REHEATING FURNACES and HEATING TECHNOLOGIES

MeetInG your EXPectAtIons

SMS Meer GmBH

SMS MEER S.P.A.

Ohlerkirchweg 66 41069 Mnchengladbach P.O. Box 100645 41006 Mnchengladbach Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 2161 350-0 Fax: +49 (0) 2161 350-1754 info@sms-meer.com www.sms-meer.com

Via Udine, 103 33017 Tarcento (Udine), Italy Tel.: +39 0432 799 111 Fax: +39 0432 784 556 info@sms-meer.it www.sms-meer.com

Via De Marini 1 16149 Genoa, Italy Tel.: +39 010 2359301 Fax: +39 010 2359304 info@sms-meer.it www.sms-meer.com

The information provided in this brochure contains a general description of the performance characteristics of the products concerned. The actual products may not always have these characteristics as described and, in particular, 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. An obligation to deliver products having particular characteristics shall only exist if expressly agreed in the terms of the contract.

DS/8.1371E 300/03/11. Kb . Printed in Germany

SMS MEER S.P.A. FurnAces DIvIsIon

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Reheating furnaces and heating technologies

CONTENTs 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 3 Contents 5 Vast experience on the road to modern reheating 7  Not only billets 9  Economy and environment: todays priorities 11  Walking beam furnaces 13  Walking hearth furnaces 15 Pusher-type furnaces 17 Equipment for pipe mills 19  Ghost in the machine 21 SMS Meer Service
Hier steht die Bildunterschrift der weie Pfeil kann mu aber nicht

Hot air piping.

SMS Meer S.p.A. Furnaces Division in Genoa.

SMS Meer S.p.A. in Tarcento.

SMS Meer GmbH in Mnchengladbach.

Hot billets through an inspection door.

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Reheating furnaces and heating technologies

VAst eXPerIence on the road to moDern reHeAtInG

The Furnaces Division, an integral part of the structure of SMS Meer, can count on personnel with over 30 years of experience in the field. From the very beginning, the SMS Meer Furnaces Division has focused on the supply of technologically advanced rehea t ing furnaces to fulfill the requirements of modern rolling mills. The range of furnaces in the catalogue complements the full spectrum of steel rolling mills produced by the SMS Demag and SMS Meer Business Areas, allowing the single source supply of all equipment and strengthening the SMS group position as world leader in the construction of plants for the steel industry.

Hier steht die Bildunterschrift der weie Pfeil kann mu aber nicht

Discharging wall, frontal burners.

Hot billet discharging.

The SMS Meer Furnaces Division's excellent reputation has led to a very fast growth and, as a result, several important contracts have been awarded in the last successful years. Further proof of its success is the design and commissioning of more than 30 furnaces delivered worldwide in 2007 and 2008 alone. Nowadays the SMS Meer Furnaces Division has one of the most comprehensive product lines on the market, based on sound technology and a complete range of services.

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Reheating furnaces and heating technologies

Not onLY BILLets

The extensive technical know-how allows the SMS Meer Furnaces Division to offer the correct solution for the reheat ing of every steel product, ranging from the 1-ton billets for bar and wire rod production to the 30-ton slabs for flat products and including any kind of bloom, beam blank, ingot, shell or tube. In fact, the product range includes pusher-type furnaces for billets, walking beam and walking hearth furnaces for billets, blooms, beam blanks and slabs and a number of furnaces dedicated to the pipe mill industry, such as rotary hearth furnances. Besides reheating, the SMS Meer Furnaces Division has the knowledge and expertise to design and supply heat treatment lines that complete the range of products.

Soaking zone frontal burners.

Hier steht die Bildunterschrift der weie Pfeil kann mu aber nicht

Charging of slabs to a walking hearth furnace Aceralia Gijon, ArcelorMittal S.A., Spain.

The scope of supply of the SMS Meer Furnaces Division includes all the components, from the furnace itself to the handling facilities for incoming and outgoing raw material and all the extensive auxiliaries including instrumentation for field controls that are required to optimally run the whole system. Electrical equipment and automation are within the SMS Meer scope of supply with software developed in-house, so that the integration of the process and operating sequences is in a single hand.

Combustion air blower and recuperator area.

Discharging of a hot bloom from a rotary hearth furnace.

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Reheating furnaces and heating technologies

Economy and environment: toDAYs PrIorItIes

The focus of the SMS Meer Furnaces Division is on continuous improvement to remain at the forefront of innovation. Thus, the greatest attention is given to research and development of new solutions also through partnership with leading combustion equipment suppliers. The reduction of pollutants such as NOx, VOC and SOx is one of the major priorities and the driving force behind the design of state-of-the-art furnaces in terms of energy usage and emission level. The above efforts are reflected in the latest achievements:  The 200 sh tons per hour walking beam furnace at Steel Dynamics, Columbia City (USA) is completely equipped with ultra-low NOx burners and will become a standard of comparison for future low-emission furnaces.  The 120 sh stons per hour pushertype furnace at Nucor Steel Darlington consistently operates with measured emissions approx 46% below the very strict limit levels (see details on page 15).  SMS Meer is presently able to provide its furnaces with a complete range of low NOx, ultra-low NOx and also regenerative burners. Dual-fuel capability, i.e. the ability to fire both gaseous and liquid fuels, is also available.
Recuperator and stack. Ultra-low NOx burners. Hier steht die Bildunterschrift der weie Pfeil kann mu aber nicht

A great deal of attention is given to design and component features that allow the lowest possible energy consumption. New materials, components and ideas are continuously tested making possible levels of energy requirement even lower than 260 kcal of heat input for each kilogram of steel reheated from 20 to 1,200 C.

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Reheating furnaces and heating technologies

WALKING BEAM FURNACES

Walking beam furnaces achieve optimal reheating and the greatest output capacity. Top and bottom fired, the walking beam furnace is highly suitable for high production rates and high quality steel grades. Billets, heavy blooms, slabs and beam blanks can be charged. Walking beam furnaces have many cooled elements as well as special alloy parts subject to high temperature and mechanical stresses. SMS Meer engineers, in synergy with a selected group of sub-suppliers, pay the greatest attention to the development of new designs and materials. All SMS Meers walking beam/hearth furnaces are characterized by high-operation flexibility, thanks to the sophisticated combustion system, but also to fast and reliable material handling machines. A well designed discharging machine is able to avoid any problem of misalignment in the discharging area even when handling pieces of very different size and shape. Moreover it virtually eliminates vibrations and positioning errors. The possibility of reverse movement in emergency situations as well as manual handling is also a key advantage. A wide range of kick-in and kick-off machines, both electro-mechanically and hydraulically operated, are available to match even the most demanding of our customers' need.
3-D modeling for nickel-alloy cantilever rolls.

130 tph walking beam furnace in Kardemir, Turkey. Hier steht die Bildunterschrift der weie Pfeil kann mu aber nicht

RecorD settInG: tHe rAPID DIscHArGe mAcHIne, one BILLet everY 27 seconDs The 190 tph walking beam furnace installed at the JSC Nizhne-Serginskij Metizno-Metallurgicheskij Zavod ZAO "NSMMZ", located at Nizhnie Sergi, Russian Federation is setting new standards in discharge rate, having achieved the impressive speed of one 12 m billet discharged every 27 seconds on average. This has been made possible by further increasing the rigidity of the kick-off machine. The kick-off fingers, internally water cooled, are plated with high nickel stainless steel shields, to enable this machine to withstand even the toughest temperature conditions.

TYPIcAL DAtA: Size range: Production range: Specific consumption: > 120 mm, blooms, slabs or beam blanks > 100 tph 280 kcal/kg

Fast portal type kick-off machine as installed at ZAO NSMMZ, Russia.

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Reheating furnaces and heating technologies

WALKING HEARTH FURNACES

Walking hearth furnaces are the solution for mills with a production rate up to 140 tph. Due to its arrangement, with top heating only, it is recommended for products having a maximum thickness of 160 mm. A major advantage of this system is the very low specific consumption figures, achieved thanks to the absence of watercooled elements inside the furnace.

View of the recent 120/140 tph walking hearth furnace at Stefana, Italy.

RecorD settInG: 16 m sLenDer BILLets unDer A rADIAnt roof Stefana S.p.A., under the project name Dream Steel, has established a brand new 700,000 tpy bar mill, located at Ospitaletto, in the Northern Italian province of Brescia. The market demand for large coils (3.2 tons) as well as the overall benefits due to a better yield, pushed our project engineers to the task of designing a furnace capable of reheating billets with a length of 16 m. This target was achieved with a walking hearth furnace with a suspended roof 16.8 m wide, supporting an impressive battery of 90 radiant burners able to grant the best temperature homogeneity along the reheated piece. Another important feature is the heat maintenance zone, a series of small burners dedicated to retaining the furnace temperature during weekend stoppages and prolonged mill downtimes. The reheating furnace at Stefana is able to feed the mill with a continuous output of 120 tph starting with cold billets or 140 tph when hot charged.

TYPIcAL DAtA: Stock thickness: Production range: Specific consumption: Cooling water consumption: 160 mm > 50 to 140 tph 270 kcal/kg low

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Reheating furnaces and heating technologies

PUSHER-TYPE FURNACES
When the goal is a an heavy duty, simple design furnace for billet reheating, the right choice is often a pusher-type furnace. Pusher furnaces are typically suitable for low-production rate mills of common steel grades (e.g. rebar). In top-fired pusher furnaces the benefit of simple and sturdy construction is combined with low water consumption. Top and bottom fired pusher-type furnaces are capable of high production rates. For simple products it is the inexpensive alternative to a more sophisticated walking hearth or walking beam furnace. Internal water-cooled beams require a significant cooling water flow.

Charging sequence.

The 80 tph pusher furnace at ArcelorMittal Zaragoza, Spain.

RecorD settInG: tHe Lowest certIfIeD NOX vALues Besides being a modern and efficient unit capable of a significant output of 120 sh ton per hour, the new pushertype furnace at Nucor Steel Darlington, USA, represents one of the best efforts ever in the aim to contain NOx emissions. Thanks to the ultra-low NOx burner technology, this furnace has demonstrated, since the very first days after the lighting up, a significant trend towards decreasing pollutants. The NOx is kept steadily around 0.040 lb/MMbtu (66 mg/Nm3), far below even the strict local regulation that permits a maximum level of 0.074 lb/MMbtu (123 mg/Nm3). This achievement is a real touchstone.

The shape and the temperature control of the flame contributes to containing NOx emissions.

Billet peel-bar of 120 sh tons per hour pusher-type furnace at Nucor Steel in Darlington, SC, USA.

TYPIcAL DAtA: Top fired Billet size range: Production range: Specific consumption: Cooling water consumption: 160 mm 50 to 100 tph < 270 kcal/kg low Top and bottom fired > 120 mm > 100 tph < 280 kcal/kg medium

Diagram representing the daily emission at Nucor Steel in Darlington, SC, USA.

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Reheating furnaces and heating technologies

EQUIPMENT for PIPE MILLS

Tube rolling and heat treatment represent one of the core competences of SMS Meer and an important segment of its business. The process also relies on critical reheating profiles where the SMS Meer Furnaces Division can offer extensive know-how and a full techno logical and metallurgical integration. Besides rotary hearth furnaces for blooms and ingots and walking beam furnaces for reheating shells and tubes, SMS Meer can provide the whole heat treatment line, complete with all the necessary handling equipment, quench ing tanks, descaling rings, quenching heads, normalization beds, pipe straight ening machines, saw cutters.
Rotary hearth furnace for bloom reheating.

Walking beam furnace for tube shells reheating.

Walking beam furnace for shell reheating.

THe ADvAnceD tecHnoLoGY of tHe QuencHInG HeAD The quenching head is a ring-type device allowing the automatic regulation in angle of the spray nozzles according to the different pipe outside diameters and the regulation in height for the alignment of the pipe pass line with respect to the head axis. This ensures that the water stream strikes the periphery of the pipe along the direction of travel, and combined with the accurate control of the water pressure and flow, allows the desired depth and uniformity of the marten sitic structure. Inclined rollers are installed between the rings to transport the pipes at the required technological speed and confer a proper rotating spin. Sophisticated automation is once more the key of the process, since quenching head set-up parameters are managed automatically by the control system of the upstream austenitising/hardening furnace.

Rotary hearth furnace at Vitkovice Valcovna Trub, Czech Republic.

Walking beam furnace for hardening treatment.

Water spray quenching head.

Nozzle angle adjustment for different diameters of pipe. Each module has more than 1,100 nozzles.

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Reheating furnaces and heating technologies

GHOST in the MACHINE

Steel makers are globally headed towards higher quality. Quality in steel reheating means high performance components and ultimate levels of auto mation, and these are the elements characterising the supplies of the SMS Meer Furnaces Division. Achieving a uniformly heated product, avoiding negative effects such as metal decarburisation or high scale formation, is the result of accurate temp erature curve simulation. This is especially important when special grade steels are being reheated, and the expertise of SMS metallurgists and soft ware programmers are the key ingredients for setting up the most effec tive heating recipe. Moreover, the furnace also has to be quick to react to the de vel op ing conditions of the process, and to adapt the combustion system accordingly.

Material handling management.

Material tracking screen.

Combustion system management.

Software for management of heating zones and combustion parameters of a rotary hearth furnace.

Reheating curve set up by the automation software.

Of particular note here is the new combustion control system designed for both the RHF of Valcovna Trub TZ, in Ostrava, Czech Republic and the heat treatment furnaces in Pervouralsky Novotrubny Works, Russia. This new concept, which involves on/off burners firing with a pulse sequence managed by the Level 2 logic, allows utmost accuracy of the thermal profile and the best optimization in fuel consumption to be achieved.

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Reheating furnaces and heating technologies

SMS MEER SERVICE

SMS Meer addresses customer requests with tailor-made equipment, which is the best way to provide cost effective solutions still applying the state of the art technology. This can be achieved thanks to the expertise of our team, which can guide the customer throughout all the phases of realization and commissioning of a reheating furnace.

hydraulic and electronic equipment through to all the necessary performance tests. Our service naturally also includes the training of the operating personnel. StArt-uP suPPort Through the advice of our experts on site, our customers are assured of a stable production process from the very beginning. Start-up problems that could lead to costly faults or standstills are thus ruled out from the start. The result: Maximum productivity and product quality. OEM sPAre PArts servIce Our high-quality OEM spare parts are precision manufactured for our furnaces and make a major contribution to the long-term value retention. Thanks to our intelligent spare parts stocking concepts, we are able to identify critical parts and hence ensure efficient spare parts management with parts availability in the minimum of time. EquIPment CHecks With our equipment checks for furnaces, we identify weaknesses in the plants and optimisation potentials through thorough machine inspections using the latest measurement technologies. These standardised and thorough checks help to avoid unforeseen machine standstills. EquIPment AuDIts for PLAnt oPtImIsAtIon The equipment audits provides holistic, systematic analyses of the plant engineering, processes, maintenance and organisation. The findings from the audit allow more efficient processes and new process technologies to be integrated. At the same time, the results can also be used for well-founded investment decisions. MAIntenAnce mAnAGement What maintenance concept is the right concept for the individual customers requirements? Our experts draw up a customised maintenance concept and make a major contribution to ensuring maximum plant availability on economiErection of 200 sh tons per hour walking beam furnace at SDI.

In summArY, we cAn ensure:  The right configuration based on the customers requirements, determined by SMS Meer in close cooperation with customers staff.  Reliable technical solutions: long life time of the installed plants.  Trouble-free installation: SMS Meer commissioning experts are able to assist the customer during all the erection steps, supervising the whole manufacturing process.  On-site training: through the guidance of SMS Meer technical staff, the customers engineers are quickly led to complete their learning curve and to run the furnace by themselves.  Spare parts and after sale assistance through SMS Meer Service organization.
3-D modeling of discharging area.

In concrete terms, service from SMS Meer means for our customers:  Increased productivity  Increased availability  Improved product quality  Reduced operating costs  Safeguarding of the plant value Your contAct PArtner worLDwIDe Our furnaces are in operation around the world, and our organisational structure for service is oriented to this global presence: International teams for immediate proximity to the customer, high flexibility for quick reactions and bundled competence for comprehensive support. Thanks to the close links and coordination at SMS Meer, the customer thus receives the full range of services from a single source. ErectIon AnD commIssIonInG The aim of a new or modernised plant is: Optimum production start-up with high added value. We handle all the steps necessary for this: From the site management and OEM commissioning through the installation of the mechanical,

SDI is a primary beam producer in the US. At the new medium section mill in Columbia City, Indiana, the 200 sh tons per hour walking beam furnace reheats blooms and beam blanks to feed the 15 stand continuous rolling mill. SMS Meer supplied the equipment for the entire mill.

cally attractive terms. Our spectrum ranges from the consultation through to the outsourcing of the maintenance. MoDernIsAtIon Our furnaces are designed for decades of operation. But technology does not stand still. With specially tailored modernisation concepts, our experts ensure a longer plant service life and hence an improved investment efficiency. TrAInInG ProGrAmmes In international competition, the latest know-how of the plant operators is just as important as innovative plant technologies. We offer comprehensive knowledge transfer here. Whether on site or in the SMS Meer training centre, we instruct the customers experts in, for example, maintenance questions.

ServIce over tHe wHoLe LIfe cYcLe As manufacturers we know every detail and every single component of our furnaces. Our service experts know exactly how the reliable and productive operation can be assured over the whole life cycle of the plant. Thanks to our service, both the furnaces and the know-how of the plant operators are constantly kept in step with the latest market demands.

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Reheating furnaces and heating technologies

YOUR NEEDS our solutions

BroAD RANGE OF PRODUCTS, InDIvIDuAL SOLUTIONS SMS Meer reheating furnaces and heating technologies are tailored to your individual requirements. Our product range offers you a broad choice of different performance parameters. We can therefore offer you configurations in which all the components are ideally tailored to one another both technically and economically.

SMS MEER S.P.A. FurnAces DIvIsIon

Via De Marini 1 16149 Genoa, Italy Tel.: +39 010 2359301 Fax: +39 010 2359304 info@sms-meer.it www.sms-meer.com

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