TimkenSteel’s Faircrest Plant in Canton, Ohio, USA has placed an order for Tenova’s proprietary off-gas based technology package including a NextGen off-gas analysis system, iEAF dynamic process control technology and Water Detection Technology.
TimkenSteel, a leading producer of carbon and alloyed steel including large diameter SBQ bars and seamless mechanical tubing, believes that, when fully implemented, the new equipment will bring a number of operational, safety and environmental benefits to the plant, including reduced energy consumption, water leak detection, increased productivity and yield and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Tenova claims that its technologies are designed to work in tandem to provide a complete process solution combining leading edge hardware, fundamentally sound process control models, web-based automation and the most comprehensive water detection available in the steel industry.
NextGen is a proprietary hybrid multi-point laser/extractive off-gas analysis system that delivers exceptionally fast analytical response times, requires minimal maintenance and reduces hardware and installation costs. A single, multi-point NextGen analyser will be located in the control pulpit at Faircrest and will provide simultaneous and continuous full spectrum off-gas analysis at both upstream and downstream locations.
iEAF process control software to be installed at Faircrest will optimise EAF energy consumption, maximise operating cost savings and reduce power-on-time. NextGen® off-gas analysis forms part of the system together with proprietary optical off-gas velocity and temperature sensors, a PLC link and a real-time EAF mass and energy balance to dynamically control chemical and electrical energy inputs and to optimise refining and endpoint control practices.
Water Detection Technology uses NextGen off-gas analysis of both H2 and H2O vapour and proprietary software and is designed to quickly detect and alert Faircrest’s operators when there are abnormally high water levels in the EAF.