ArcelorMittal Galati, a steel and mining company, has invested more than $7 million to upgrade a set of turbine blowers, aimed at reducing energy consumption at one of its blast furnaces. The turbine blowers inject cold air into the blast furnaces, and are key to the technological flow of the unit. Following the investment, the company has cut steam consumption by half.
Following the investment, the two turbine blowers use only 32-40 tons of steam per hour, compared with 70 tons before the modernization. With the steam saved, the company is now able to generate electricity that can be used in the steel production process. A high level of automation has also been implemented, improving the efficiency of the operation.
ArcelorMittal Galati started the operation of the two turbine blowers after a redesign of the rotors and the diaphragms of the two compressors and turbines, the maintenance of all technological control, balance and command circuits. The new system is based on a state-of-the-art operating system that allows for the two units to be handled, monitored and controlled automatically.
The investment is part of ArcelorMittal Europe’s ‘Energize’ Project aimed at reducing energy consumption by 15 percent over the next five years.
