. .

INDUSTRIALTECHNOLOGIESPROGRAM
Nation
By
quality of the steel .
reheating.
Scale-Free Steel Reheating
abnormalities that require reprocessing.
downtime.
Boosting the productivity and competitiveness of U.S. industry through improvements and environmental performance
Benets for Our Industry and Our
Scale-free reheating improves productivity
by reducing downtime and manpower to
collect and remove scale. Scale-free reheating
increases energy and cost effciency of steel
reheating and reduces the amount of energy
needed to replenish steel lost as oxides.
reducing the amount of steel lost to scale
formation, this system improves the surface
Applications in Our Nations
Industry
Reducing scale formation during steel reheating
will improve cost and energy effciency in
mini-mills and integrated mills, along with
forging and other industries that use steel
Next Generation Heating System for
Reducing Scale Formation Will Improve Steel
Surface Quality and Furnace Productivity
A reheated steel slab exits a reheat furnace. The slab temperature can reach 2,100F.
Steel reheating is an important, yet energy-
intensive process that mills and fnishers use
prior to rolling or forging. The steel slabs are
heated to approximately 2,100F in reheat
furnaces that often use natural gas or by-
product fuels. During this process, 1-2% of
the steel is typically lost to oxidation, resulting
in scale accumulation on the steel surface and
on the furnace foor.
Scale compromises steel quality because
it adheres to the surface and is diffcult to
remove. If scale is present in the rolled
product, it can result in defects or metallurgical
Scale formation also poses problems for the
reheating furnaces when it accumulates on
the furnace foor. It must be collected and
removed frequently because it impedes gas
fow and heat transfer. In addition, the lifetime
of furnace components can be negatively
affected by scale presence. Finally, removing
scale interrupts production and results in costly
INDUSTRIALTECHNOLOGIESPROGRAM
Project Description
The primary objective of this project is to
develop and test a heating system that reduces
scale formation during the steel reheating
process. Successful completion of this project
will improve furnace productivity by reducing
downtime and will reduce scale-associated
energy consumption and reprocessing.
Barriers
Some technical hurdles this project seeks to
overcome are:
Required atmospheric composition for the
heating system
Effects of time and temperature on scale-
free heating.
Lack of knowledge on which burner would
be most appropriate to use for a typical
walking beam furnace.
Pathways
The objectives of this effort will be achieved
through (1) developing and analyzing concepts
for scale-free reheating systems, (2) the
study of the effect of time and temperature
on scale formation, and (3) the verifcation
of process conditions in terms of atmosphere
composition.
Milestones
Phase I
Conduct literature search and analyze
options needed to create a process
atmosphere required for scale-free
reheating (Complete)
Defne furnace operating parameters
required to generate scale-free heating
process atmosphere and conduct economic
and technical analyses (Complete)
Phase II
Pilot-scale furnace heating tests on scale-
free heating using commonly used steel
processing parameters and verifying that
steel samples meet steel industry standards
Defning heating system conditions to meet
scale-free heating requirements for critical
components
Design and validate scale-free heating
system for typical applications
Energy, economic, and environmental
analysis and modeling; evaluation of
options
Commercialization
The scale-free heating burner will be tested
for functionality in furnaces used for both
conventional heating and scale-free heating.
The project team, consisting of steel industry
experts, researchers, and trade associations will
use the results of the economic and technical
analyses to transition the technology for
industrial use upon successful demonstration
of the technology.
Project Partners
E3M, Inc.
North Potomac, MD
Principal Investigator:
Arvind Thekdi (athekdi@e3minc.com)
ACL-NWO, Inc.
Sylvania, OH
Bloom Engineering Corporation
Pittsburgh, PA
Steel Dynamics, Inc.
Fort Wayne, IN
Air Products & Chemical
Allentown, PA
Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA)
Washington, DC
Forging Industry Association (FIA)
Cleveland, OH
A Strong Energy Portfolio for a
Strong America
Energy effciency and clean, renewable energy
will mean a stronger economy, a cleaner
environment, and greater energy independence
for America. Working with a wide array of state,
community, industry, and university partners, the
U.S. Department of Energys Offce of Energy
Effciency and Renewable Energy invests in a
diverse portfolio of energy technologies.
September 2007
For more information, visit www.eere.energy.gov/industry or call 1-877-337-3463