Air Liquide ACI LLC

Oxygen usage has played a crucial role in the ongoing EAF process improvement and has enabled furnace operators to optimize the chemical energy input, reaching unprecedented efficiencies and productivity. This article will present the fundamental principles governing the design of an optimized chemical energy system through scrap oxy-cutting and melting, decarburisation, post-combustion and slag foaming. It will be illustrated with industrial results obtained at the Vallourec Mannesmann Saint-Saulve site, where a PyreJet ™ and ALARC ™ PC system, using the newly designed DRAGON Panel, has been recently commissioned. The need for an optimized chemical energy system Electric Arc Furnaces have been continuously improving over the past 30 years and have now reached unprecedented levels of efficiency and sophistication. In a market where offer and demand are closely coupled and where quality criteria are becoming more stringent, the improvement of the EAF’s operating process is an ongoing necessity. A significant effort is being made by every steelmaker worldwid