The new Stein Digit@l Furnace^® – each with a production capacity up to 440 t/h – will replace two of the four existing furnaces serving the hot strip mill 2000 of the rolling plant No. 2. The Stein Digit@l Furnace is a crown jewel within the range of Fives’ technologies for reheating and heat treatment. Drawing on 150 years of experience in thermal engineering, it delivers: Consistent flame shape and heating quality; Ultra-low NOx; Substantial fuel saving; Minimized scale loss and decarburization; Reduced OPEX due to lower maintenance and fuel consumption.
The two Stein Digit@l Furnace will be able to reheat a wide range of products within a charging temperature mix from half cold 20 °C to half hot 500 °C, according to the hot rolling mill requirements at Severstal.
“One of unique features of the furnace is the use of AdvanTek® side firing burners with digital control. This creates so-called “micro zones”, each 2.8 m long, which enable the furnace temperature to be controlled in a very precise manner, guaranteeing high heating efficiency,” says a technology expert Dieudonné Hounliasso, Sales Engineer at Fives Stein, the Fives subsidiary that developed the furnace.
The combustion system is precisely and automatically controlled by Virtuo®-R, Fives’ proprietary Level 2 software tool for optimum thermal control. Virtuo®-R helps to minimize heating defects, optimize operation time required for heating and substantially reduce gas consumption and scale losses. As a result, the furnace meets the most stringent environmental requirements by providing NOx emissions of less than 60 ppm for dry waste gases.
“Today, this equipment offers the best return on investment on the market for demanding slab reheating applications,” summarizes Kristiaan Van Teutem, Sales Director of Fives Stein.
"New reheating furnaces will ensure homogeneous heating of slabs which is imperative to produce high value-added products. Moreover, we will be able to reduce gas consumption and increase the capacity of the hot strip mill 2000 by 140,000 t/a year which will bring a financial benefit of around € 20 million per year,” highlighted Vadim Germanov, Chief Executive Officer Severstal Russian Steel Division.
_{(Source: Fives – Steel business unit)}