Tata Steel UK adopts 3D tech to lower emissions

The installation of Topscan into blast furnace 5 is expected to be completed by the end of November 2022.

The steel maker said that the technology has the potential to save the company millions of pounds every year by reducing the amount of coke required in the furnaces. The technology will also play a major role in improving the furnaces' stability and efficiency.

The ambition is to reduce all CO₂ emissions by 30% by 2030 and be a CO₂ neutral steelmaker by 2045 – in support of the UK's ambition to be net-zero by 2050, Tata Steel UK stated.

The company said that the digital technology captures 1,000 data points every 10 seconds and gives Tata Steel technicians an uninterrupted 3D view of the material being laid into the top of its two Port Talbot blast furnaces, saving costs, energy and CO₂.

Blast furnace technical manager, Aaron Parsons, said: “This latest £1million investment on blast furnace 5 complements a similar investment last year on blast furnace 4 and is a major step forward for us.

“The Topscan system consists of a set of radars which takes a full surface scan of the iron ore and metallurgical coke being laid into each furnace, every 10 seconds. Computer modelling then gives us a really clear, finite view of the raw materials at the start of their journey through the furnace.

“That’s really important to us because the specific way in which we lay materials in the furnace is our main method of controlling gas flow up from the hot air blast through the raw materials.

“Over time, we can make tweaks to the distribution allowing us to make the most efficient use of the hot gases and yield really big savings, both in terms of coke usage and CO₂,” Parsons concluded.