Our more economical & ecological melting solutions

SCRAP YARD

STEEL TREATMENT

CONTINUOUS CASTING AND SOLIDIFYING

ROLLING AND FINISHING PROCESS

DEDUSTING SYSTEMS

UTILITIES

MELTING

Steelmaking plants

Our solutions

Steel smelting in general is the primary activity of the steel industry. This phase is crucial for the steel plant managers. The quality of the steel obtained, its cost price and above all its environmental impact are at stake, which is increasingly under the critical gaze of public institutions. To make the triptych quality – cost – environment of steel virtuous, ArcInnov Technologies has made the choice since its creation, to focus its activity and its expertise on the melting of steel. It is through this central and very diverse activity that we support our customers in the search for innovative solutions for :

Improve productivity
Improve operator safety
Reduce the wear or breakage of consumables (graphite electrodes, cooled panels, refractories, etc.)
Limit the indirect contribution of carbon (burners, etc.)
Reduce power consumption

These solutions are carried through many products studied and supplied by ArcInnov Technologies:

The electric arc furnace
Scrap metal preheating
The “Torus” concept

ArcInnov Technologies

Steelmaking plants

The electric arc furnace

Emblematic melting equipment of the steelworks, the electric arc furnace allows the processing of scrap metal from the recycling sector. Fed continuously or by baskets, whose main and primordial function in its control is the formation of an electric arc creating a hot point allowing the melting of the steel. Steel plant managers constantly seeking to improve their productivity, profitability and reduce their environmental impact call on ArcInnov Technologies to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

The arc furnace is made up of numerous pieces of equipment subject to high mechanical and thermal stresses that must be considered to guarantee their good lifespan as well as the safety of the operators. The main equipment on which ArcInnov Technologies is called upon to intervene are:

The tilting platform
The shell and its roof
The superstructure
The electrode holder

Tilting platform

The tilting platform or “cradle” is the main frame supporting the furnace shell and sometimes the electrode holder and allowing the so-called “casting / deslagging” movement of the furnace. It is a large mechanically welded part that can weigh several tens of tons, which requires precise manufacturing and considerable rigor and know-how when handling it.

EQUIPMENT :
Tilting platform on cradles for 40t furnace

STUDY CONTEXT :
Replacement of the existing and aging platform

SOLUTION REALIZED :
Fabricated design platform with a modern and lighter design

Steelmaking plant (France)

EQUIPMENT :
Tilting platform for 1t pilot furnace

STUDY CONTEXT :
Design of a platform with pivoting around the spout

SOLUTION REALIZED :
Mechanically welded platform carrying the shell assembly and electrode holder mechanism and roof suspension arm

Research center (Belgium)

The shell and the roof

The shell and the roof constitute the laboratory of the furnace. Place of melting and chemical reactions subject to very important thermodynamic and chemical constraints. The correct definition of its characteristics (height, diameter, thickness of refractory and insulation, etc.) guarantees future performance. Can be of very varied shapes and designs :

Shell and roof with or without cooled panels
Concrete or brick filling
Shell with pouring spout, off-centre or apsed pouring holes

ArcInnov Technologies is the ideal partner to assist you in defining this equipment :

Technical choice
Geometric sizing
Definition and realization drawings, supply
Thermal studies…

EQUIPMENT :
Roof equipped for 1t pilot furnace.

STUDY CONTEXT :
Realization of a complete pilot installation

SOLUTION REALIZED :
Monolithic concrete roof fully equipped (fumes collection, materials feeding, etc.) and optimal sealing.

Research center (Belgium)

Research center (Belgium) more

Superstructure

The main element of the upper part of the arc furnace, the superstructure acts as the supporting structure for the roof suspension arm assembly and for the electrode holder mechanism.

It is generally a mechanically welded assembly of large dimensions subjected to very high mechanical stresses.

EQUIPMENT :
Superstructure for 1t pilot furnace

STUDY CONTEXT :
Realization of a complete pilot installation

SOLUTION REALIZED :
Superstructure on slewing ring

Research center (Belgium)

EQUIPMENT :
Superstructure for 40t furnace

STUDY CONTEXT :
Original superstructure replacement

SOLUTION REALIZED :
New superstructure with water cooled suspension arms.

Steelmaking plant (France)

The electrode holder

Certainly, the most complex equipment that makes up the arc furnace. It can be made up of 3 arms for a three-phase alternating current (AC) furnace or 2 arms for a direct current (DC) furnace.

In most cases, the arm has at least one vertical up and down movement. This movement can be ensured by different types of actuators :

Hydraulic cylinder
Steel cable and electric gear motor
Ball screw and servomotor…

The electrode holder arm has two roles :

The current supply to the electrode (tube bus, conductive arm,)
Electrode support (clamp)

EQUIPMENT :
Complete set electrode holder for 1t DC pilot furnace

STUDY CONTEXT :
Realization of a complete pilot installation

SOLUTION REALIZED :
Electrode holder arm assembly for Ø100 electrode (vertical and tilting movements), current supply by tube-bus and injection of inert gas by the electrode

Research center (Belgium)

ArcInnov Technologies

Steelmaking plants

ECOFEEDER an ingenious solution for preheating scrap

According to many experts, preheating is the best way to recover the energy lost in the fumes that are commonly called “off-gas“. Many solutions currently exist on the market with their advantages and disadvantages. Among the disadvantages we can note the inefficiency on the treatment of fumes (post-combustion), and the lack of mechanical reliability. It is in this context that ArcInnov Technologies associated with ECO-E offer an innovative concept of preheating scrap metal offering numerous possibilities :

The preheating of scrap metal by recovering the “off-gas” from the furnace
Purification of gaseous effluents by incineration of combustible products (fats, oils, paints, etc.) and integrated post-combustion participating in the heating of scrap metal
The possible use of the energy remaining in the “off-gas” after preheating by appropriate applications (DRI reheating, steam turbine, etc.)

One of the major advantages of this concept is its ease of implementation because it is coupled with an existing arc furnace on which no major modification is necessary or production stoppage. With a low initial investment and few technical risks, the return on investment (ROI) is fast!