
Savings made on consumables and recycling costs
as well as the elimination of noise are just some of
the benefits.
Perhaps its most significant advantage is the
intelligent energy flow control system. An eccentric
press with a MEERtorque® drive is capable of
reducing the energy input considerably. Comparable
with modern hybrid concepts used in the automotive
industry, the eccentric drive generates an electrical
current during the deceleration phase which is
utilized again directly by the flywheel motor.
Improved reliability, less maintenance, lower
production costs, greater flexibility and significant
energy savings: any forging press fitted with the
new MEERtorque® drive concept is sure to enhance
its owner‘s market position considerably.
NEW MATERIALS FOR A NEW DRIVE
SMS Meer is increasingly turning to torque motors as
its preferred drive unit for rolling machines, manipulator equipment and screw presses. Since the
development of new types of magnet materials these
can also be used in large-scale technical applications.
Its major advantage is the high torque at low speeds,
thereby saving on the gear unit and enabling a higher
level of efficiency than is the case with conventional
asynchronous motors.
33
SMS group
Leaders in plant construction
and mechanical engineering
The SMS group is, under the roof of SMS Holding GmbH, a group of global players in plant construction and
­mechanical engineering for the steel and nonferrous metals processing industry. It consists of the two Business
Areas SMS Siemag and SMS Meer. The two Business Areas operate as independent group companies that
cooperate closely with each other. As the financial organization, SMS Holding GmbH is responsible for strategic
planning and controlling. The sole owner of the SMS group is Siemag Weiss GmbH & Co. KG, the holding of the
Weiss entrepreneurial family.
FAMILY-OWNED AND
WORLDWIDE PRESENT
As a family-owned company, the SMS group has built
on solid values and a culture of responsibility for four
generations. It holds a strong market position while
its decentralized structure ensures a fast and efficient
response to individual customer demands. The
SMS group combines the flexibility of company units
that operate as medium-sized enterprises and the
broad resources of an internationally active company
– all for the customer‘s benefit. The decentralized
corporate culture ensures that not only the individual
units but also the employees themselves always think
and act in an entrepreneurial manner.
34
BUILDING ON A STRONG BASIS
Long-term planning, sound financial management,
action in accordance with values and a good
­knowledge of the cycles affecting mechanical and
plant engineering have determined the strategic
orientation of the SMS group for decades. Also high
on the agenda is investment in the areas of energy
and environment technology, service and moderni­
zation of plants as well as on-the-job training and
qualification of core employees. On this basis, the
SMS group creates tailor-made plant solutions, which
enable the customers to keep well ahead of the
competition.
35
SMS Siemag
Ohlerkirchweg 66
Eduard-Schloemann-Straße 4
41069 Mönchengladbach
40237 Düsseldorf
Germany
Germany
Phone:+49 2161 350-2410
Phone:+49 211 881-5599
Fax:
Fax:
+49 2161 350-1862
X - 336E
500/01/14 · Sch · Ky · Printed in Germany
SMS Meer
+49 211 881-775599
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.sms-meer.com
www.sms-siemag.com
The information provided in this brochure contains a general description of the performance characteristics of our products. The actual products may not always have the characteristics described, as these
may change as a result of further developments of the products. The provision of this information is not intended to have and will not have legal effect. SMS Meer shall have an obligation to deliver products
with specific characteristics only when this has been expressly agreed in the terms of the contract.