Many reheating furnaces are operated with unnecessarily high excess air ratios. While also increasing the energy use, high excess air increases scale formation and surface decarburization – thereby resulting in product losses. The model-based, closed-loop O2 control system developed by BFI performs continuous combustion gas analysis and deploys a special measuring technique to analyse O2 content near to stock material surface. The excess air ratios are then adjusted to achieve optimum operational conditions. The technology also enables the continuous monitoring of CO content in the flue gases.
| Development Status | Products |
|---|---|
|
Demonstration
|
steel
|
| Parent Process: Rolling Mills | |
|---|---|
| Energy Savings Potential |
By reducing the oxygen content by 1.5 % in a heating furnace with a throughput of 450 t/h, energy consumption was reduced by 2.4 %. |
| CO2 Emission Reduction Potential |
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| Costs |
For a 450 t/h capacity furnace, cost savings due to reduced energy consumption were €350 thousand/y. |
