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Steel production involves some of the most energy-intensive processes in the world. Applying energy-efficient technologies and enabling effective dissipation of waste heat is therefore vital. Which is why steel producers rely on Alfa Laval for expertise, a broad portfolio of proven equipment and services, optimized thermal and operational efficiency, lower total cost of operation and increased productivity.

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On the pulse of steel production

Rising costs, greater energy efficiency, and more stringent environmental regulations are prompting steel producers to look for new ways to save money, increase uptime, and raise yields. Alfa Laval has a broad range of smart, energy-saving solutions to improve overall efficiency of your steel mill operations.

Closed loop cooling systems

Well-designed cooling systems are vital given the complex processes and operating conditions encountered in blast, basic oxygen and electric arc furnaces, direct reduction plants and continuous casting machinery.

In a closed-loop cooling system, high-quality water is cooled in a secondary cooling system, which consists of plate heat exchangers cooled by seawater, river water or a water from a nearby cooling tower, which:

  • Reduces maintenance due to the use of easy-to-maintain Alfa Laval plate heat exchangers
  • Lowers pumping costs because pumps only need to overcome the static head of the process equipment rather than the full cooling tower

Air cooling

An effective alternative to cooling towers, Alfa Laval air coolers combine high efficiency with low electricity consumption and noise levels. Closed-loop air cooling systems eliminate both the problems and costs associated with water treatment. 

Oil cooling

Alfa Laval plate heat exchangers are an efficient and compact alternative to traditional shell-and-tube heat exchangers used in cooling transformer oil, morg oil, lubricating oil and gear oil. What’s more, our specially developed double-wall plate heat exchanger eliminates the risk of cross mixing of any lubricating fluids and cooling media during the process, thereby preventing costly consequences.

Dust and sludge removal

Dust and sludge recovered throughout various steel processes by means of centrifugal separation can be highly corrosive and abrasive. Alfa Laval separation technologies are designed with corrosion- and wear-resistant materials to ensure continuous operation in the harshest environments.

Outokumpu ferrochrome plant, Finland

The highly abrasive and sticky nature of the sludge from one of the gas scrubbers at Outokumpu makes it very challenging to dewater. The plant has used Alfa Laval decanters for this task for many years and since 2012 three Alfa Laval P2-600 decanter centrifuges dewater the sludge. The plant personnel are very satisfied with the high cake dryness.

More about closed loop cooling