ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH is a flat steel manufacturer and produces high-quality steel goods, mainly for the automotive and construction industries, via the integrated blast furnace-converter route. It also produces higher-alloyed steel grades, such as line-pipe steel grades. The twin ladle furnace was installed directly downstream of the LD converter in the Bremen steel works, positioned so as to ensure optimum logistic links to other parts of the plant and reduce crane movements to a minimum. For example, the existing RH vacuum treatment unit was connected by a cross transfer ladle car and, in addition, an ingot casting plant for producing special products can be served via a transverse track.

 

In future, the ladle furnace will be used to treat a large proportion of the melts – some 3.5 million metric tons of crude steel per year. Its main task is to heat the melt, and it achieves a heating rate of 4 °C per minute over a 30-minute period. A Simelt AC electrode control system ensures perfect control of the electrodes. The tapping temperature at the LD converter can be lowered by about 30 °C, which reduces the

consumption of refractory material in the converter. In this way, the ladle furnace increases the efficiency of the ladle metallurgy and reduces operating costs. The ladle furnace can also handle fine alloying work and injection processes, which previously took place in the conditioning stands. The equipment supplied for this purpose included two six-track wire feeding machines.

Based on Siemens (Industry Sector, Metals Technologies) information