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By Ignacio Ferreira França Monjardim Barradas

A elevação da capacidade de um compressor pode se feita de diversas maneiras: incrementando a abertura da guide vane (válvula de admissão – incremento da rotação), diminuindo a temperatura de sucção, abrindo a válvula de recirculação, etc. Neste trabalho exploraremos essa elevação para compressores de Nitrogênio gasoso através do aumento da pressão de sucção destes equipamentos. Este incremento da pressão de sucção foi obtido através da redução da perda de carga na sucção do compressor. Temos dois possíveis benefícios neste caso: o aumento da vazão volumétrica mantendo a mesma pressão de descarga, ou a redução do consumo de energia do equipamento através da redução da abertura da válvula de admissão (guide vane) para disponibilizar uma mesma vazão volumétrica. Essa otimização do sistema foi obtida através da substituição do filtro de sucção do equipamento por um de maior diâmetro e, consequentemente, menor perda de carga. Originalmente o filtro encontrava-se numa tubulação com menor diâmetro: um novo filtro foi especificado e instalado num trecho de tubulação com maior diâmetro.

Oct 30, 2017

By Johan Richaud

Achieving high surface quality steel in the continuous casting process requires optimal mould level control. The design of the casting channel from the tundish to the mould is crucial to prevent formation of undesired instabilities or biased flows that can cause level fluctuation. With the aid of CFD and with physical water models, the geometry of the stopper nose and the nozzle seat have been studied and optimized to improve the overall mould flow stability. A special stopper nose; Ripple Stopper (RST), has been developed that reduces the formation of large and unwanted eddies in the liquid steel that destabilize the port exiting jets. Instead, the RST produces a fast release of turbulence in the form of a large number of small eddies. The large sudden fluctuations in the mould level are reduced, which in turn reduces the occurrence of surface defects. An additional benefit is derived from the local pressure around the stopper nose region being greater which reduces the refractory erosion. For a tundish gate type flow regulation, a new design encompasses an offset in the Tundish Well Nozzle (TWN) that realigns the flow and reduces the bias flow that is common to tundish gate regulation. The steel recirculation regions below the throttling gate are decreased reducing the risk of oxide depositions. The RST and the Offset bore casting channel have been applied successfully leading to a superior flow control performance between the tundish and the mould.

Jul 30, 2018

By Larissa Agrizzi Ronqueti

The effect of coiling temperature on selective oxidation behaviour of binary and ternary iron-based model alloys containing different contents of Si or Mn were investigated by SEM and SIMS. The experiments were carried out with a temperature ranging from 450 °C to 700 °C, under N2-5%H2 gas flow with a Dew Point of -3.3°C, for different durations. SEM images of binary iron-based model alloys revealed a decrease of grain boundary oxidation depth with increasing Silicon or Manganese content. At 530°C and 600°C SIMS results showed no Silicon diffusion toward surface, contrary to the results analyzed for Fe-x%Mn. Tests results and Wagner’s theory application (specific cases Fe-0.2%Si and Fe-0.5%Si) showed that grain boundary oxygen diffusion coefficient “DoGB” is almost 60 to 70 times faster than oxygen bulk diffusion coefficient. These results helped to broaden knowledge of single-element effects on grain boundary oxidation, in addition, will contribute of the future works in new steels with complex alloy compositions.

Aug 17, 2017

By Márcia Maria da Silva Monteiro Pereira

Tundish is the last reactor where significant metallurgical operations can still be done. Calcium aluminate slags are able to positively contribute to metallurgy considering oxide separation, protection against reoxidation and preclusion of resulphurisation. However, these are poor insulators. When using low melting point slags it is necessary to use another covering material. The deviation from saturation can be used as a measure of absorption capacity. By utilizing computerized construction of ternary and quaternary diagrams it is possible to compare different slags and to find proper slag compositions with reasonable capacity to dissolve inclusions. Objective of the present technical contribution is to evaluate tundish slag capacity to absorb inclusions, considering a particular tundish industrial slag and the changes in its chemical composition during continuous casting of steel. It was observed that slag composition changed during the continuous casting process; this variation is possibly related to interaction between the CaO-Al2O3 liquid slag and the rice hull ash layer which is used above it. Computational thermodynamics was used to determine activity of alumina dissolved in liquid slag; it was observed that the variation in slag composition did not change slag capacity to absorb inclusions, since precipitation of Al2O3 solid phases is not predicted.

Aug 17, 2017

By Benito Barbabela Silva, Michel Garant, Mathieu Dubé

Pellets market challenging scenario has stimulated pelletizing experts to pursue innovative alternatives to process development in order to increase pellets competitiveness vis-à-vis sinter. When it comes to indurating process, pelletizing productivity is still limited and its OPEX inflated by the lower input of carbon into mixes due to quality impairment caused by magnetite formation in pellets core. This obstacle led to the rethinking of carbon distribution strategy within the green balls. To achieve such purposes, COREM through its precompetitive research program dedicated to its members, has proposed the layered pellets®, a two-stage balling technology. Balling in disc and pot-grate tests in COREM’s pilot plant were carried out to proof the concept, support the arising technology and evaluate its potential. According to first results, while CCS strongly improved, tumble and abrasion indexes as well dynamic LTD must be further investigated. Tests on four classes of equivalent carbon content pellets to evaluate layering strategy gave very good perspectives concerning the increase of productivity, and the reduction of fuel consumption and GHG emissions.

Oct 1, 2019

By Nelson SOUTO, Nicolas LEGRAND, Christian COUNHAYE, Don EARLEY

The work is motivated by the automotive customer requirements for a roughness with high peak density (RPc > 75 peaks/cm) on steel sheet surfaces to maintain a good strip surface finish after painting. For that purpose, a new approach is utilized to compute roughness transfer and predict final roughness on uncoated steel sheets (average roughness, skewness, peak density) as a function of temper rolling conditions. The approach is based on the Monte Carlo method combined with the Abott curves and an auto-correlation function to numerically generate roughness profiles for roll and strip respectively. To compute the roughness transfer due to the interaction between roll and strip surfaces during rolling, a composite Abott curve that combines roll and strip Abott curves is used with an asperity crushing model integrated with a rolling model. This enables simulating two roughness transfer mechanisms in the roll bite: the strip asperity crushing mechanism by roll roughness and the strip asperity ploughing mechanism due to roll-strip interfacial sliding speed. The model shows the importance of considering the two mechanisms to predict roughness transfer correctly when strip elongation is high, typically a few percent, and roll bite friction is low. In these conditions, the forward slip at the exit of the roll bite tends to erode strip roughness significantly and decrease considerably the peak density on the strip. For lower elongation levels (~1%) and high roll bite friction, the ploughing mechanism becomes negligible and roughness transfer is controlled by the crushing mechanism only. With these two mechanisms, the model reasonably predicts the evolution of average roughness and peak density over a wide range of temper rolling conditions (new/worn work rolls, hard/soft grades, various elongations), but skewness is more difficult to predict for some trials.

Oct 1, 2019

By Eddy Dierckx

Modernization of flat rolling plants is essential to sustainably fulfill increasing market demands and to improve competitiveness. Intelligent modernizations ensure getting maximum prime yield of existing mills, even if they have gone through half a century of operation. Existing mills were designed based on former production, consumption and quality targets. Ever increasing requirements such as increase of productivity, change of product mix (e.g. new steel grades), reduction of energy consumption and improvement of product quality lead to the necessity to adapt the existing equipment to the new target. SMS group provides, besides the reliable equipment and automation solutions to successful upgrades of existing mills, also a systematic approach to develop technical and economical solutions together with our customers (conceptual engineering). This paper describes the SMS group approach to modernizations / upgrades, introduces powerful performance modules and provides a number of successful examples that have been implemented recently.

Aug 17, 2017

By Mozart Henrique Teixeira

As reservas de minério de ferro da Mineração Usiminas S.A. (MUSA) estão localizadas no extremo oeste do QF e ocupam a porção ocidental da Serra do Curral (Alkmin, 2009 [1]), também chamada Serra Azul e inseridas no Supergrupo Minas / Formação Cauê. Abrangem as Minas Oeste, Central e Leste. Atualmente a classificação geológica industrial adotada pela empresa leva em consideração o teor de ferro, contaminantes e compacidade (granulometria) das rochas. Os minérios são separados em dois domínios litológicos, hidratado e silicoso. Estes domínios apresentam comportamento granulo-químico fortemente heterogêneo tanto lateral como em profundidade (Teixeira, 2015 [2]), este comportamento confere ao planejamento da lavra elevado grau de dificuldade em relação às estimativas de massas e teores no que se refere à separação dos estéreis e minérios. Até novembro de 2015 o Planejamento de Lavra de Curto Prazo utilizava modelos de blocos atualizados mensalmente para a liberação de planos de lavra mensais e estimativas de teores do ROM, porém, ao longo do mês os desvios de teor na alimentação da planta e dificuldades na execução da geometria planejada eram frequentes. Diante disto, com foco na redução destes desvios, passou-se a gerar os modelos de blocos semanalmente para confecção de programações de lavra semanais e diárias com expectativa de liberação de estimativas de massas e teores com maior grau de confiança e melhor previsibilidade das características granuloquímicas dos produtos finais. Para a elaboração dos modelos semanais foram adotados novos métodos nas ferramentas de topografia, amostragem de frentes de lavra e mudança na rotina do mapeamento geológico, que passaram a ser executados semanalmente. Os resultados obtidos foram as reduções de desvios de teores na alimentação dos processos unitários das plantas e na produção de granulados.

Oct 30, 2017

By Sander Mul, Michael Brandner, Armin Paar

Graphitic HSS roll grades such as ESW’s brand VANIMO can be considered as the latest developments for the last finishing stands in hot strip mills. These roll grades are developed on the basis of the alloying concept of (Carbide Enhanced) Indefinite Chill work roll materials. During the development of VANIMO, the amounts and types of carbide forming elements were increased and adjusted into the direction of cast HSS roll grades. The microstructure of graphitic HSS roll grades therefore consists of tempered martensite, cementite and several different carbide types as well as a well-defined amount of free graphite. The main purpose of graphitic HSS roll grades is to combine the high surface quality of Indefinite Chill alloys as well as the high wear resistance of HSS roll grades. Several systematic steps were taken to increase the wear performance from Carbide-Enhanced Indefinite Chill grades to the more advanced VANIC grade and further on to the highest alloyed roll grade VANIMO. In every development step, the surface quality of the roll grades was carefully monitored. The decision to invest in new testing equipment at ESW’s plant was driven by the wish to see microstructural effects of different alloys in a macroscopic dimension. Usually samples are taken from cast rolls and investigation is done in comparably small areas compared to the total surface of a roll. Rolling of strip is done with the entire barrel, so effects of alloy and microstructure can appear anywhere on the barrel surface. To ensure better understanding and deeper knowledge about influences of alloying trials we decided to install the last version of LRI (Lismar Roll Inspection). LRI includes the latest technology of Eddy Current with an enormous resolution. Depending on the formation of carbide precipitations, carbide network as well as matrix and free graphite, the EC test can detect smallest differences. The possibility to analyze the different results of EC and UT surface wave inspection will be discussed. A few examples of surface effects in the mill application will be discussed and improvement strategies explained.

Oct 1, 2019

By Stefano Baf

This paper describes the main technical and process solutions applied to the extrathick and wide slab caster built at Yingkou (Liaoning, P.R. of China), as well as all the features required to achieve the surface and internal quality targets.

Aug 16, 2017

By Shibu John

Rising energy demand and steadily decreasing quality of raw materials due to the global resource depletion are great challenges to the steel production today. The FINEX® Process has been developed jointly by POSCO, Korea and PRIMETALS Technologies Austria, to provide the iron making sector with the capability to lower hot metal production costs, environmental pollutions and to increase the flexibility in terms of operation and the choice of raw materials. FINEX® is a new technology combining a gas-based reduction in a series of fluidized bed reactors and a reduction smelting in a melter gasifier. Commenced in April 2007, the first 1.5Mtpa commercial plant has demonstrated the competiveness as an alternative iron making route. Another 2.0 Mtpa, third generation FINEX® (3G) plant was recently installed at POSCO, Pohang Works and has been operating satisfactorily since its blow-in in January 2014. Based on the well-proven plant concept, new process features, the highly competitive production costs and environmental advantages, the FINEX® Process can be considered as a competitive alternative to the conventional blast furnace iron making route.

Aug 17, 2017

By Marcos Paulo da Silveira, Carolina Conter Elgert, Messias Prado de Almeida, Rafael Stella Galdino

Microalloyed steels have been intensely studied as an alternative to increase strength by grain refinement and/or precipitation hardening. Long steel products have a wide range of opportunities to apply well-defined principles of controlled rolling (CR) in order to increase strength and toughness with reduced costs. To evaluate the effect of microalloying elements as Nb and Ti with thermomechanical treatment, three conditions were tested: DIN 16MnCrS5 with hot rolling (HR), DIN 16MnCrS5 with Nb and CR and DIN 16MnCrS5 with Nb+Ti and CR. Austenitic grain size, obtained by direct quenching after rolling, has shown a decrease 32% with Nb addition, and 29% when Nb and Ti was added. Controlled rolling generated higher grain refinement and pancacked grains near the surface. When comparing ferritic grain size, controlled rolling plus niobium and titanium additions resulted in significant reduction of 35%. Yield strength increased 15% with microalloying and CR and more than 270% in impact toughness, even at -40°C.

Oct 1, 2019

By Renan Bueno Wojciechowski, Yukio Shigaki

The quality of flat rolling process depends highly on multiple factors such as applied forces, materials involved for both strip and rolls, roll geometry and its positioning. To calculate the strip shape, a mathematical/numerical model can be applied, showing the final product and how the equipment behaves when changing some parameters. This is usually a time-consuming task for both user and computer, especially when it involves thin and hard strips. By coupling a quick rolling load calculation method as Bland-Ford and Finite Element Method (FEM) for roll stack deformation, it is possible to create an accurate and user-friendly rolling simulator. This paper presents the improvements done in the 3D FEM/multi-slab method and its actual capabilities by simulating two cases of a 6-High rolling mill. Different analysis in this equipment can be easily done in about 10 minutes by using the developed an electronic spreadsheet program interface and the folder generated with relevant results and logs. An operation manual and a commercial FE program plugins were made to aid construction of a completely new model. The code was created in a modularized way to assist the application of this simulator for other operational conditions.

Oct 1, 2019

By Lukas Pichler

The market trend of advanced high strength steel (AHSS) with demand for higher strength products is increasing continuously. The inline cooling technologies have established as the most powerful metallurgical tool to achieve these demands. However, the cooling capabilities of existing hot strip mills, plate and Steckel mills are often not adequate to generate high cooling rates and the cooling accuracy required for the production of AHSS. Hence there have been many developments for an intensive, highly flexible accurate homogeneous cooling technology. Considering the wide variety of strip and plate geometry, Primetals Technologies have developed Power Cooling Technology for strip and introduced MULPIC®4 Technology for the plate production. In this paper we shall discuss these enhanced technologies that provide the inline cooling requirement with examples from the recently commissioned machines.

Aug 17, 2017

By Marcelo Rebellato, Leonardo Silvestre, Zhang Yongqing, Felipe Bastos, Zhang Weiqiang

This work reviews the new version of GB1499.2-2018 Chinese national standard and specification, which governs the production of high-strength reinforcing hot rolled ribbed bars in China. In addition, it discusses the main concerns from Chinese rebar makers that might affect production and application of Nb-bearing rebars, like reheating temperature required to dissolve given niobium additions, the promotion of bainite microstructure and continuous yielding, as well as Nb strengthening effects. Through extensive investigation involving both thermomechanical laboratory simulations and industrial trial, the existing state and effects of Niobium along the reheating, rolling and cooling are illustrated. At the end, optimum processing conditions have been established to produce high strength rebars for the specified requirements. The adoption of new process conditions reflected in an amount of about 20.0 million tons of Nb-bearing rebar being produced in China in 2018 with required tensile properties and microstructure, and helped rebar makers to reduce production costs considerably. Based on production data, Niobium demonstrated positive strengthening effect for high strength rebars, in particular for small diameter rebars with earthquake resistant performance. What is more, the results of the research enrich the knowledge of the application of Niobium in steels when TMCP rolling is not used.

Oct 1, 2019

By Walter Valery, Kristy Duffy, Alex Jankovic, Peter Holtham

Hatch’s Mine to Process Optimization projects integrate mining and processing strategies, minimizing operating costs and maximizing overall profit. The methodology involves ore characterization, blast audits, plant surveys, analysis of historical data, and integrated modelling and simulation of mining and processing. Blast designs are tailored according to ore type and the downstream process is optimized for the changed feed. This approach has increased throughput and minimized costs for many operations worldwide. The implementation of this methodology at an iron ore operation that faced challenges with increasing mining strip ratio and ore body mineralogy changes is presented in this paper. The larger stripping ratio increased mining costs and constrained the run-of-mine (ROM) delivery to the process plant. Process performance was affected as the ore mineralogy shifted from predominantly hematite to include greater proportions of magnetite. The project objective was to minimize overall cost per ton mined and processed and maximize profit. Tailoring the blast designs according to ore type and process optimization increased the throughput of all process lines. This provided the potential to shut down one of the five processing line, aligning the mine and plant capacity and significantly reducing the processing costs.

Oct 3, 2019

By Claudio Fabbro

The increasing demand of wire rod high carbon grades for both small and large sizes are challenging the wire rod producers to enhance new technologies by combining high plant productivity and efficiency of superior quality finished products with extreme process flexibility. The possibility to change process route according to the final application of the rolled steel grade and to simplify production planning is one of the most important keys to success that distinguishes the mill plants developed by Danieli. This paper will focus on the most important metallurgical and process targets and on the in-line heat treatment technologies representing the core of Danieli know-how on high carbon grades production.

Jul 30, 2018

By Ycaro Jorge Maia da Costa

Durante o processo para colocar um poço petrolífero em funcionamento existem algumas etapas a serem seguidas. Várias fases devem ser cumpridas para que o óleo bruto armazenado seja extraído. Dentre essas, duas são muito importantes: a perfuração, que é a fase de construção do poço em si, e logo após essa à de completação, a qual tem como objetivo deixar o poço em condições de produção. Os fluidos de completação extremamente salinos foram preparados empregando os seguintes sais: cloreto de sódio (NaCl), cloreto de potássio (KCl) e Cloreto de cálcio (CaCl2) nas concentrações de 50, 100 e 150 lb/bbl. O tipo do sal desencadeia uma seria de efeitos relacionados a taxa corrosiva e morfologia do ataque corrosivo, onde o diagrama de Pareto foram considerados estatisticamente significante ao nível de 95% de confiança com significância quadrática (Q) dos parâmetros e das interações entre os mesmos. Observou-se que os mínimos e máximos valores da taxa de corrosão ocorrem quando os fluidos de completação foram confeccionados com NaCl e CaCl2.

Oct 30, 2017

By Ana Carolina Ribeiro Duarte

Este trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar sistematicamente as etapas do processamento termomecânico de um aço SAE 1070 comercial. O aço foi trefilado a seco por 12 passes consecutivos com reduções médias entre 15% e 21%. A deformação verdadeira acumulada ao final do 12º passe foi de 2,52. Em seguida o material foi recozido a 1000ºC por 10, 20, 30, 60 e 120 min. A caracterização microestrutural foi realizada com o auxílio da técnica de microscopia óptica, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e microscopia de força atômica. A rugosidade do material foi medida via microscopia confocal. O material teve ainda seu comportamento mecânico avaliado por meio de ensaio de dureza Vickers. Os fios de aço apresentaram a estrutura “curling” após o processo de trefilação. Essa estrutura foi substituída por uma estrutura perlítica refinada quando o material foi submetido ao recozimento. O ensaio de microdureza mostrou que, para restaurar as propriedades mecânicas do material, um recozimento entre 20 e 30 min seria suficiente. A análise da topografia revelou que o processo de trefilação altera consideravelmente a rugosidade do material.

Aug 8, 2018

By Matheus Soares Siman

A soldagem GTAW tem importância fundamental para a indústria não só pelo excelente controle do aporte térmico, como também ao fato de proporcionar, repetitividade e reprodutibilidade. No entanto, este apresenta uma série de desafios, principalmente em relação à determinação de algumas variáveis e como essas podem afetar a resistência das juntas soldadas. Neste trabalho, investigou-se a influência de diferentes procedimentos de soldagem em tubos de aço SAE 4130 sem costura com e sem a deposição e com a aplicação ou não de pré-aquecimento. Após procedimentos de soldagem, as propriedades mecânicas e a microestrutura da junta soldada, zona fundida, zona termicamente afetada e metal base, foram avaliadas por meio de ensaios de microdureza, de dobramento e análise metalográfica. Foi possível avaliar a influência da aplicação do pré-aquecimento e analisar as propriedades mecânicas e microestrutura das juntas soldadas. Os perfis de microdureza revelaram a importância do pré-aquecimento. O ensaio de dobramento possibilitou a avaliação das juntas de maneira qualitativa. Porém, um ensaio quantitativo, como o de tração, possibilitaria mais informações.

Oct 30, 2017