Capacity and efficiency increase for SSAB with Fives technology
The aim of the project is to increase efficiency and capacity of the existing continuous annealing line (CAL) to produce advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) to meet increasing demands from the automotive industry. Once complete, the line will have the capacity to produce 650 000 tons per year, up from the current production rate of 500 000 tons per year.
Fives was contracted to modernize the thermal part of the CAL by replacing the jet preheating furnace and installing inductors in cascade to increase efficiency. Fives will install a new Stein jet preheating furnace to recover the heat from the radiant tube furnace and four CELES MP inductors.
Thanks to the optimized design of the preheating furnace blowing boxes and tightness of the new seal, more power will be recovered and the strip will be preheated to higher temperatures. CELES MP inductors, a proven technology, will then increase the strip temperature before the strip entries into the radiant tube furnace. In total, 16 MW of power will be installed as part of this project.
The modernization of the thermal part will be implemented very quickly and will be completed by November 2019.