HEAT PROCESSING Read all about the exhibition in the Aluminium 2014 Special (Vorschau)

International Magazine for Industrial Furnaces 

Heat Treatment & Equipment 

02 I 2014 

ISSN 1611-616X 

Vulkan-Verlag 

www.heatprocessing-online.com 

Read all about the exhibition in the ALUMINIUM 2014 SPECIAL 

Visit us in Hall 10 / Booth F54 

ALUMINIUM 2014 

7 th - 9 th October 2014 

Düsseldorf, Germany 

2 EcoMelter©, capacity 105t per day / content 35t each 

PulsReg® Medusa Regenerators 

October, 07.-09. 

Düsseldorf, Stand 10C11 

Setting The Standards For Highest 

Efficiency In Thermal Processing 

JASPER 

Gesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft und Kybernetik mbH / Bönninghauser Str. 10 / D-59590 Geseke 

Telefon: +49 2942 9747 0 / Fax: +49 2942 9747 47 / www.jasper-gmbh.de / info@jasper-gmbh.de

EDITORIAL 

Aluminium in the automotive industry: 

A material with a promising future 

The history of industrial aluminium production is as old as the 

automobile. However, the path shared by the lightweight 

metal and the product segment is still relatively recent. But there 

are strong indications that this relationship will become even 

closer. Aluminium is now the most important lightweight material 

used in the automotive sector. And its development continues. 

Vehicle manufacturing will offer good growth prospects 

to aluminium in the future as well. 

Lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and recyclable, without 

any loss of quality – aluminium meets all the requirements of 

a modern material for the implementation of modern mobility 

concepts. The automobile manufacturing industry is increasingly 

exploiting the flexible capabilities of lightweight aluminium. It 

can be used in a wide variety of components and also enables 

a variety of manufacturing processes. Since 1990, aluminium 

content in cars has almost tripled, from 50 to 140 kg. And the 

demand for innovative lightweight solutions continues to rise. 

In the competition between construction materials, aluminium 

has excellent prospects. The automotive industry and its 

suppliers increasingly demand new applications for aluminium. 

The times in which the lightweight metal was primarily used in 

the luxury car segment have long since passed. More and more, 

aluminium is being used for compact cars as well as mid-size 

vehicles – in engines, the auto body, and chassis. In particular, 

complex and highly stressed structural parts are proving to be 

growth drivers for this material. As a result, the outlook is good: 

Experts forecast that on average up to 180 kg of aluminium will 

be installed per vehicle by 2020. 

The requirements of car manufacturers and the highly specialized 

supplier industry are also pushing the material and process 

development of all things aluminium. We are regularly developing 

new alloys with improved mechanical properties, including 

stability, formability, and corrosion resistance. Aluminium recycling 

is also of growing importance. In times of costly power 

and dwindling reserves of raw materials, the materials cycle is 

increasingly gaining value. The use of recycled aluminium also 

leads to a significantly better carbon footprint. It not only reduces 

the environmental impact of production process, but ensures a 

higher-quality end product. 

The intensive collaboration between materials specialists, 

fabricators, and automobile manufacturers will open further 

application areas and development potential for the lightweight 

material aluminium. We live in the aluminium age. This “young” 

metal has by no means reached the zenith of its development. 

I'm looking forward to the Aluminium trade fair – see you in 

October in Düsseldorf, Germany. 

Thomas Reuther 

Member of the Management Board 

Trimet Aluminium SE 

2-2014 heat processing 

1

HOT SHOTS 

8 heat processing 2-2014

HOT SHOTS 

Heated Transfer Table 

State-of-the-art furnace design: tailor-made 

combustion and control systems guarantee 

higher temperatures (up to 1,120 °C) and 

optimum head – tail uniformity (+/- 5 °C). 

(Source: Danieli Centro Combustion S.p.A.) 


9

NEWS 

Trade & Industry 

Tulachermet-Steel and SMS Group sign 180 million euro order 

Tulachermet-Steel and SMS Group have 

concluded a contract for the supply 

of a complete steelworks with a connected 

continuous billet caster and two 

connected light-section mills. The order 

value comes to around € 180 million. The 

contract was signed in the presence of 

the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic 

Affairs of the Federal State of North 

Rhine-Westphalia, Günther Horetzky, and 

the Consul General of the Russian Federation, 

Evgeni Shmagin. 

Agreed was the construction of a converter-based 

steel and rolling mill complex 

in the immediate vicinity 

of the Tulachermet 

iron works around 

200 km to the south of 

Moscow. Tulachermet- 

Steel will assume the 

project management 

and the construction 

activities. The contracts 

for the construction 

and installation work 

will be placed with Russian 

companies. 

The rolling mills, 

which will make light 

sections, bar steel 

and wire rod, will be 

designed for an annual 

capacity of 1.5 million t 

in the first phase, with the possibility of a 

later increase to 2 million t. The major part of 

the production will be supplied to Moscow 

and to other regions in Central Russia. Here, 

there is a demand for high-quality steel 

products, above all from the construction 

industry and from mechanical engineering 

and automotive companies. The steelworks 

and rolling mill complex will go into operation 

in 2016. 

SMS Siemag is supplying a 160-t converter 

shop, equipped with a restraint-free 

lamella suspension system and a dedusting 

plant. The latter will be fitted with 

electrostatic precipitators from SMS Elex. 

SMS Siemag will also be supplying an 

energy recovery system. For the further 

optimization of energy efficiency, SMS Siemag 

can provide a converter-gas recovery 

and mixing plant for subsequent combustion 

of the gas in the existing Tulachermet 

power station. SMS Concast is supplying a 

ladle furnace, a twin-tank vacuum degassing 

facility for secondary metallurgical 

treatment and a six-strand billet caster. 

The continuous caster will be equipped 

with Convex ® technology and be able 

to produce square sections in sizes from 

150 х 150 to 180 х 180 mm. SMS Meer is 

supplying two almost identical light-section 

mills, each of which will be supplied 

by a walking beam furnace with a capacity 

of 160 t/h. One of these light-section mills 

will be equipped with a wire rod line for 

the production of quality steel in the form 

of bar steel and wire rod. SMS group is also 

supplying the electrical and automation 

systems for all production lines. 

Tulachermet-Steel is a Russian-based 

company established by several investors 

with the participation of shareholders 

of the KOKS Group. The KOKS Group is a 

leading producer of merchant pig iron and 

coke. Furthermore, the group possesses 

various assets for the production of highquality 

coking coal and the extraction and 

processing of iron ore. 

Schneider Electric completes the acquisition of Invensys 

Schneider Electric announced that it 

has completed its acquisition of Invensys 

plc, a global automation player with a 

large installed base and a strong software 

presence. With this acquisition, Schneider 

Electric is significantly enhancing its position 

as a provider of efficiency solutions 

integrating power and automation. The 

transaction will allow the combined entity 

to have a unique position in industrial and 

infrastructure end-markets. 

Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman and 

CEO of Schneider Electric, commented 

that they are delighted to announce the 

completion of the acquisition of Invensys 

and warmly welcome the teams 

joining them. With Invensys, Schneider 

Electric will reinforce its industrial automation 

capabilities, boost its positions 

in key energy-intensive segments and 

strengthen its software offering. Clemens 

Blum, Executive Vice-President of the 

Industry business of Schneider Electric 

added that Invensys brings proven capabilities 

in process automation technologies 

that are very complementary with 

those of Schneider Electric’s Industry 

business and that they are now in a position 

to offer to both the own customers 

and those of Invensys a unique value 

proposition in terms of segment knowhow, 

technologies and geographic footprint. 



NEWS 

Cooperation contract between Aichelin Group and 

BSN Thermoprozesstechnik 

The market for press-hardened steel 

sheets for the automotive industry, socalled 

blanks, is one of the most rapidly 

growing markets in the thermo-process sector 

and has quadrupled within the last decade. 

In order to take account of this dynamic 

development, two companies in this industry 

have now signed a trendsetting cooperation 

and license contract in order to comply even 

more precisely with their customers’ highly 

demanding and innovative challenges. 

Based on their common vision “We will 

not do anything but we will strive for perfection 

in what we do” Aichelin and BSN 

signed a license treaty, which stipulates a 

close technological cooperation between 

the two companies according to the “best 

practice“ principle. 

Their common service portfolio comprises 

design, engineering, manufacturing, 

delivery and starting-up as well as the 

after-sales service of ready-for-use plants for 

the heating of blanks for subsequent presshardening 

for the automotive industry as 

well as the hardening of shafts and other 

steel components. They have developed 

an innovative furnace whose walking beam 

technology allows to heat laminated blanks 

or components up to the right temperature 

within a short period of time and then 

subsequently convey them into the press 

with maximum precision, said Dipl.-Ing. W. 

Schütt, managing partner of company BSN, 

regarding the technology process, which 

has been patented in the meantime. For 

a promising customer, a major supplier in 

the automotive sector, BSN and Aichelin are 

already working intensively on the technological 

solution as well as the actual design 

for four comprehensive plants. The particular 

challenge with this first project consists 

in the fact that the customer has demanded 

two plants for his sites in Europe as well as 

one for China and one for the USA, which 

are to be supplied within a continuous 

period of 18 months. The customer trusts 

in the new cooperation with BSN, which 

combines the innovation, precision and 

internationality of the sites in a unique way 

in order to carry out the project according 

to the customer’s wishes and in due time. 

According to Dr. Thomas Dopler, CEO of 

Aichelin Ges.m.b.H., Mödling, Austria, the 

placement of an order is imminent. 

Innovative Heat Treatment Systems 

Hall 10 

Stand E30/08 

For hot-form hardening, 

hardening, annealing, 

sintering and brazing 

etc. 

Also under protective and 

reactive atmospheres 

schwartz GmbH 

Edisonstrasse 5 

D-52152 Simmerath 

Germany 

schwartz Heat Treatment Systems 

Asia (Kunshan) Co. Ltd. 

278 JuJin Road 

Zhangpu Town Kunshan City 

Jiangsu Province 

215321, P.R. China 

For more information visit: www.schwartz-wba.com 


schwartz, Inc. 

2015 J. Route 34 

Oswego IL 60543 

USA 

11

NEWS 


Schuler celebrates 175 th anniversary 

The press manufacturer 

Schuler 

is celebrating its 

175 th year in business 

in 2014. Louis 

Schuler founded 

the company in 

1839 as a metalworking 

shop in 

Göppingen’s Sauerbrunnengasse 

in 

Germany. Nobody 

at the time would 

have thought that 

the little workshop 

would one 

day become a 

global corporation with sales of almost 

€ 1.2 billion. 

A 175 th company anniversary is rare. To 

mark the occasion, Schuler’s celebrations will 

therefore include a central event for employees 

at its base in Göppingen, Germany, to 

be held in July. In addition, a special website 

presents 175 minor and major moments 

which have shaped Schuler over the years. 

These include, for example, the moment 

in 1852 when founder Louis Schuler – 

inspired by the Great Exhibition in London 

one year previously – decided to dedicate 

his future to the construction of machines 

for sheet metal processing. However, he 

himself could no longer witness his company’s 

own exhibit at the World Exhibition in 

Paris in 1900: the world’s first transfer press. 

Over the following years, the company’s 

headcount grew to 1,000. With a car body 

press for Opel in 1924, Schuler began supplying 

the fledgling auto industry, which 

is still its most important customer today. 

After the Second World War, Schuler was 

the first company in the American sector 

to receive an export license. In the 1970s 

the company drove its internationalization 

with the foundation of subsidiaries in Brazil 

and North America, for example, followed 

by China and India in the 1990s. 

Meanwhile, Peugeot launched production 

on the first Crossbar Transfer press with 

suction-cup tooling – supplied by Schuler. 

Further innovations in recent years, such 

as Compact-Crossbar presses, ServoDirect 

and TwinServo technologies, have 

underlined Schuler’s position in the field 

of metalforming. This is also reflected by 

its business success: in 2012, the Schuler 

Group posted sales of more than € 1 billion. 

Tata Steel began fourth trial on breakthrough ironmaking 

technology 

At its IJmuiden works in the Netherlands 

Tata Steel is to begin a fourth test production 

campaign on the HIsarna pilot plant. 

The trial is scheduled to start mid-May and 

last about six weeks. 

HIsarna is a new technology, partly 

developed in IJmuiden, which enables the 

direct input of coal and fine iron ore into the 

ironmaking furnace. The technology saves 

energy consumption by eliminating two of 

the key raw materials processing stages in 

blast furnace ironmaking: coking (the production 

of coke from coal) and sintering (the 

agglomeration of fine iron ore). Should the 

HIsarna technology prove technically and 

commercially viable, the elimination of these 

processing steps could reduce the emission 

of carbon dioxide from conventional ironmaking 

by 20 %. 

Hans Fischer, Chief Technical Officer of Tata 

Steel’s European operations and hub director 

of Tata Steel in IJmuiden, said that they 

are very proud to have succeeded in designing 

and constructing this installation and to 

have advanced this potentially breakthrough 

technology to this stage. During the third test 

campaign last year liquid HIsarna iron was 

produced in longer production runs than in 

previous campaigns and was used for the first 

time in the commercial steelmaking process. 

He added that a project of this size is not 

carried out by a single company. Tata Steel 

is working closely with several other major 

steel companies in the ULCOS (Ultra Low CO 2 

Steelmaking) consortium and with mining 

firm Rio Tinto. The project is being carefully 

monitored by scientists and steel producers 

from all over the world. HIsarna has the 

potential to become a ‘game-changer’ in the 

steel industry. It is one of several technologies 

regarded as having real prospects of further 

improving the sustainability of steelmaking. 

Despite the challenging economic circumstances 

in Europe, Tata Steel and its 

ULCOS partners have continued to support 

the HIsarna project. But future phases of 

HIsarna’s development will require very substantial 

investment that will exceed what the 

project partners can provide by themselves. 

The partners are now looking for further support 

from the European Commission and the 

Dutch government to enable this potentially 

breakthrough technology to progress to the 

next and more advanced stage. 

The fourth test campaign aims to produce 

liquid iron in a series of production runs, each 

lasting several days, and to test the use of 

different types of coal and iron ore. After 

analysing the results of this campaign, Tata 

Steel and its partners will start preparing for 

a prolonged fifth campaign in 2015 which 

would last six months. Should the results 

of this test prove positive, the next crucial 

step in HIsarna’s development would be the 

design, construction and trial operation of an 

industrial-size HIsarna plant. 



NEWS 

HärtereiKongress Cologne, 

October 22nd - 24th, 2014 

Visit us in Hall 4.1! 

AICHELIN Group: Booth E-060 

NOXMAT: Booth G-061 

Together one step ahead. 

www.aichelin.com 


13

NEWS 


Siemens to modernize Çemtaş bar rolling mill in Turkey 

Çelik Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. 

(Çemtaş), a Turkish steel producer, has 

awarded Siemens Metals Technologies an 

order to modernize its bar rolling mill in Bursa. 

The rolling mill will be equipped with a new 

reversing sliding roughing stand and a new 

intermediate train. The existing finishing mill 

will also be brought up to the state-of-the-art. 

The new equipment will enable Çemtaş to 

further improve its product quality, especially 

in respect of mechanical properties, metallurgical 

structure and the surface quality of 

the rolled bars. The plant will have a new 

automation system, including process models 

and mechatronic packages. This will give 

the bar rolling mill an end-to-end automation 

solution, which will increase productivity 

and reduce downtimes for maintenance. The 

modernized rolling mill is scheduled to come 

into operation at the beginning of 2015. 

After completion of modernization, the 

rolling mill at Çemtaş’ Bursa location will produce 

bars with diameters ranging from 15 

to 80 mm, and can be converted to handle 

diameters up to 120 mm if required. It will also 

be able to produce flat bars with thicknesses 

ranging from 5.5 to 62 mm and widths from 

46 to 140 mm. 

For the bar rolling mill, Siemens will 

supply a reversing sliding roughing stand 

which will be able to roll billets up to a size 

of 200 mm. This will allow a higher reduction 

ratio, resulting in better mechanical 

properties and an optimized metallurgical 

structure. 

Siemens will also supply the continuous 

intermediate mill, comprising six Red-Ring 

rolling stands in an HV arrangement. Provision 

for inline controlled cooling section is 

foreseen in order to give Çemtaş the future 

opportunity to roll with a precise and continuous 

control of the metallurgical grain size. 

As part of the project, Siemens will also modernize 

the existing finishing mill by installing 

new automation and process equipment and 

the company will also supervise the installation 

and commissioning, and provide the 

staff training. 

Norsk Hydro agrees to sell aluminium casthouse in Hannover 

Hydro has entered into a binding agreement 

to sell its special alloy aluminium 

casthouse in Hannover to IQ Industrial 

Holding S.à r.l. (Luxembourg), a private 

industrial holding group with operations 

across Europe. The Hannover casthouse 

is focused on special aluminium alloys, 

mainly hard alloys for the aerospace industry. 

Through the agreement, IQ Industrial 

Holding will acquire 100 % of the shares in 

Hydro Giesserei Hannover GmbH. The Hannover 

casthouse was taken over by Hydro 

through the acquisition of VAW aluminium 

AG in 2002 and is considered non-core 

business. The casthouse supplies its hard 

alloy products mainly to a customer located 

wall-to-wall. The Hannover casthouse 

has around 30 employees and produced 

approximately 12,000 t of aluminium products 

in 2013. The transaction is expected to 

close during the second quarter of 2014. 

StrikoWestofen Asia opens new company premises 

Recently the new company premises of 

the StrikoWestofen Group were inaugurated 

at Taicang in China. The ceremony took 

place in the presence of leading politicians, 

business figures and experts. It became necessary 

to make the move and expand the 

capacities after sales in the Chinese markets 

increased by around 300 % during a period 

of 18 months. Rainer Erdmann, General Manager 

of StrikoWestofen in Asia, explained 

that an increased environmental awareness 

in China and the efficiency of the melting 

and dosing systems are the keys to aboveaverage 

growth. 

The necessary capacities to serve the 

increasing Asian market are provided by new 

company premises at Taicang, approx. 50 km 

to the northwest of Shanghai. It includes 

modern production facilities and provides 

plenty of space for the staff, which has now 

grown to 75 employees. 

In the course of the inauguration ceremony, 

Zhu Wan Li, Director of Taicang Economy 

Development, described the furnace technologies 

of StrikoWestofen as an important 

contribution to reduce the industrial 

impact on the environment. More than 350 

guests from all over the globe were present 

– including government representatives of 

the province of Jiangsu, the Deputy Consul 

General at the German Consulate General 

and members of the German Chamber of 

Commerce in China and the Chinese Die 

Cast Association. 

The boom is showing no signs of ending 

at present: outside of China, too, StrikoWestofen 

has been able to access important key 

markets in Asia and extend its dealer network 

over the last few years. Thus, Erdmann 

explained that the new company location in 

Taicang is virtually the new production and 

logistics centre for the Asian markets. 



NEWS 

ArcelorMittal invests in Brazil automotive steels 

ArcelorMittal is investing around 

$ 15 million in the production of 

advanced high strength steel at its Vega do 

Sul flat steel rolling mill in the state of Santa 

Catarina in southern Brazil. The plant’s existing 

production lines will be equipped to 

produce Usibor ® , a press-hardened boron 

steel with an aluminium-silicon coating 

used mainly in the automotive industry. 

Using this material allows manufacturers to 

create lighter, safer and more environmentally 

friendly vehicles at an affordable cost. 

With a strength of 1,500 MPa after hotstamping, 

Usibor ® is one of the most resistant 

steels used in automotive applications, 

used mainly for the production of structural 

parts including A-pillars, B-pillars, frontal 

and rear bumpers, various types of rails, 

and the tunnel floor. 

The special steel has been imported 

from ArcelorMittal plants in Europe into 

Brazil since 2012; production in ArcelorMittal 

Vega do Sul is due to start in the second 

quarter of 2015. Hot rolled coils will continue 

to be produced at ArcelorMittal Tubarão 

in Espírito Santo, Brazil, and the patented 

aluminium-silicon coating will be applied 

at ArcelorMittal Vega do Sul. 

The $ 15 million investment is in line 

with the Brazilian government’s Inovar- 

Auto stimulus programme, which seeks 

to encourage auto makers to invest in the 

Brazilian automotive industry and to produce 

more efficient, safer, and technologyadvanced 

vehicles. 

The investment confirms ArcelorMittal’s 

commitment to Brazil as a key market and 

to the automotive industry as a key franchise. 

ArcelorMittal is working closely with 

carmakers in Brazil and around the world 

to help them address their technological 

and geographical challenges. 

This includes making sure that the company's 

lightweight products are available 

globally; and continuing to develop products 

and solutions to make cars lighter and 

more fuel-efficient at an affordable cost, 

without compromising safety. 

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15

NEWS 


Seco/Warwick increases production capability of roller 

hearth furnace system 

Seco/Warwick has partnered with 

Westinghouse Electric Company LLC 

Western Zirconium Plant, to increase the 

production capability of their Ogden, Utah 

facility. The Western Zirconium plant produces 

zirconium, 

hafnium and zircaloy 

for commercial 

nuclear power 

plant and other 

industrial applications. 

Prior to purchasing 

new 

equipment, Westinghouse 

used a 

roller hearth, hot 

mill and shear for 

hot rolling zirconium 

slabs, plates 

and sheets to various 

thicknesses for 

further processing into final zirconium flat 

products. The purpose of the new project 

was to increase the production capability 

for heating, reheating and air annealing of 

hot rolled materials. The equipment control 

system and material handling systems 

provided a level of automation to maintain 

production with little human intervention. 

The furnace has the capacity to process 

slabs and plates of various sizes when heated 

and equalized at specific temperatures. 

The furnace uses specific technology that 

ensures even heating across the load and 

limits warping. Seco/Warwick custom engineered 

a system to increase production and 

reduce cycle time that meets NFPA specifications 

70, 79 and 86 and a temperature 

uniformity requirement of +/- 15 °C. The 

maximum furnace temperature is 850 °C. 

The scope of supply included a jib crane, 

loading table, oscillating roller hearth furnace 

with electrical resistive heating elements, 

exit table incorporating a cross 

transfer conveyor system, return conveyor, 

1,600 amp motor control centre, 360 KW 

SCR, PLC and HMI panels with 6 operator 

systems. 

Alcoa signs long-term supply agreement with 

Spirit AeroSystems for aluminium sheet 

Alcoa, one of the global leaders in 

aerospace sheet and plate products, 

announced that it has signed a long-term 

agreement to supply aluminium sheet to 

Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. in a contract valued 

at approximately $ 290 million over 

five years. Alcoa increased its 2014 global 

aerospace growth expectation by one 

percentage point from 8 to 9 %, on strong 

demand for both large commercial aircraft 

and regional jets and continued growth in 

the business jet market. 

Alcoa produces lightweight metallic 

solutions for the aerospace industry that 

deliver strength, aerodynamic efficiencies, 

and corrosion resistance, said Mark Vrablec, 

President, Global Aerospace, Transportation 

and Industrial Rolled Products at Alcoa. The 

new multi-year contract with Spirit deepens 

the collaborative relationships and enables 

the company to continue to grow in 

this important market. 

Spirit is one of the largest designers and 

manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial, 

military, business and regional jets 

in the world. 

Alcoa will provide Spirit with aluminium 

sheet products for fuselage skins from its 

Davenport (Iowa) facility, which houses the 

world’s largest and most advanced aluminium 

rolling mill. The company’s aerospace 

business, which had revenues totalling 

$ 4 billion in 2013, holds leading market 

positions in aerospace forgings, extrusions, 

jet engine airfoils and fastening systems 

produced by its downstream business, 

Engineered Products and Solutions (EPS), 

and aerospace sheet and plate produced 

by its midstream business, Global Rolled 

Products (GRP). 



NEWS 


17

NEWS 


Ambrell induction heating system purchased for pipe 

bending process 

Ambrell, an Ameritherm Co., 

Scottsville, N.Y., has sold an Ekoheat 

125 kW/10 kHz induction heating 

system to a manufacturer of pressure 

control products for the oil industry. 

The application involves heating a narrow 

band around a large steel pipe to 

1,000 °C. Air and water quenches are 

typically used before and after heating 

to ensure bending only in the 

heated zone. Once the temperature 

Andritz to supply new hot-dip galvanizing 

plant to Yieh Phui Technomaterial 

Andritz Metals, a subsidiary of the 

international technology Group 

Andritz and one of the leading global 

suppliers of complete lines for the production 

and processing of stainless steel, 

has received an order from Yieh Phui 

Technomaterial, a steel producing company 

from China. Andritz is to supply a 

hot-dip galvanizing line with an annual 

capacity of 400,000 t. The new line is 

designed to produce high-strength steel 

grades for the automobile industry. Startup 

of the production line is scheduled for 

the second quarter of 2016. 

is achieved, pressure can be applied by a 

bending arm to bend pipe into shape. 

Ambrell has expertise with numerous 

tube and pipe applications. Curing tube 

and pipe coatings, pre- and post-weld 

heating, drill pipe heat treatment, and 

preheating drill bits for insert brazing are 

some of the popular induction applications. 

Induction is often favoured because 

it provides rapid, controllable, non-contact, 

energy efficient heat. 

The Andritz Metals scope of supply 

comprises the complete hot-dip galvanizing 

plant, including the mechanical and 

electrical equipment, as well as the entire 

process part. Yieh Phui Technomaterial is 

one of the world’s leading galvanized steel 

producers. 

Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum moves to its new logistics centre 

Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum, one of the 

largest high-tech vendors for vacuum 

pumps and systems has moved into 

its new, modern lean logistics centre at the 

Cologne site. Designed by planning company 

Dr. Schönheit + Partner, the building 

was erected by construction company 

Günther GmbH & Co. KG from Netphen, 

Germany. This new building is the logistics 

hub supplying production facilities with 

goods and controlling international goods 

flows from Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum to 

customers and worldwide subsidiaries. 

Logically placed at the centre of the surrounding 

production facilities, this new building 

offers some technical novelties cutting 

the length of internal pathways and the warehousing 

time for incoming materials thereby 

also reducing the door-to-door time of the 

products. Within a construction period of 

just under one year, 13,000 t of concrete and 

570 t of reinforcing steel were used creating 

an enclosed space of 59,000 m 3 . 

The three-storey building comprises a 

basement with technical plant room and 

sprinkler tank. Located on the ground floor 

is the entire warehouse with automatic 

small-parts warehouse, narrow-aisle warehouse, 

and large pallet warehouse as well 

as functional areas like foyer with waiting 

area, and areas for picking and provisioning 

with different building heights. The administration 

is accommodated on the top floor 

with a floor space of over 450 m 2 . 

The erection of the building included 

a peculiarity: the former riverbed of the 

Rhine had left in this area sandy soil so that 

the soil conditions required thorough and 

diligent preparations for the foundations. 

Moreover, old foundations and basements 

were found in this area which now had 

to be bypassed by pile foundations and 

which had to be prepared for accommodating 

the construction of the building 

itself and the floor slab. 228 large drilled 

piles were driven up to 17 m deep into 

the soil and are now carrying the building 

and the new 70 cm thick floor slab 

which is now bearing the load of the 16 m 

high storage racks. In order to ensure high 

turnover speeds of the forklifts in the narrow-aisle 

warehouse, the flatness of the 

floor slab had to meet exceptionally high 

requirements. 


Outotec acquires premium coated titanium 

anode business 

Outotec has acquired the business and IPRs 

of Republic Alternative Technologies Inc., 

a premium coated titanium anode engineering 

and fabrication company based in Cleveland, 

Ohio, USA. The acquisition complements 

Outotec’s offerings for sustainable electrowinning 

plants and supports the company’s 

strategy to grow its service business through 

providing life-cycle solutions to the customers. 

The acquisition price is not disclosed. 

Republic Alternative Technologies is the world’s 

first producer of innovative mixed metal oxide 

coated titanium anodes, which are used as an alternative 

to conventional lead anodes in electrowinning 

operations to produce copper, zinc and other 

metals. Thanks to low cell voltage, these coated 

titanium anodes consume 7 to 15 % less energy 

than conventional lead anodes. They are currently 

used in industrial copper electrowinning plants in 

Audi commissions Ecomelt furnaces from 

Hertwich Engineering 

Automobile manufacturer Audi has successfully 

commissioned two Ecomelt melting 

furnaces from Hertwich Engineering, Austria. The 

two Ecomelt PR-50 furnaces supply the newly 

constructed die-casting line in Münchsmünster, 

Germany, with liquid metal. Audi decided in 

Arizona, New Mexico and South America. Republic 

Alternative Technologies has 18 employees 

and its sales in 2013 were approximately € 9 million. 

Outotec plans to commercialize the application 

of coated titanium anodes also in zinc and 

nickel electrowinning processes and believes 

that the business has substantial growth potential 

worldwide. 

According to Outotec’s CEO Pertti Korhonen 

the premium anodes of Republic Alternative 

Technologies fit seamlessly with Outotec’s electrowinning 

technology and service offerings. By 

combining the expertise of Republic Alternative 

Technologies and Outotec the companies can 

offer their wide customer base comprehensive 

life cycle solutions. There are good opportunities 

to multiply the business volume of the coated 

titanium anodes in copper processing and commercialize 

applications to other metals. 

favour of the Ecomelt technology from Hertwich 

Engineering in order to meet the high demands 

on the melting of small-sized scrap. 

The melting furnaces from Hertwich Engineering 

stand for a particularly cost-effective 

melting process. The energy consumption 

is low – thanks also to the automation technology. 

The high-performance heating system 

thoroughly preheats the charge before melting, 

resulting in low metal losses with good 

metal quality. The two melting furnaces at 

Audi produce 100 t of liquid metal per day. 

The Hertwich Engineering scope of supply also 

includes a multi-container charging system, 

crucibles, melting tanks and a crucible charging 

and treatment station. 

State-of-the-art. 

Also interested in really fast, rugged, light, accurate, customised 

and inexpensive infrared thermometers and cameras for non-contact 

measurements between -50°C to +3000°C? Visit 

www.optris.co.uk 

There’s no two ways about it: 

our flexible infrared cameras provide 

simple, trouble-free connection to 

tablets via USB. 


Innovative Infrared 

19 

Technology

NEWS 


HMT ordered a newly developed extrusion press from 

SMS Meer 

For its plant in Hettstedt, Germany, HMT 

Höfer Metall Technik has ordered an 

extrusion press type HybrEx25, from SMS 

Meer. HMT is the first company to opt for 

the newly developed HybrEx extrusion 

press. The machine considerably reduces 

energy consumption and increases productivity 

by up to 20 %. In this way, the 

HybrEx25 satisfies the preconditions for the 

“ecoplants” label. 

The HybrEx 25 belongs to a new extrusion 

press generation equipped with an 

innovative drive concept. Due to the new 

concept, the oil tank volume was reduced 

from 10,000 l to 1,000 l. The amount of gases 

trapped in oil diminishes from 10 % down 

to 1 %, achieving a substantially longer oil 

life. The risk of cavitation occurring on the 

valves is considerably reduced. Another new 

feature is the patented inside filling valve by 

which traveling speeds of the main cylinder 

of up to 1,000 mm/s are made possible. 

Modifications to the electric drive technology 

additionally improve the energy 

balance. HybrEx is equipped with the 

proven intelligent “Power on command” 

motor control system. It only drives those 

units which are required for the respective 

process cycle. In conjunction with using 

internal gear pumps the drive power for 

each pump unit is reduced by 45 %. 

Despite the reduced drive power, a nonproductive 

time including lifting stroke of 

less than 12 s can be realized. In this way, 

the machine from SMS Meer increases 

plant productivity significantly, i.e. 1 s less of 

non-productive time corresponds to an up 

to 100 t greater annual production output. 

With the platen concept, profiles can be 

extruded with new tolerance dimensions. A 

thrust plate with a depth equivalent to the 

platen makes sure that the relative deflection 

in the area of the tool pack is reduced 

to zero. The revised Cadex version “Cadex 

Integrated” ensures an optimal extrusion 

press process and increases productivity. 

Soon the new press will be officially 

handed over to the customer at the Witten 

location of SMS Meer. Commissioning in Hettstedt 

is scheduled for the third quarter of 

2014. 

Siemens and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries form joint 

venture for metals industry 

Siemens and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 

(MHI) want to cooperate in the field of 

metallurgical industry and are forming a 

globally operating complete provider for 

plants, products and services for the iron, 

steel and aluminium industry. Responding 

to the challenging market environment and 

high price pressure, two strong partners 

are bundling their individual strengths and 

establishing a powerful and globally well 

positioned joint venture. An agreement to 

this effect has just been signed. According 

to the agreement, MHI will hold a 51 % and 

Siemens a 49 % stake in the joint venture. 

Subject to approval of the relevant authorities, 

the joint venture will start operations 

in January 2015. 

Both partners are contributing their 

metallurgical industry activities to the 

joint venture. The new joint venture will 

integrate Mitsubishi-Hitachi Metals Machinery, 

Inc. (MH) – an MHI consolidated group 

company with equity participation by 

Hitachi, Ltd. and IHI Corporation. 

The new joint venture with approximately 

9,000 employees will focus 

fully on business with iron, steel and 

aluminium-producing industry. The company’s 

structures are lean and tailored to 

global market requirements and the international 

competitive environment. The 

bundling of competencies will result in a 

powerful joint venture that is better able to 

compensate for market fluctuations. 

The company’s headquarters will be 

located in the United Kingdom. The joint 

venture includes supply agreements for 

Siemens’ Industry Automation and Drive 

Technologies Divisions. Drawing on the 

centers of competence of Siemens Metals 

Technologies in Central Europe and those 

of MHI, the new joint venture has a solid 

set-up. The portfolios of the two partners 

ideally complement one another. While the 

technology strengths of Siemens Metals 

Technologies lie in particular in iron and 

steel production, casting, automation, 

environmental technologies and lifecycle 

services, MHI’s technology competence is 

primarily focused on hot and cold rolling, 

processing as well as production expertise. 

By combining both portfolios, the joint 

venture can offer its customers the entire 

value chain in iron, steel and aluminium 

production, from technologies for processing 

raw materials to surface finishing at the 

end of the production process. 


Events 

NEWS 

Aluminium 2014 – 10 th World Trade Fair & Conference 

The ALUMINIUM World Fair is preparing 

for its 10th edition, to be held in Düsseldorf 

from 7 to 9 October. Seven months 

before the world’s largest industry meeting 

place is due to open, almost 700 international 

exhibitors have registered for participation, 

and more than 80 percent of the 

exhibition space has already been booked. 

Trade fair organiser Reed Exhibitions is optimistic 

and expects to continue the success 

of previous years with ALUMINIUM 2014. 

It just keeps growing and growing. 

When it moved from the Ruhr to the Rhine 

two years ago, the trade fair experienced 

quite a boost. And the signs point to further 

growth yet again for ALUMINIUM 2014, even 

if this will be slightly more moderate than 

at its Düsseldorf debut. Reed Exhibitions 

currently expects a five percent increase in 

exhibition space, as well as higher exhibitor 

and visitor numbers. More than 950 exhibitors 

are expected for the 10th edition of 

ALUMINIUM – two years ago, that number 

was 907 companies from 51 countries. 

Already, Halls 9 to 12 of the Düsseldorf 

Exhibition Centre are almost fully booked. As 

a result, the reserve space originally set aside 

in the four halls, which are organised along 

theme lines, has already been occupied. 

Therefore, a better gross-to-net ratio is the 

aim in allocating space in Hall 13, which will 

have a higher stand density and house both 

the “Surface” and the “Metalworking and 

Processing” segments under a single roof. 

As the institutional patron of the trade fair, 

the GDA – the German Confederation of 

the Aluminium Industry will once again 

organise the ALUMINIUM 2014 Confer- 

ence which accompanies 

the trade fair. 

Industry experts 

will give an 

overview of 

the future 

prospects of 

aluminium in 

a wide range of 

application markets 

from 7 to 9 October in 

the CCD Ost. The programme features a 

total of five sessions, on a range of subjects 

including, among, others Automotive and 

Markets. The call for papers started at the 

end of February. The conference language 

is English. 

For further information please visit: 

www.aluminium-messe.com 

SPECIAL IN 

THIS ISSUE 

pages 33 to 62 


21

NEWS 

Events 

DIARY 

9-11 July 

14-16 Aug. 

27-29 Aug. 

2-9 Sep. 

11-13 Sep. 

16-19 Sep. 

6-8 Oct. 

16-20 Sep. 

17-19 Sep. 

24-25 Sep. 

24-27 Sep. 

29 Sep. - 

3 Oct. 

30 Sep. - 

1 Oct. 

7-9 Oct. 

22-24 Oct. 

Aluminium China 2014 

in Shanghai, China 

www.aluminiumchina.com 

INASAL 2014 

in Jakarta, Indonesia 

www.ina-sal.com 

ENTECH 2014 

in Busan, South Korea 

www.entechkorea.net 

METAVAK 

in Hardenberg, Netherlands 

www.evenementenhal.nl/hardenberg 

Ankiros / Annofer / Turkcast 

in Istanbul, Turkey 

www.hmankiros.com 

Metalurgia 2014 

in Joinville, Brazil 

www.metalurgia.com.br 

Furnaces North America 

In Nashville (TN), United States 

www.furnacesnorthamerica.com 

AMB 2014 

in Stuttgart, Germany 

www.messe-stuttgart.de/amb 

KazMet 2014 

in Almaty, Kazakhstan 

www.kazmet.iteca.kz 

57 th International Colloquium on Refractories 

in Aachen, Germany 

www.feuerfest-kolloquium.de 

wire + Tube China 

in Shanghai, China 

www.wirechina.net 

www.tubechina.net 

IMT / Automation / Welding 

in Brno, Czech Republic 

www.bvv.cz 

CWIEME 

in Chicago (IL), United States 

www.coilwindingexpo.com 

Aluminium 2014 

in Düsseldorf, Germany 


70 th Heat Treatment Congress 

in Cologne, Germany 

www.hk-awt.de 

Hannover Messe 

showcases the 

“Factory of the Future” 

As Hannover Messe 2014 drew to a close exhibitors 

and organizers were able to look back 

on another successful event. This year one of the 

world’s leading industrial tradeshows, which took 

place from 7 to 11 April, addressed the key issue of 

the future of industry by presenting the solutions 

needed for tomorrow’s intelligent factories. 

Staged under the keynote theme of “Integrated 

Industry – Next Steps”, the trade fair focused on 

intelligent, self-organizing factories and the transformation 

of energy systems. A total of over 180,000 

visitors from more than 100 different nations came 

to Hannover to explore the future of industry and 

invest in the latest factory and energy technology 

on show by some 5,000 exhibitors. This year’s Hannover 

Messe Partner Country was the Netherlands. 

Many components which will be of crucial 

importance for the new industrial manufacturing 

environment were on display at the tradeshow 

– which also showcased market-ready solutions 

and products addressing the key challenges of 

standardization and IT security. A large number of 

demo installations gave visitors a first-hand view 

of products moving through the various stages of 

production without any human intervention until 

individual processing at the very end. Data security 

was another core issue at the fair. 

The focus of attention in the “energy halls” was 

on the transformation of energy systems. Future 

growth in the use of renewable forms of energy, 

decentralized energy supply systems and intelligent 

distribution systems were high on the agenda. 

Exhibitors presented technologies and solutions for 

the ongoing energy transition, with displays lending 

firm shape to the energy systems of the future. 

The show’s major international drawing power 

was evident in the fact that more than one in 

every four visitors came from abroad, mainly from 

the European Union (57 %) as well as from South, 

East and Central Asia (20 %). In terms of individual 

countries of visitor origin, the Netherlands – as 

this year’s Partner Country – took first place, followed 

by China in second. 

The next Hannover Messe will be staged from 

13 to 17 April 2015. For further information please 

visit: www.hannovermesse.com 


Events 

NEWS 

Strong together for future markets: wire & Tube 2014 

The more than 2,500 international exhibitors 

from the wire, cable and tube 

industries can look back on five successful 

trade fair days from 7 to 11 April 2014. 

Inspired by the upswing of the steel market, 

the exhibiting companies presented their 

product innovations at the Düsseldorf Exhibition 

Centre during the two leading trade 

fairs, wire and Tube 2014. 

According to Joachim Schäfer, Managing 

Director accountable for the fairs at Messe 

Düsseldorf, the trade fairs took recorded 

exhibitor growth as well as a significant 

increase in booked exhibition space. 

Networked worldwide and globally active, 

the exhibitors presented themselves to the 

72,000 trade visitors that travelled to the exhibition 

halls on the Rhine from 104 different 

countries. They came to learn about the latest 

machines, equipment and products for the 

wire, cable and tube processing 

industries at the no. 1 international 

trade fairs, wire – International 

Wire and Cable Trade Fair 

and Tube – International Tube 

Trade Fair. 

International contacts, lots 

of conversations, healthy buying 

interest and actual closes, 

as well as the anticipation of 

interesting post-event business, 

characterised the mood at wire 

and Tube. 

The steel and NE metal industry has 

long been considered to be a reliable 

early indicator for all other industries. The 

entire economy benefits when this market 

is strong. 

In total, about 98 % of the exhibitors 

gave top scores for the way the two trade 

Welcome to Furnaces North America 2014 

The Metal Treating Institute and its Media 

Partner, Industrial Heating Magazine 

organize the Furnaces North America (FNA) 

that being hosted in Nashville, Tennessee on 

6 to 8 October 2014. The trade fair will be full 

of technical information, trends, business 

and networking opportunities. FNA 2014 is 

a worldwide event with heat treaters and 

suppliers coming from over 30 states and 

over 15 countries to experience amazing 

two days. 

FNA 2014 will be the largest heat treat 

show of the year offering more than 30 

technical sessions with the information to 

energize your business, two day trade show 

to network with over 150 top suppliers to see 

the latest trends and technology and 2-high 

energy networking events for attendees to 

fairs went. The companies exhibiting at 

both fairs occupied a total of more than 

108,000 m 2 of net exhibition space. 

wire and Tube once again take place 

simultaneously from 4 to 8 April 2016 in 

Düsseldorf. For further information please 

visit: www.wire.de and www.Tube.de 

tap into the best minds in heat treating. 

Participants have the possibility to 

exchange information with people who 

are experiencing the same challenges and 

successes. Attending FNA helps to create 

new ideas and energize companies back 

to record productivity. 


www.furnacesnorthamerica.com 

CIHTE 2014 will be held in Shanghai 

China International Heat Treatment 

Exhibition (CIHTE) is held in Beijing 

and Shanghai alternatively. To follow the 

industry developing trend, CIHTE 2014 will 

be held from 14 to 16 October at Shanghai 

New International Expo Centre. 

Founded in 2004, CIHTE treads on the 

heel of market development, adheres to the 

principle of resource sharing, win-win benefit. 

This year, the exhibition area is expected to 

be larger than previous ones. The exhibition 

content covers the whole industry chain, 

while it focuses on a combination of up and 

down stream industrial chain to create a 

cooperative pattern of project development, 

product sales, and technical service, and further 

promotes international trade exchange 

and cooperation. CIHTE 2014 is tightly coupled 

developing the track of China’s heat 

treatment industry, accords with developing 

requirements of China and international market, 

becomes one of the best business communication 

platforms for suppliers and professional 

visitors to grasp industry developing 

direction and know market news. In previous 

exhibitions, many famous international heat 

treatment brands one after another displayed 

their innovative products and showed their 

enterprise advantages, which makes CIHTE 

becoming an important exhibition that cannot 

be missed. 


www.cihtexpo.com 


23

NEWS 

Events 

Materialica 2014: Lightweight design and innovative materials 

From 21 to 23 October 2014 the 17 th 

International Trade Fair Materialica 

takes place at the Munich Trade Fair Center. 

Again this year Materialica focuses on the 

future topic “Lightweight Design for New 

Mobility!” and presents material trends and 

innovative material design in the fields of 

“Lightweight Design”, “Materials for Batteries”, 

“Surface Technology” and “Testing” for 

the expanding sectors mobility and energy. 

Thus, in terms of visitors the trade fair 

is primarily interesting for professionals in 

the industrial sectors of automotive, infrastructure, 

energy, robotics, engineering 

as well as sports- and consumer-goods. 

Although some of these sectors do not 

directly deal with New Mobility, they all 

enormously benefit from the know-how 

transfer of this future topic. 

A fixed event at the trade fair over the 

past twelve years is the granting of the 

Materialica Design + Technology Award 

which traditionally takes place in the early 

evening of the first exhibition day. This 

year the reputable design prize will be 

awarded in the four categories “Material”, 

“Product”, “Surface Technology” and “CO 2 

Efficiency” as well as in the special category 

“Student”. 

The intentionally close ties to the successful 

partner trade fair eCarTec – International 

Trade Fair for Electric- & Hybrid- 

Mobility, which takes place simultaneously 

to Materialica – creates a successful connection 

between innovative material applications 

and electric mobility. 


www.materialica.com 

The first Central Eastern European Heat Treatment 

Forum took place in Poland 

The premium meeting organized 

by the Global Heat Treatment 

Network which took place on 8 to 10 

April 2014 in Wroclaw (Poland) with 

top speakers from the main global 

players in the heat treating world has 

already been recognized as the best 

access to Eastern European customers. 

More than 200 registered participants 

attended the lectures and technical 

sessions and there were more than 30 

exhibitors. 

A number of the largest commercial 

heat treaters in the world such as Bodycote, 

Hanomag, VacAero and Hauck 

were present. Also Polish Institutes & 

Universities were present. Customers 

came from sectors such as automotive, 

energy, heavy industry and aerospace. 

Furnace makers included AFC 

Holcroft, ALD, ALD-Dynatech, AMP, 

ECM, Ipsen, IVA, KGO, Remix, Rohde, 

Rübig, Schmetz, Schwammberger, 

Seco/Warwick, Systherms, Tenova, 

Nitrex and industry suppliers such as 

Burgdorf, EuroFluid, Avion, SSI, Foka 

Engineering, United Process Controls, 

GTD, Lohmann, Schunk, Kronmeyer, 

Ahotec, Herakles, Eclipse, Guenther, 

Stange, Graphite Materials and German 

printing house Vulkan Verlag. 

During this event Michel J. Korwin 

was inducted into the Heat Treatment 

Forum Hall of Excellence. This award 

will honour achievements of people 

of the heat treatment industry with 

the title “Member of the Heat Treatment 

Forum Hall of Excellence”. Korwin 

(owner of Nitrex Metal Inc. and 

United Process Controls) became the 

first member, for his very successful 

industrial implementation of the 

controlled gas nitriding idea Nitreg. 

His technology leadership has been 

proven for years in hundreds of installations 

worldwide. During this event 

also the Polish heat treatment association 

has been formed, the Polish Heat 

Treatment Forum (PHTF). 


www.heat-treatment-forum.pl 


Events 

NEWS 

6th All Indian Exhibition 

& Conference for the 

Tube and Pipe Industries 

www.tube-india.com 

28 – 30 October 2014 

5th International Exhibition 

& Conference on Metallurgical 

Technology, Material Handling 

and Services 

www.metallurgy-india.com 

Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India 

Held in conjunction with: 

WELDING 

CUTTING 

& 

Messe Düsseldorf GmbH 

P.O. Box 10 10 06 _ 40001 Düsseldorf _ Germany 

Phone +49 (0) 2 11/45 60-77 62 _ Fax +49 (0) 2 11/45 60-77 40 

SchreiberG@messe-duesseldorf.de 

www.messe-duesseldorf.de

NEWS 

Events 

Three new theme pavilions at Aluminium China 2014 

The event organizer Reed Exhibitions 

announced that this year Aluminium 

China 2014 will be bolstered by the introduction 

of three value-enhancing pavilions. 

The Surface Treatment Pavilion, the Furnaces 

& Heat Treatment Equipment Pavilion and 

the Extrusion Aluminium Product Pavilion 

are a direct response to customer feedback 

gathered after Aluminium China 2013. This 

year’s show will be held from 9 to 11 July at 

the Shanghai New International Expo Centre 

(SNIEC), with a crisp new layout that allows 

visitors to explore the show site by focusing 

on categories of most interest to them. 

Aluminium China is one of Asia‘s top trading, 

sourcing, networking and branding platforms 

for the complete aluminium industry 

chain. It features leading industry figures, 

cutting edge technologies and advanced 

applications. The event engages the global 

Aluminium community with new customized 

matchmaking programs that link high-intent 

buyers with leading suppliers. This year, over 

500 international exhibitors from 30 countries 

will showcase their newest solutions across 

an exhibition area of 35,000 m 2 . They will 

represent the entire aluminium production 

chain – from aluminium raw materials, semifinished 

and finished products, to production 

and processing machinery and accessories. 

The exhibitors will interact with 16,000 qualified 

professionals and buyers from China, Asia 

and globally emerging markets. 

Aluminium downstream processing is 

central to this year’s exhibition. Surface treatment 

and extrusion processing are key to 

downstream production. Purchasing decision 

makers from established aluminium manufacturers 

in China and Asia area will be onsite 

to seek suppliers who offer technologies and 

equipment to fulfill these needs. 

Pollution reduction and energy conservation 

are two more themes for this year’s show, 

in light of current environmental concerns. 

New technology used in furnaces and heat 

will be sure to be popular among aluminium 

manufacturers. 


www.aluminiumchina.com 

14 th E-world energy & water achieved a record number of 

participants 

Even larger and even more international: 

E-world energy & water is continuing its 

success story in 2014 too. The 14 th edition 

of the premier European fair in the energy 

and water industries, which took place from 

11 to 13 February, registered a new record 

number of participants with regard to the 

exhibitors and the visitors. 620 exhibitors 

from 25 nations showed their products and 

services at Messe Essen (in 2013: 610 exhibitors 

from 22 countries) – including numerous 

global players such as E.ON, RWE, EnBW, 

Vattenfall, Siemens and Telekom. Major international 

companies in the sector like ASX 

Energy from Australia, TAQA Energy from 

Abu Dhabi or OPC Foundation from the USA 

were involved for the first time. 23,500 visitors 

travelled from over 70 countries in order 

to obtain information about the future of 

the European energy supply at the international 

meeting place of the sector. 

E-world 2014 focused on the energy 

turnaround. The presented exhibits 

included innovations for the production 

and storage of renewable energies as well 

as technologies for the more efficient 

generation and utilisation of energy. The 

exhibition section featuring “Smart Energy”, 

the innovation motor in the sector, grew 

considerably once again. Over 80 companies 

showed their solutions for intelligently 

controllable grids (smart grids) and meters 

(smart metering), networked house technology, 

energy storage and energy data 

management – a plus of 14 %. 

Moreover, not only international participants 

but also a large number of guests of 

honour from politics, from the diplomatic 

corps and from the economic field as well 

as municipal representatives and around 

400 journalists came to the comprehensive 

supporting programmes; over 2,500 

specialists took part in the congress. The 

proportion of trade visitors was 99 % (in 

2013: 98.5 %). The next E-world will take 

place from 10 to 12 February 2015. 


www.e-world-essen.com 


Personal 

NEWS 

Mark Hemsath appointed thermal group 

general manager of Seco/Warwick 

Mark Hemsath (photo) has been 

appointed Thermal Group General 

Manager for North America with Seco/Warwick 

Corp. in Meadville, PA, USA. In this role, 

Hemsath will direct the sales, design and 

production for traditional heat treat and 

atmosphere furnaces. In addition, Hemsath 

will continue to be the sales point of 

contact for the southeastern United States. 

Hemsath brings over 25 years of experience 

in industrial furnace Sales and 

Design to Seco/Warwick as owner/President 

of MH Thermal, Hemsath Corp., and 

Lee Wilson and Thermotech Industries (all 

furnaces related). He has worked as a Business 

Manager for Indugas, Inc. (a furnace 

design company), Business Development 

Manager for Lewco, Inc. (Conveyors and 

Ovens), and VP/CFO of Lumberjack Mordam 

Music Group. 

Hemsath earned his B.Sc. in Business 

Administration at Miami University and MBA 

with a concentration in Finance and Project 

Management from the University of Toledo. 

Reinhold Schneider is new president 

of the IFHTSE 

Dr. Reinhold Schneider (photo) recently 

became President of the IFHTSE. He 

is the first Austrian president in the over 

forty-year history of the federation. The 

election of Dr. Schneider underlines also 

the importance of Austrian companies such 

as Aichelin, Böhler, Ebern, Rübig and voestalpine, 

which have an excellent worldwide 

reputation as suppliers of heat treatment 

systems and special steels. 

Dr. Schneider was head of the research 

department of the special steel specialist Böhler 

and is chairing the committee for heat treatment 

of the Austrian Society for Metallurgy and 

Materials (ASMET) since almost 15 years. 

At the Faculty of Engineering in Wels 

he built up the department for materials 

engineering in the degree course Metals 

and Plastics Engineering and is involved in 

many research projects in local industry. He 

is known worldwide as 

an Invited Lecturer or 

guest professor. In future 

he will be devoting himself 

more to research, development 

and innovation 

and will be the 

first ‘research 

professor’ at 

the university. 

Photo credits: FH OÖ 

Burkhard Dahmen new spokesperson 

of the SMS group 

Dr. Joachim Schönbeck, 

longstanding 

CEO of SMS 

Meer GmbH and 

since July 1, 2013 

Spokesman of 

the Managing 

Board of SMS 

Holding GmbH, left the SMS group on 

March 31, 2014. 

His successor as Spokesman of the 

Board of Management of SMS Holding 

GmbH is Burkhard Dahmen, Chairman of 

the Managing Board of SMS Siemag AG. 

Marcel Fasswald, longstanding Managing 

Director of SMS India, has been appointed 

a further Member of the Managing Board 

of SMS Meer GmbH. 

The Supervisory Board of SMS Holding 

GmbH thanks Dr. Schönbeck for his 

successful work and commitment to the 

SMS group and for his many years of loyal 

cooperation. He will continue to support 

the company in a consulting role. 


27

NEWS 

Personal 

Siemens names future management team 

As part of its realignment, Siemens AG 

has named its future management 

team. The Supervisory Board of 

Siemens AG has appointed 

Lisa Davis – who is currently 

Executive Vice President 

Strategy, Portfolio and 

Alternative Energies at 

Royal Dutch Shell – to the 

Managing Board, effective 

August 1, 2014. Lisa 

Davis (photo) will be 

responsible on the 

Managing Board 

for the Power 

and Gas Division, 

the Wind Power 

and Renewables 

Division, the 

Power Generation 

Services 

Division. She will be based in the United 

States. Michael Süß is resigning from the 

Managing Board with immediate effect, for 

personal reasons and by mutual consent. 

He will continue to be available to Siemens’ 

President and CEO in a consultative capacity. 

Until Lisa Davis assumes her position, 

the Energy Sector will be headed by Randy 

Zwirn on an acting basis and represented 

on the Managing Board by Klaus Helmrich. 

A number of further changes in business 

responsibilities on the Managing Board will 

take effect on October 1, 2014. Klaus Helmrich 

and Siegfried Russwurm will exchange 

their current responsibilities: Siegfried Russwurm 

will be the company’s new Chief 

Technology Officer and Labor Director. 

Klaus Helmrich will be responsible for the 

Digital Factory Division, the Process Industries 

and Drives Division. Roland Busch will 

have responsibility for the Building Technologies 

Division and the newly formed 

Mobility and Energy Management Divisions. 

At the Division level, the future Power and 

Gas Division will include, among other segments, 

Siemens’ portfolio for large gas and 

steam turbines, compressors and gas turbines 

for distributed power generation. The Division 

will be headed by Roland Fischer, currently 

CEO of the Power Generation Division. 

The Process Industries and Drives Division 

will build on a solid market position 

in the growth field of process industries. 

The Division will offer products, systems, 

applications and solutions for integrated 

drive technologies and systems. Here, Siemens 

expects growth impulses by focusing 

on booming core industries like oil and 

gas, food and beverages, chemicals and 

pharmaceuticals. Division CEO will be Peter 

Herweck, who currently is responsible for 

the process industries project at Siemens. 


INTEC Engineering 

provides professional engineering 

service for the secondary 

aluminium industry starting from 

feasibility studies trough basic 

engineering an detail engineering 

and project management. This also 

includes the supply of technology 

and process know-how as well as 

the development for new 

processes. 

The professional service provided 

by INTEC ensures a conclusive 

engineering and planning phase 

with the result of not only minimized 

investment costs but also avoiding 

critical interfaces between 

equipment and plant sections. 

INTEC Solutions 

supplies proprietary equipment 

comprising of tiltable rotary drum 

furnaces, hearth furnaces, charging 

systems, chip drying systems as 

well as other tailor made equipment 

for the secondary aluminium 

industry. 

In co-operation with other 

companies INTEC supplies all 

other equipment as used in the 

industry such as ingot casting lines 

with stacker, waste gas scrubbing 

plants and auxiliary equipment. 

Forstweg 7 

D-52382 Niederzier 

Tel.: +49 (0) 2428 / 94 44-0 

Fax: +49 (0) 2428 / 9444-48 

eMail: info@intec-solutions.de 

www.intec-solutions.de 

INTEC Services 

provides professional service for 

erection and commissioning and 

plant maintenance, including the 

development of maintenance 

systems. One section is operation 

assistance by providing experts 

with along service report in 

their field. 

This service enables the customer 

to up-date the methods of an 

existing plant or to efficiently use 

the modern technology. 

INTEC’s experience in plant 

operation forms an excellent 

assistance during training of 

personal, starz-up and commercial 

operation of a secondary aluminium 

plant. 

Anzeige_Intec_168x235.indd 1 16.09.13 13:15 

2 nd Edition 

Media 

NEWS 

The History of Hardening 

The present needs the past to shape 

the future. As in many areas of life, 

heat treatments used in the past have 

to be studied to understand the present. 

The resulting conclusions can be used 

to shape the future. But how did heat 

treatment develop into a key branch of 

the economy in spite of its initial inadequacies? 

This question is the subject of 

this book, written by Professor Emeritus 

Dr.-Ing. Hans Berns and published by 

Härterei Gerster AG. It begins with the 

production of sponge iron in a bloomery 

hearth during the pre-Christian era and 

its subsequent carburisation as an essential 

requirement for hardening. During 

the Modern Period, in contrast, the high 

carbon content of the crude iron had to 

be painstakingly reduced to a level that 

allowed forging and hardening. The invention 

of mild steel in 1856 brought alloyed 

steels that could be hardened with thicker 

cross-sections, thus laying the foundations 

for modern hardening techniques. 

The author, Prof. Emeritus Dr.-Ing. Hans 

Berns, born 1935, completed his study of 

ferrous metallurgy and then worked in the 

stainless steel industry from 1959 to 1979. 

He received a doctorate in 1964 from the 

Technische Hochschule Aachen and his 

habilitation in 1974 from the Technische 

Universität Berlin. From 1979 to 2000, he 

held the Chair of Materials Technology at 

the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. 

INFO 

by Hans Berns 

Härterei Gerster AG (ed.) 

72 pages, hardcover 

€ 29.00 

ISBN: 978-3-033-03889-9 

www.gerster.ch 

Handbook of Aluminium Recycling 

The Handbook has proven to be helpful 

to plant designers and operators for engineering 

and production of aluminium recycling 

plants. The book deals with aluminium 

as material and its recovery from bauxite, 

the various process steps and procedures, 

melting and casting plants, metal treatment 

facilities, provisions and equipment for environmental 

control and workforce safety, cold 

and hot recycling of aluminium including 

scrap preparation and remelting, operation 

and plant management. Due to more and 

more stringent regulations for environmental 

control and fuel efficiency as well as quality 

requirements sections about salt slag recycling, 

oxy-fuel heating and heat treatment 

processes are now incorporated in the new 

edition. The reader is thus provided with a 

detailed overview of the technology of aluminium 

recycling. 

INFO 

by Christoph Schmitz 

2 nd edition 2014 

538 pages, hardcover 

€ 130.00 

the difference 

that quality means 

ISBN: 978-3-8027-2970-6 

www.vulkan-verlag.de 

Handbook of Aluminium Recycling 2 nd Edition 

Christoph Schmitz 

Christoph Schmitz 

Handbook of 

Aluminium Recycling 

MEDIA FILES 

INCLUDED 

Mechanical Preparation | Metallurgical Processing | Heat Treatment 

DIN Handbooks 404 /1 + /2 – 

Iron and steel 

Because of the large number of important 

new and revised standards, the 

previous DIN Handbook 404 has been split 

into two parts and reorganized. DIN Handbook 

404-1 covers mechanical engineering 

standards steel used for general and 

specific applications and contains 39 DIN 

EN and DIN EN ISO Standards, 17 of which 

are included for the first time, or as revised 

editions. DIN Handbook 404-2 contains 

mechanical engineering standards for steel 

tubes, tool-making and open-die forgings. 

DIN Handbook 404-2 also includes standards 

dealing with casting steels and stainless 

steels. The Handbooks were developed 

for iron and steel industry and mechanical 

engineers. Both Handbooks are available 

as a package at a special price. 

INFO 

by DIN German 

Institute for 

Standardization 

1 st edition 2013 

1248 pages, paperback 

€ 240.00 

ISBN: 978-3-410-24243-7 

www.beuth.de 


29

CECOF-CORNER 

News from the European Committee of Industrial Furnace 

and Heating Equipment Associations 

RCF/ASW – Risk Management Option Assessment 

Refractory Ceramic Fibres (RCF), better described as Alumino- 

Silicate Wools (ASW) are used to produce high temperature 

insulation products for industrial applications, typically above 

800 °C. They comprise alumino silicate and zirconia alumino silicate 

refractory fibres (further referred to as RCF). A typical example 

for the end use of these products is the insulation of thermal 

processes in various key industry sectors such as metal production 

and heat treatment, ceramics, glass, cement, chemical processing 

and power generation. 

The following position paper was agreed upon by CECOF, ECFIA 

and additional 12 associations and sent out to EU commission in 

March 2014. 

WHICH RISK NEEDS TO BE MANAGED? 

RCF has been classified by the EU as a potential human carcinogen 

based on the results of animal experiments following the principle 

of precaution. Chronic exposure to elevated concentrations of 

respirable RCF dust is suspected to cause lung disease including 

fibrosis and cancer. 1 RCF is an inorganic material and isn’t soluble 

in water; hence it doesn’t have any detrimental effect on the 

1 It is worth noting here that this “assumed risk” is based on the hazard classification 

rather than observed human health effects – there has been no known case of 

occupational disease associated with RCF exposure after more than 60 years of use. 

environment (i.e. soil or water pollution once put to landfill after 

its service life). 

The potential risk associated with RCF is limited to occupational 

situations during active handling of RCF products, when respirable 

fibrous dust can be released and inhaled by workers. Hence the 

overall objective of risk management measures is to reduce associated 

workplace risks through the elimination or reduction of workplace 

exposures. RCF products are part of the industrial equipment 

in a wide number of high temperature industries, they are not 

found in the final products which are produced in these industries. 

Throughout their lifecycle there is no consumer exposure. 

WHY WILL AUTHORISATION UNDER REACH 

(ANNEX XIV) FAIL TO MANAGE THE RISK? 

The authorisation process under the REACH regulation is designed 

to control risks to the environment and human health via the substitution 

of substances of very high concern (SVHC). SVHC may only 

be used if no technically and economically feasible substitute is 

available, if the use takes place under controlled conditions or if the 

benefit of continued use outweighs the remaining risks. 

As communicated by various industrial user sectors in the public 

consultation process during the prioritisation of RCF in June 2013, 

there are no feasible substitutes available for various high tempera- 


CECOF-CORNER 

ture processes. Substitution has already taken place where possible 

starting even before classification in 1997; however RCF products 

can’t be replaced in the technically demanding remaining applications. 

The authorisation requirement will therefore not lead to an 

elimination of RCF products via substitution. 

The authorisation process fails to cover the imports of RCF based 

articles. In terms of workplace controls, the authorisation process 

can by definition only regulate the “substance use” stage. The vast 

majority of RCF is however converted into “articles” (often by the 

primary manufacturers in semi-closed processes) before it is placed 

on the market. These articles are also imported from outside the EU. 

Authorisation might have an impact on the “substance to article” 

conversion process inside the EU (affecting EU based RCF manufacturers), 

but it cannot regulate manufacturing outside the EU nor 

does it regulate the import of RCF articles from non EU countries. 

Unlike many other chemical processes, where the substances are 

no longer present once converted in an article, RCF based articles 

can still release fibrous dust during further manipulation, installation, 

maintenance and at the removal stage. Finally authorisation 

of the “substance” RCF under REACH fails to manage the associated 

workplace risk – especially in the case of imported articles. 

WHAT ARE THE OTHER DOWNSIDES RELATED 

TO THE INCLUSION RCF IN ANNEX XIV? 

Authorisation is a disproportionate burden on EU-based industry 

as it can be bypassed by non-EU competitors. It might lead to 

the re-location of RCF manufacturing and conversion processes 

to regions outside the EU, along with the loss of employment, 

revenue and know-how. 

RCF products are used for the purpose of heat management 

in industrial process equipment such as complex and highly customised 

industrial furnaces, often representing long term, multimillion 

Euro investments – the uncertainties associated with the 

authorisation process (incl. regular reviews) will have a negative 

impact on investment planning. 

Another potential downside is related to the “black list” effect 

associated with the inclusion of a substance on the authorisation 

list. Some users might choose to use less efficient “false substitutes”, 

jeopardising their energy efficiency at the cost of increased 

greenhouse gas emissions and long term global competitiveness. 

This is clearly at odds with other EU policy objectives. 

ARE THERE ALTERNATIVE, MORE SUITABLE 

RISK MANAGEMENT OPTIONS? 

It is worth noting that RCF is already regulated under applicable 

EU law. The inclusion of RCF in Annex I (Index Nr. 650-017-00-8) of 

the Dangerous Substances Directive in 1997 triggered a number of 

regulatory requirements, including the substitution requirement and 

labelling obligations. The applicable Carcinogen Directive further 

specifies a “hierarchy of controls” approach which needs to be followed 

when using the material in industrial and professional settings. 

Additional regulatory risk management options under REACH 

include the instrument of restrictions which might be used as an 

alternative to authorisation. In fact, a restriction already applies to RCF 

in that it must not be sold to the general public to avoid uncontrolled 

consumer exposure. Further restriction will deprive the European 

market of necessary products without improving the workers’ health. 

The most direct risk management option is via the definition of an 

EU-wide workplace exposure limit as part of the Carcinogen Directive 

(CMD). While national standards are in place in most Member States, 

further harmonisation and improved workplace risk management 

could be achieved by the implementation of a binding occupational 

exposure limit value (BOELV). This approach overcomes the limitations 

of the authorisation process as it is designed to control exposures to 

RCF dust during industrial and professional use – independent of the 

substance/article status. It would hence control the risk associated 

with RCF dust release throughout the entire product life cycle and 

independent from the product origin. 

As stated above, the overall objective of further regulation is to 

reduce workplace risks. This objective, along with other important 

REACH targets such as the EU market functioning effectively and the 

substitution with economically and technically viable alternatives is 

included in Article 55 REACH. The adequacy of regulatory options 

should be checked against these objectives, including some additional 

aspects to assess their effectiveness and efficiency. 

CONCLUSION 

Based on the discussion above, the introduction of a BOELV under 

the existing framework of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive 

(CMD) appears to be much more efficient and effective to 

achieve the overall objective of improved risk management via 

harmonized workplace controls. 

Further details can be found at www.cecof.org 

AUTHOR: 

Dr. Franz Beneke 

VDMA Thermo Process Technology 

www.cecof.org 


31

4 


7 – 9 Oct 2014 | Messe Düsseldorf 

10th World Trade Fair & Conference 


Organised by 

Partners

GENERAL INFORMATION 

Aluminium 2014 world trade 

fair continues to grow 

The Aluminium world fair is preparing for its 10 th edition, 

to be held in Düsseldorf from 7 to 9 October. Five 

months before the world’s largest industry meeting place 

is due to open, almost 700 international exhibitors have 

registered for participation, and more than 90 % of the exhibition 

space has already been booked. Trade fair organiser 

Reed Exhibitions is optimistic and expects to continue the 

success of previous years with Aluminium 2014. 

2014 is already shaping up to be a good year for aluminium 

– not least because of the recovery being seen in the 

international sales markets. One of the highlights of the 

year is set to be the industry get-together in Düsseldorf. 

At Aluminium 2014 aluminium producers and converters 

meet with suppliers of technologies and equipment for 

production, further processing and finishing. With the support 

of GDA – the German Confederation of the Aluminium 

Industry and EAA, the European Aluminium Association, the 

trade fair shows the full performance spectrum: from the 

production of the base material through to its processing 

and the finished product. 

The exhibition just keeps growing and growing. When 

it moved from the Ruhr to the Rhine two years ago, the 

trade fair experienced quite a boost. And the signs point 

to further growth yet again for Aluminium 2014, even if 

this will be slightly more moderate than at its Düsseldorf 

debut. Reed Exhibitions currently expects a 5 % increase 

ALUMINIUM 2014 – SPECIAL 

P 1 

CARAVAN CENTER 

Rheinbad 

OVERVIEW HALL PLAN 


Motorway A44 

0,5 km 

ESPRIT 

arena 

8 a 

8 b 

Arena-Str. r. 

P 7 

COMPOSITES 

EUROPE 

COMPOSITES 

EUROPE 

Tramstation 

U 

78 

Hotel 

U-Bahnhof/ 

Tram Station 

ESPRIT arena/ 

Messe Nord 

e 

Logistics Center 

Trade Fair Entrance Gate 1 

6 1 

7 a 7 0-2 

5 

9 

Primary 

Production & 

Suppliers 

10 

Foundries, Heat 

Treatment & 

Suppliers, 

Recycling 

11 

Products & 

Suppliers 

12 

Products & 

Suppliers 

13 

Surface, 

Finishing, 

Metal 

Working, 

Welding, 

Joining & 

Suppliers 

4 

U 

79 

To 

ll, 

Forwarders 

4 

3 

CCD 

Stadthalle 

2 

1 

CCD Pavilion 

16 

P 4 

15 

14 

East Entrance 

CCD Ost 

Congress 

Center 

Düsseldorf 

CCD Süd 

Congress 

Center 

Düsseldorf 

P 5 

South 

U 

78/79 

Rhein 

P 3 

Nordpark 

Löbbecke Museum 

+ Aquazoo 

City Center 4 km 

2-2012 heat processing 

33

GENERAL INFORMATION 


in exhibition space, as well as higher exhibitor and visitor 

numbers. More than 950 exhibitors are expected for the 

10 th edition of Aluminium – two years ago, that number 

was 907 companies from 51 countries. 

Already, Halls 9 to 12 of the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre 

are almost fully booked. As a result, the reserve space 

originally set aside in the four halls, which are organised 

along theme lines, has already been occupied. Therefore, 

a better gross-to-net ratio is the aim in allocating space in 

Hall 13, which will have a higher stand density and house 

both the “Surface” and the “Metalworking and Processing” 

segments under a single roof. 

Aluminium also creates focal points and provides special 

points of interest for visitors with its theme pavilions. 

COMPETENCE CENTRE SURFACE 

TECHNOLOGY 

The central point of contact on the topic of surface treatment 

will be the Competence Centre Surface Technology in 

Hall 13. 25 exhibitors will show their technologies for coating, 

polishing, varnishing or anodising of Aluminium. Further 

topics are the corrosion protection, measurement, testing 

and analysing. The Competence Centre Surface Technology 

is supported by the Association for Surface Refinement of 

Aluminium (VOA) and by the GSB International, the Quality 

Association for piecework coating of components. 

FOUNDRY PAVILION 

“Everything from the same mould” is the motto for the 

Foundry Pavilion in Hall 10 where exhibitors from the fields 

of sand, gravity and pressure die casting are presented. 

The joint stand is supported by the BDGuss, the German 

Foundry Association. 

joining, cutting and coating aluminium. Technologies for 

aluminium welding, gluing, soldering, joining or cutting 

can also be found here. 

PREMIERE: RECYCLING PAVILION 

Sustainability, climate protection and resource efficiency are 

at the focus of the new Recycling Pavilion. This joint stand 

in Hall 9 targets providers and players in the aluminiumrecycling 

industry such as scrap dealers, manufacturers 

of sorting, shredder, briquetting and re-melting systems. 

ALUMINIUM 2014 CONFERENCE 

As the institutional patron of the trade fair, the GDA – the 

German Confederation of the Aluminium Industry will once 

again organise the Aluminium 2014 Conference which 

accompanies the trade fair. Industry experts will give an 

overview of the future prospects of aluminium in a wide 

range of application markets from 7 to 9 October in the 

CCD Ost. The programme features a total of five sessions, 

on a range of subjects including, among others Automotive 

and Markets. The conference language is English. 

LIGHTWEIGHT SUMMIT: ALUMINIUM AND 

COMPOSITES EUROPE 

Composites Europe will again be held in Düsseldorf at the 

same dates as aluminium. At the European Trade Fair for 

Composite Materials, more than 400 exhibitors will present 

trends in the field of reinforced plastics. With a total of 

1,300 exhibitors, the two events transform the Düsseldorf 

Exhibition Centre into one of the world’s largest lightweight 

construction forums. For trade fair visitors, passing from 

one fair to the other will be simplified: The Aluminium 

admission ticket is valid for both fairs. 

PRIMARY PAVILION 

Hall 9 is where the aluminium-producing industry is presented. 

The Primary Pavilion here focuses on technologies 

for alumina and aluminium manufacturing, the equipment 

for alumina transport as well as electrolysis technologies 

for anode production. 

WELDING AND JOINING PAVILION 

The joint stand in Hall 14 is dedicated to metal working and 

processing as well as the welding and joining of aluminium. 

In focus are plant, machinery, equipment and auxiliaries for 


Visit heat processing in Hall 10 / Booth F54 

34 

heat processing 2-2014

BASIC DATA 

Aluminium 2014 - 

LOCATION 

Messe Düsseldorf, Germany 

Exhibition Center Düsseldorf 

Halls 9-14 

Stockumer Kirchstraße 61 

40474 Düsseldorf 

Main Entrances: North and East 

Side Entrance: North-East 

OPENING HOURS 

7 - 9 October 2014 – 09:00 am - 06:00 pm 

EXPECTED NUMBER OF EXHIBITORS IN 2014 

1,000 

EXPECTED NUMBER OF VISITORS IN 2014 

25,000 

10 th World Trade Fair & Conference 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

Primary Pavilion 

Equipment and technology for primary production 

Welding & Joining Pavilion 

Combining with aluminium 

Magnesium Area 

Integrative area for delivery and development of the 

material magnesium 

Recycling Pavilion 

Sustainability through climate protection and resource 

e ffi c i e n c y 

There will also be the opportunity to exhibit individually 

in the following areas: 

Recycling Area 


EXHIBITION SPACE IN 2014 

75,000 m 2 exhibition space 

EXHIBITION SUBJECTS 

Aluminium trade fair in Germany provides an overview of 

the entire aluminium industry. It is the international meeting 

place for suppliers of raw material, semi-finished and finished 

products, surface treatment and producers of machinery, 

plant and equipment for aluminium processing and manufacturing. 

Light-metals trade, consultancy and expert opinions. 

Around 25,000 international trade visitors look for new 

solutions and technologies, not only from producers of the 

raw material but also processors, refiners, suppliers for the 

automotive or building industry e.g. producers of sections, 

suppliers of the latest technologies for e.g. extrusion, heat 

treatment, casting, sawing or surface refinement. Selected 

themes will be presented in several pavilions: 

■ 

■ 

Foundry Pavilion 

All about casting - Product solutions in Aluminium 

Competence Centre Surface Technology 

Design meets functionality – Surface treatment of 

aluminium 

■ 

■ 

Trade Area 

Visitor target groups 

• Aluminium producing and processing industry 

• Metal working and processing industry including 

surface treatment 

• Automotive (cars, commercial vehicles) 

• Transport (railway, ship and aircraft building) 

• Engineering 

• Electrics and electronics 

• Building and construction 

• Packaging and consumer durables 

PROGRAMME 

• Aluminium 2014 Conference 

• European Aluminium Award 2014 

• Research Forum 

• Young innovative companies 

ORGANISER 

Reed Exhibitions Deutschland GmbH 

Völklinger Straße 4 

40219 Düsseldorf, Germany 

Tel.: +49 (0)211/ 90 191-202 / -225 


35

INTERVIEW 

“The use of aluminium around 

the globe is growing steadily” 

Michael Köhler, Event Director of Aluminium, talks about the upcoming Aluminium 

trade fair in Düsseldorf. 

Mr. Köhler, Aluminium in October is the highlight of the 

year for the international aluminium industry. Will 

2014 be a good year for aluminium? 

Köhler: 2014 will definitely be a good year for aluminium: 

International markets have recovered; the use of aluminium 

around the globe is growing steadily. Demand continues 

to rise unabate dly, especially in transport sectors such as 

automotive manufacturing, aircraft construction and local 

transit systems. But the construction and packaging sectors 

are also seeing excellent growth rates and continue 

to hold enormous potential. Plus, the aluminium industry 

has been able to increase its competiveness in recent years 

thanks to new products, including new, high-strength 

alloys and coatings, and more-efficient processing techniques. 

That’s something that will be reflected very clearly 

at Aluminium. 

How are trade fair preparations going? 

Köhler: We’re very satisfied with preparations and with bookings 

to date: 90 % of the exhibition space has been booked 

already; Halls 9 to 12 are almost completely sold out. On the 

heels of the successful move from Essen to Düsseldorf two 

years ago, all signs are still pointing to growth for the 10 th 

edition of Aluminium. The decision in favour of Düsseldorf 

was a forward-looking move for the development of trade 

fair. In Düsseldorf we’ll be able to continue to raise the bar 

on quality and grow in structured ways in 2014 – even if it’ll 

be a bit more moderately than two years ago. 

At past trade fairs, you’ve been able to put the spotlight 

on an ever changing array of topics through special 

areas and focal themes. What do you have in store 

for visitors this year? 

Köhler: The Theme Pavilions such as the Foundry, Primary, 

Welding and Joining Pavilions and the Competence Centre 

Surface Technology will once again be important destinations 

for visitors. The inaugural edition of the Recycling Pavilion 

will put centre stage topics critical for the future of the 

aluminium industry: sustainability, climate protection and 

resource efficiency. Moreover, we’re planning two special 

shows focussed on the “Automotive” and “Building” themes. 

These “Innovation Areas” will feature exhibitors presenting 

hands-on displays of new ideas and high-tech products. 

Accompanying the trade fair will once again be the 

“Aluminium 2014 Conference,” which is organised by us in 

cooperation with the German aluminium association GDA, 

the conceptual sponsor of the trade fair. The central focus 

there will be on innovations and new technologies as well 

as on future markets for the material aluminium. 

Thank you for this interview. 


"The decision in favour of 

Düsseldorf was a forwardlooking 

move." 


37

PRODUCT PREVIEW 


Custom engineered aluminium furnaces 

Seco/Warwick Aluminium Furnaces 

are custom engineered 

with control and material handling 

systems offered in configurations to 

suit every type of production environment. 

These systems are in operation 

worldwide by primary and secondary 

aluminium producers as well as in aerospace, 

aircraft, automotive, forge and 

fastener manufacturing. The company 

manufactures: 

■ Aluminium annealing, homogenizing 

and preheat furnaces 

for the primary production of 

sheet, plate, foil and extruded 

products in rolling and drawing 

mills. 

■ Reverb melting and holding 

systems are used for melting 

sows, solids and scraps along with 

alloying the molten metal before 

casting into usable forms. 

■ Solution heat treat and aging 

furnace systems are designed for 

solution heat treatment, solution 

annealing, precipitation hardening, 

artificial aging, age hardening and 

preheat processes for aluminum 

castings, forgings, extrusions and 

plate. 

Seco/Warwick is a customer focused 

global company, with facilities in the 

USA, Europe, India, China and Brazil, 

delivering heat transfer equipment 

and services with exceptional quality 

and value. The company has proven 

for over 100 years its commitment to 

high quality products that provides 

a superior performance to the customers. 

The company has its own R&D 

division equipped with a metallography 

laboratory and works in cooperation 

with different academic centres. 

Seco/Warwick Europe Sp. z o.o. 

www.secowarwick.com 

Hall 10 / Booth D16 

Burner control unit with extensive control 

and safety functions 

Elster Kromschröder integrates a 

wide range of control and safety 

functions in the smart burner control 

unit BCU 570 while taking into account 

current safety requirements. The new 

control unit has been developed for 

single/forced draught burner applications 

in the industrial and commercial 

sectors. Modulating controlled burners 

of unlimited capacity can be monitored 

in continuous operation. 

Burner control unit BCU 570 controls 

burner start-up and monitors 

ongoing operation of the burner. 

Thanks to the flexible programming, 

applications with directly ignited 

burners and combinations of burners 

with integrated pilot burners can 

be implemented. Gas valves can be 

checked for tightness using the valve 

proving system. 

The plain-text display OCU 500 

can be combined with the burner 

control unit and ensures easy operation 

as well as providing convenient 

commissioning support. The detailed 

visualization of all parameters and 

system status helps to maximize the 

availability of the heating equipment. 

Thanks to the Profinet interface 

BCM 500, the burner control unit can 

be easily integrated in the process 

automation system. This opens up a 

wide range of process visualization 

possibilities. Extended visualization 

and diagnostics options for commissioning 

and maintenance work are 

available via the BCSoft programming 

software and the optical interface on 

the burner control unit. 

The unit can be installed in applications 

pursuant to EN 746-2 and EN 676. 

In the case of accordingly certified 

sensors and actuators, safety functions 

up to SIL 3, corresponding to 

Pl e, are possible. 

Elster GmbH 

www.kromschroeder.com 

Hall 10 / Booth C14 



Furnace technology for a number of different 

applications 

Elino Industrie-Ofenbau GmbH has 

been developing, designing, and 

manufacturing continuous plants for 

more than 50 years: roller conveyor 

and paternoster furnaces as well as 

chain conveyor furnaces, to name 

but a few. To this day, more than 100 

plants for basic or very special requirements 

in the field of aluminium processes, 

and 4,000 plants in other fields 

of application have been delivered 

world-wide. 

Cast components, e.g. cylinder 

heads, engine bases, structural components 

as well as axle suspensions, 

are also heat treated as it is done with 

cold-formed aluminium sections and 

machined components. A very accurate 

temperature control during artificial 

aging and solution annealing is absolutely 

vital. Quenching processes after 

solution annealing are implemented 

using water, polymer or air depending 

on the customers’ requirements. 

Elino has long-term experience and 

can offer various designs for the processes 

under ambient air atmosphere 

and for special gas-tight designs with 

process gases, e.g. argon or nitrogen. 

The continuous furnaces made by 

Elino are fully technically developed, 

are sound and allow long lifetimes. 

The company has always been focussing 

on the optimization of energy 

consumption. Depending on the process 

conditions, heat treatments of up 

to 1,000 °C can be carried out. Product 

specific internal fittings in the process 

chamber give ample scope for new 

products. 

Elino Industrie-Ofenbau GmbH 

www.elino.de 



ADVANCED SOLUTIONS FOR ALUMINIUM MARKET REQUIREMENTS 

C.so Unione Sovietica 612 int. 20, 10135 Torino - Italy 

Phone +39 011 2633 111 - Fax +39 011 2633 552 

E-mail info.dfo@danieli.it - sales@dfo.danieli.it 

www.danielicentrocombustion.it 


part of DANIELI Centro Combustion 

S.p.A. 

39



Ecomelt furnaces considerably reduce 

energy consumption 

Hertwich Engineering is active 

worldwide with design, supply, 

construction and commissioning 

of speciality machinery and equipment 

for the aluminium industry, in 

particular for aluminium casthouses. 

The product range comprises 

the following technically 

advanced machinery and 

equipment: Continuous and 

batch homogenizing plants, 

sawing plants, horizontal DC 

casting machines, ultrasonic 

inspection stations and melting 

equipment for aluminium 

scrap. 

. Hertwich now covers all 

grades of aluminium scrap 

with its furnace range: Single 

chamber furnaces for clean srap, multi 

chamber furnaces for painted and oily 

scrap, chips etc. and rotary tilting furnace 

for low grade scrap. 

The multichamber furnaces of 

the Ecomelt range are synonymous 

for lean energy consumption and 

minimum metal loss, yet minimum 

environmental impact. Organics 

attached to the charged scrap are 

gasified and thermally utilized, in 

a generator combustion air is preheated 

and flue gasses are cooled 

rapidly in a regenerator. Melting is 

by submersion of preheated metal 

in a melt flow induced by a liquid 

metal pump. Continuous melt rates 

are up to 12 t/h (240 t/day). Specific 

energy consumption as low as 370 to 

450 kWh/t are common. 

Hertwich Engineering 

www.hertwich.com 


Controlling high temperatures 

Extremely high temperatures and 

often extreme mechanical stresses 

too are encountered in many areas 

of the primary aluminium production 

process. Insulation materials from 

Frenzelit are a particularly frequent 

choice where it gets especially hot, 

since they ensure that staff can stay 

cool. Because the efficiency, quality 

and temperature resistance of technical 

textiles from Frenzelit make them 

the optimum solution for many different 

applications, as they help to control 

the temperatures and minimise 

the maintenance expense incurred 

as a result. 

isoGLAS® pillows seal off the furnace 

cover at the intake ports in 

anode baking operations, for example, 

so that no air can enter where it 

is not required. And isoGLAS® start-up 

pillows cover the electrolytic cells during 

inspection work. 

Another example: where the 

molten aluminium is sucked out of the 

electrolytic cell, punched components 

made from isoTHERM® HT woven fabric 

seal off the suction pipes, while 

novaTEX GOLD AL-Extra packings seal 

off the crucible covers, guaranteeing a 

useful life that is up to five times longer 

than standard solutions. 

And where the molten aluminium 

from the casting/smelting furnace is 

poured into the distribution system, 

the flexible textile launder made 

from isoTHERM® AL-FLEX adapts to 

the movements of the furnace and 

makes sure that a reliable connection 

is maintained throughout the process. 

The composite material consists on 

the inside and outside of isoTHERM® 

woven fabric that resists high temperatures 

of up to 900 °C, while it has 

isoTHERM® S needlemat in the middle, 

which resists temperatures of up to 

1,050 °C and even up to as much as 

1,100 °C for a short time. isoTHERM® 

800 tubular packings for sealing the 

launder segments can, in addition, 

extend useful life by a factor of 15. 

Frenzelit Werke GmbH 

www.frenzelit.com 

Hall 10 / Booth I51 



Partner in hot-forming of automotive body parts 

Heat treatment lines made by 

Schwartz GmbH can be found 

in manufacturing plants worldwide, 

wherever automotive body parts are 

heat-treated to boost their strength. 

The company’s furnace equipment 

is noted for its unsurpassed cost-efficiency, 

high availability and exceptional 

process reliability. 

Fast-paced growth in demands, e.g., 

regarding surface finish, varying hardness 

levels across the part, tailored 

blanks, and component lightweighting 

is addressed via an ongoing refinement 

of furnace systems. Diverse furnace 

designs are adopted, depending on 

requirements and local circumstances, 

and coordinated in detail with the prospective 

user. In these furnaces, the 

parts can be heat-treated in a normal 

or controlled atmosphere or in dried air. 

Automation systems of proven safety 

and dependability ensure minimum 

cycle times and high availability levels. 

In addition, Schwartz GmbH’s product 

range comprises hardening lines 

for steel forgings as well as solution 

annealing lines with water quench for 

aluminium castings and forgings, profiles, 

tubes and bars intended for use in 

aerospace and automotive applications. 

Schwartz GmbH 

www.schwartz-wba.de 

Hall 10 / Booth E30/08 


Improving your quality 

and cutting your costs 

Heat Treatment 

of Aluminium components: 

n processing of components 

and structural parts 

n integrated production lines 

n several quenching media 

n highly effective air quench 

n integrated automatic 

control system 

n process documentation 

AMS 2750 

n single part documentation 

Benefits: 

n flexible heat treatment 

n flexible quench processes 

n less distortion of the parts 

n reliable processing 

n fully automatic recipes 

Visit us: 

Aluminium 2014 Aluminium China 

Düsseldorf, Germany Shanghai, China 

October, 7-9 July, 9-11 

Stand 10G21 Stand 1B20 


LOI Thermprocess GmbH - Tenova Metals Division 

Am Lichtbogen 29 - 45141 Essen / Germany 

Phone +49 (0)201 1891.1 - Fax +49 (0)201 1891.321 

loi@tenova.com - www.tenova.com 

41

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PAHEAT2014

REPORTS 

Horizontal heat treatment 

line for plate and profile 

by Bernd Deimann, Günter Valder, Holger Warnecke 

Hot rolled aluminium plates and extruded profiles from hardenable alloys like 2XXX, 6XXX and 7XXX for e.g. the aircraft 

industry require a two step hardening process to reach the optimum mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. 

The design of advanced heat treatment lines and the process requirements are described in this paper. 


The increase of aircraft production in the past decade 

and the prediction of further increase in the coming 

years have led to a demand for heat treatment line 

for hot rolled plates and extrude profiles. These products 

from hardenable alloys like 2XXX, 6XXX and 7XXX require a 

two step hardening process to reach optimum mechanical 

properties which are a combination of highest mechanical 

strength plus sufficient elongation properties and excellent 

corrosion resistance. 

In 2013, Otto Junker was able to hand over three Horizontal 

Heat Treatment lines (HHT) for plates to customers 

in China and the United States. The according conception 

but for extruded profiles instead of plates at present is 

preassembled in Otto Junker’s own workshop close to 

Shanghai. All HHT lines are fully automated, equipped with 

easy-to-operate HMI-systems and connected to customers 

Level 3. During the entire process, from project evaluation 

to FAT, the experts are focussed to achieve highest energy 

efficiency levels, reliable and trouble-free operation with 

the aim to ensure perfect product quality on long terms. 

e.g. 475 °C for 7XXX alloys. The temperature homogeneity 

in the furnace air and in the plate is important to have 

homogenous material quality through the whole plate 

and is required to get an approval of an official certification 

body for aircraft production, e.g. NADCAP. After the 

aluminium has reached the target temperature it stays in 

the furnace for an alloy depending holding time. During the 

solution heat treatment precipitations of alloying elements 

like Cu, Fe, Mg… from the former processing are dissolved 

and the non-Al elements are “solutioned” in the aluminium 

matrix. “Solutioned” means that the foreign alloying elements 

are dispersed in the aluminium matrix by diffusion 

and do not build agglomerations or precipitations at these 

high temperatures. As the main hardening mechanism 

for such alloys is precipitation hardening during the heat 

treatment the hardness of the plate drops to a minimum. 

This status of equal distributed alloying elements and equal 

temperature distribution in the plate is the condition to go 

to the next step. 

PROCESS DESCRIPTION AND 

REQUIREMENTS (PLATES) 

Furnace load preparation 

HHT lines transport the furnace load on rollers through the 

process. The furnace part can be operated as batchwise or 

continuously. In both cases the plate furnace load has to 

be prepared on a loading table of sufficient length. Typical 

lengths are 20 to 40 m for the loading table and 60 to 

150 m for the complete line. 

Solution annealing 

The first process step is a solution annealing of the hot 

rolled plates. Generally the plates are heated from ambient 

temperature to a temperature range of 400 to 600 °C, 

Fig. 1: Transport rollers with rings on the unloading table 


43

REPORTS 


Fig. 2: Loading table and furnace entry 

Quenching 

The rapid cooling of the plates from solution annealing 

temperature close to room temperature allows to “freeze” 

the result of the solution annealing process. It is very important 

that this controlled rapid cooling is fast enough to 

avoid that the alloying elements can group together and 

build precipitations, which are not desired to appear in 

this process step but later in cold hardening at room temperature 

or artificial hardening at elevated temperatures. 

The quench rate required in K/s is depending on the alloy 

group and on the plate thickness. It is normally defined in 

a temperature range between e.g. 400 and 290 °C where 

undesired precipitations can appear if the cooling is not fast 

enough. Cooling rates could be just as an example 50 K/s 

for a 20 mm plate and 10 K/s for a 200 mm plate. The cooling 

process is made by spraying water through nozzles in a 

controlled way on both sides of the plate that is transported 

from the furnace to the directly adjected quench. Different 

water pressure patterns are used to equally cool down the 

plate without creation of hot or cold spots which would 

lead to inner stresses and a deformation of the plate. Process 

parameters like water volume, speed and distribution 

are used to achieve the desired rapid cooling results. Air 

knives avoid that water can flow on the top of the plate 

backwards to the transport direction into the furnace. 

Air knives at the end of the quench blow off water from 

the plate surface and help to achieve a dry plate leaving 

the quench. These “dryers” are automatically adjusted in 

air speed, angle and height in accordance with the plate 

dimensions in order to have them on the unloading table 

in perfect dry condition. 

Unloading 

The cold and dry plates run out of the quench on an 

unloading table from where they can be lifted to the next 

process step which is stretching. The maximum temperature 

of the plate should not be higher than 50 °C to avoid 

that the cold hardening process is accelerated. 

Product quality 

The electrical conductivity of the plate can be checked 

with non-destructive measurement equipment. The homogeneity 

of the conductivity through width and length of 

the plate is an indication for the achieved results being 

produced in solution annealing and quenching process. 

The deformation of the plates in longitudinal and in cross 

direction can be measured to demonstrate that the plates 

are within the flatness tolerance for the next process step. 

Plates that have a concave longitudinal shape or crossbow 

are more difficult to bring into the correct shape in the 

stretcher than convex shaped ones. 

Stretching 

Typically, after the quenching process the plates are 

stretched to bring them into the desired flatness tolerance 

and to prepare the next process step which is hardening. 

The deformation by stretching brings in an elongation in 

longitudinal direction and gives a slight strain hardening 

effect due to creation of dislocations. 

Cold hardening 

There are two ways of hardening: Cold hardening at 

room temperature which takes place immediately after 

the quenching process and ends depending on the alloy 

group after up to some days. During this time period the 

alloying elements form precipitations that have a strong 

and remaining hardening effect. 

Artificial hardening 

At increased temperatures of e.g. 180 °C other modifications 

and distributions of precipitations can appear in the 

different aluminium alloy groups and higher strength can 

be reached. This process can be done by holding the plate 

at one temperature for a certain alloy depending time or in 

several temperature steps, where the temperature in the 

second step is higher than in the first step. Here as well 

the temperature homogeneity and the heat-up speed are 

important, too. It needs to be emphasized that all plates at 

any point shall reach the temperature set point at the same 

time in order to achieve a perfect hardness profile. Artificial 

hardening can be performed in a separate chamber furnace 

or in the horizontal heat treatment line as well. 

DESIGN FEATURES 

Horizontal roller hearth heat treatment lines for 

plates and profiles 

Otto Junker HHT lines meet the tight aircraft industry standards, 

e.g. AMS 2750E, as well as the even tighter customer 

required temperature tolerances for solution annealing and 

have build in the water quench know-how that leads to 

flat plates with rapid but controlled cooling, which is the 

key factor for excellent material properties. This quenching 


REPORTS 

know-how includes the treatment of aluminium profiles. 

Necessary quenching parameters are available for a wide 

range of products, in case of new requirements these are 

determined in the R&D centre in the headquarter. Here, all 

relevant quenching systems like Hardquench, Softquench 

and Mistquench are installed and operated in industrial 

scale. 

Transport system 

The aluminium plates with dimensions of 2 mm up to 

406 mm in thickness, 800 mm up to 4,400 mm in width 

and length from a few meters up to 36 m need to be transported 

through the process without damaging the bottom 

surface by e.g. dents or scratches. This is especially in 

the hot part where the up to 30 t heavy plate is very soft 

an important side condition. Sometimes the plates have 

sharp edges from the cutting operation in the hot rolling 

mill; another challenge is the transport of deformed plates 

without damaging the transport system. Therefore the 

transport roller system has to be robust and wear resistant. 

Otto Junker uses for the loading and unloading table 

special temperature resistant rings that fit excellent for 

this purpose and that can be easily changed in case of 

a crash. Inside the furnace cast stainless steel rollers with 

high density stainless steel brushes on the circumference 

are used that are designed for long life as well as for safe 

and smooth transport of the soft, hot plates. During the 

heating process the plates move slowly to avoid different 

temperature areas in touch with the brushed rollers. Fig. 1 

shows the special rings on the unloading table. Fig. 2 

shows the loading table and the entry of the furnace. A 

furnace load can consist of one or more plates arranged 

side by side and one behind the other. The transport system 

is designed that all rollers have the same circumference 

speed to avoid scratches. Light barriers are installed on the 

entry and exit table as well as in the furnace to manage 

several batches within one furnace load. The bearings for 

the furnace rollers have special Otto Junker design that 

stands for extended lifetime. 

Heating system 

The furnace can be heated with gas or electricity, depending 

on the customer request. In case of gas heating an 

indirect heating is chosen to assure that there is no reaction 

of the hot aluminium surface with the combustions air. To 

have a good heat transfer from the double P shaped pipes 

to the furnace Otto Junker has developed together with 

the Technical University of Aachen an optimized shape of 

the air flow inside the furnace that combines excellent high 

heat transfer rates to the plates with high and homogenous 

heat transport from the P shaped pipes. Fig. 3 shows a 

simulation result of this air flow optimization. By using 

recuperative gas burners a thermal energy efficiency of 

> 80 % can be achieved. The furnaces are designed with 

special high convection air nozzles to reach both high and 

uniform heat-up rates over the total furnace length and 

width for increased productivity and reduced energy consumption. 

Special impellers, placed on top of the furnace 

are mandatory for this purpose. The achieved temperature 

homogeneity is better than requested by AMS 2750E. 

The fast air cooling procedure inside the furnace allows 

to change in short time the annealing temperature for the 

next batch. Cold air from the factory floor is blown into 

Fig. 3: Simulation of air flow optimisation 

Fig. 4: Cooling air piping system 

Fig. 5: Entry water knife 



45

REPORTS 


Fig. 6: Final cooling nozzles 

the hot furnace. The up to 600 °C hot furnace atmosphere 

that exits the furnace is guided through insulated ducts 

to an exhaust gas stack to avoid to blow hot air directly 

in the factory workshop, which could cause damages an 

e.g. the crane or light system. Fig. 4 shows the cooling air 

piping system. 

Quench 

After leaving the furnace the cooling process with at least 

no pre-cooling has to start. This is achieved by special 

design features such as air-knifes. First, these air knives 

prevent water flowing back towards the furnace, second 

by the design it is achieved that there is only a very little 

distance between the furnace atmosphere and the water 

knife. A water knife, which gives the first contact between 

the plate and the cooling medium is shown in Fig. 5. 

The water quench is designed to achieve a homogenous 

cooling of the up to 600 °C hot plates to temperatures 

below typically 40 °C. Nozzles spray with high pressure 

water on both sides of the plates. This has to be done in 

a controlled way to avoid a bending of the plates. The 

challenge is to overcome the formation of a water vapour 

cushion on the plates that reduces the heat transfer. Thin 

plates require a softer treatment than thick plates, the 

settings can be defined for every alloy, plate dimension 

and annealing temperature. After the plates are cooled 

to below metallurgical relevant temperatures the final 

cooling starts, view from inside see Fig. 6, piping outside 

see Fig. 7. A software tool to have the correct settings 

right from start-up based on our experience is supplied. 

High pressure air knives on the quench exit blow away 

residual water drops. 

Fig. 7: Piping of the quench and unloading table 

Unloading table 

The testing for exit temperature, electrical conductivity 

and flatness can be performed on the unloading table. 

The roller design and the rings are similar to the loading 

table. The unloading table ends with a light barrier and a 

mechanical stopper to avoid that plates can exit the table 

in an uncontrolled way. A control panel allows to drive the 

plates in automatical or manual mode to the crane position, 

from where the plates and profiles can be lifted with 

vacuum lifters to the next process steps. 

AUTHORS 

Dipl.-Ing. Bernd Deimann 

Otto Junker GmbH 

Simmerath, Germany 

Tel.: +49 (0) 2473 / 601-241 

dei@otto-junker.de 

Dr.-Ing. Günter Valder 



Tel.: +49 (0) 2473 / 601-328 

va@otto-junker.de 

Dr.-Ing. Holger Warnecke 



Tel.: +49 (0) 2473 / 601-394 

wah@otto-junker.de 

Visit us at 


Vulkan-Verlag 

Hall 10 / Booth F54 



www.heatprocessing-online.com

REPORTS 

Energy saving by a 

modular control system for 

regenerative burners 

by Donald F. Whipple, Günther Reusch, Stefan Baur 

The demands on furnaces in aluminium melting shops are very high. Possible low energy consumption, possible high 

melting capacity at lowest emissions, these are the conditions which engineers have to take in account at design new 

furnaces and planning of rebuilds of existing furnaces. In the article the methods of energy saving and improvement 

of existing combustions systems especially by the applications of modular control system for regenerative burners are 

discussed 


The common methods to increase the furnace melting 

capacity and efficiency in the aluminium industry 

are the preheat of the combustion air and the 

oxygen enrichment of the air. Two techniques are used 

to recover heat from the waste gases and transfer it to 

the incoming combustion air stream: Recuperators and 

regenerators. 

AIR PREHEAT 

Recuperators are gas/gas heat exchangers which transfer 

heat through a membrane (pipes) directly from the hot combustion 

products to the cold air The heat transfer is a continuous 

process: Air preheat up to 650 °C can be achieved. 

For economic reasons (cost of recuperators and of 

proper piping) and to avoid high temperature corrosion, 

the air preheat of 450 °C is usually set. The application of 

recuperators in aluminium melting furnace results in the 

energy savings of 20 to 25 % compared to the cold air 

combustion systems. 

Regenerators are chambers containing high temperature 

resistant ceramic material which acts as a heat store. 

They are installed directly at the burners and are used 

alternately in pairs. Exhaust gases pass out through the 

non-firing burner transferring their heat to the ceramic 

media in the regenerator. When the burners are switched 

over, the incoming combustion air picks up heat from 

the ceramic media. The average air preheat is only 150 °C 

lower than the temperature of the waste gas to the regenerator 

which results in energy savings-up to 25 % compared 

to recuperative systems and up to 45 % compared 

to cold air systems (Fig. 1). 

CONSTRUCTION 

A regenerative burner system always consists of at least two 

burners, each burner with a regenerator filled with ceramic 

material and equipped with two changeover dampers. 

Regenerator and burner are refractory insulated due to the 

high working temperature. The burner has an air-cooled 

fuel lance (Fig. 2). Balls, honeycombs or sponge material 

made of ceramics are used as regenerative media. 

Fig. 1: Energy saving with regenerative burner system 


47

REPORTS 


Fig. 2: Regenerative burner principle 

The burner pairs can be connected directly with pipelines. 

Today a piping via collecting pipes and allocation of 

the pairs by an electronic compound is state-of-the-art. 

This offers – depending on the application – better control 

possibilities and lower assembly costs. 

MODE OF OPERATION 

The objective of the system is to maximize the productivity 

of the system while minimizing the utility cost (gas, electric, 

and compressed air) and minimizing emissions. The heart 

of the system is the ultra low NO X 1150 series regenerative 

burners. In general, the fuel savings over an ambient air 

system is 40 to 45 %. The system requires a combustion 

air blower and an exhauster capable of operating at 400 °F 

(200 °C). The addition of the exhauster can increase the 

total kW required to the system over an ambient air system. 

Careful selection and control of the two units can minimize 

or eliminate any operating cost penalty. 

Combustion air/exhaust pressure and volume requirements 

vary with the temperature of the system. When the 

system is cold, much lower pressures are necessary while 

a little more volume may be beneficial for productivity. 

Controlling the fans with VFDs to maintain just the required 

performance necessary will provide energy savings and 

improved system performance. 

In almost all aluminium melter operations, the regenerator 

is subject to plugging due to particulate and flux carryover 

into the media. The increase in pressure requirement 

needs to be planned for to insure adequate time between 

cleaning of the regenerator media. In aluminium melters, 

air/exhaust pressure requirements vary with: 

■ Firing rate of the burner, 

■ Operating temperature, 

■ Level of plugging in the regenerator media. 

Making use of VFDs to control the fan operation to maintain 

the pressure/volume required to what is necessary at the 

Fig. 3: Schematic structure of a regenerative burner system 

time can produce significant savings and improve control 

ability within the system. 

Selecting the exhaust fan properly will save significantly 

in capital cost and operating cost. The sizing for 

volume and pressure requirements is in the “hot” condition 

(400 °F/200 °C). The motor hp/kW should be based on the 

hot condition. This is the normal operating condition. The 

VFD is then used to maintain optimal operation during the 

start up/out of normal conditions. 

Reversing regenerative systems require air/exhaust/fuel 

cycling valves. In a standard system, these valves are open/ 

closed two position valves. The actual flow control valves 

are separate units. For the modular structure, the “cycle” 

valves are fitted with I/P, positioners and cycling solenoids. 

The flow control valves are eliminated and the cycling/ 

reversal valves become the flow control but in fact only 

trim valves (Fig. 3). 

Reversing type regenerative systems offer advantages 

in circulation of hot gases to aid in convective heat transfer 

and uniformity. However, cycling every 40 to 50 seconds 

does offer control challenges as the system is upset on 

every reversal (Fig. 4). 

In aluminium melters this can be further aggravated by 

uneven regenerator plugging requiring different pressures 

at different regenerators to maintain firing rates. This effect 

is felt on the combustion air, exhaust furnace pressure and 

fuel/air ratio. Even in the best scenario, when a burner turns 

on, the pressure required for “x” flow decreases over the 

40 to 50 second cycle firing time. The regenerator cools 

and resistance decreases, so air flow increases and fuel/air 

ratio needs to adjust. An increase in firing rate requires an 

increase in exhaust. All this changes the furnace pressure. 

Ultimately all the valves start moving and when the next 

reversal happens, everything changes again. This causes 

constant adjusting and for periods of time, the system is 

less than optimal. Controlling the upsets is necessary to 

ensure maximum efficiency. 


REPORTS 

The modular system is designed to control all the 

parameters within acceptable “envelopes”. The goal is to 

minimize valve “hunting” while controlling each burner 

independently to avoid major control changes when 

switching from one burner to the other paired burner. 

The cycle valves at each burner are the flow control valves. 

Each burner is controlled independently, but the valves are 

only trim valves. The major control is by the VFDs controlling 

the air and exhaust pressure. 

A further element to causing control fluctuations is 

modulating temperature control. Typically a roof thermocouple 

is used for control. This can be affected by load 

positioning and flame distribution. The system reacts on 

this and the system can react to “false” or sporadic information. 

This further aggravates the ability of the system to 

operate within acceptable “envelopes” of control and can 

hamper productivity and efficiency. 

The modular system is based on the auxiliary flue gas 

temperature with the roof temperature as a limit only to 

protect the roof. Reversing regenerative systems are based 

on 80 % of the products of combustion pulled through the 

regenerators and 20 % exiting through the auxiliary flue. 

The system is designed to ensure this optimum split in flue 

gas (POC) exiting the furnace. 

The temperature control system looks at the auxiliary 

flue gas temperature and sets a firing rate for the burners. 

The firing rate is indexed up and down in set steps based 

on the flue gas temperature. The actual adjustment is made 

by adjusting the VFDs on the combustion air and exhauster. 

The exhauster is calibrated to the combustion air. At “x” 

combustion air, the exhauster should be at “y”. With the 

line pressures set cycle valves then act as trim valves. So 

each burner is controlled independently. 

The cycle/control valve adjusts for the burner to maintain 

firing rate or an exhaust rate to ensure reaching the 

400 °F (200 °C) temperature within the 40 to 50 seconds 

cycling envelope. 

Exhaust control is based on reaching 400 °F (200 °C) 

within a 40 to 50 second envelope. As long as this is 

achieved, the exhaust cycle/control valve stays at a fixed 

position. The combustion air valve is set to meet the 

required input. 

No adjustment to the VFD is made based on one cycle. 

It takes multiple cycles for an adjustment to occur. The 

system memorizes where it was at last cycle and returns to 

these positions. If the beds plug up and are cleaned, then 

there is a selector that resets the memory to the original 

set up to start a new campaign. 

BURNERS 

In general terms, regenerative burner systems can operate 

at higher furnace temperatures and efficiencies than 

recuperative combustion systems. In spite of the fact that 

the system is more complex and carries higher capital cost, 

the regenerative burner systems are now an established 

combustion technology in the aluminium industry and the 

most new furnaces are equipped with such burners. The 

burner has a ceramic air nozzle and an air cooled gas nozzle, 

which is insulated with high temperature refractory. This 

type of burners has been successfully applied in numerous 

aluminium works all over the world. The burner stability 

and a proper flame configuration is maintained over wide 

range of air preheat temperatures and turn down ratios. 

The ceramic nozzle system protects the inside of the burner 

from furnace radiation and from aluminium splashes. The 

air nozzle material is resistant against mechanical impacts 

and has long life time even at frequent cleaning from the 

clogging material. Atypical burner unit consists of burner 

with regenerator and switching valves for fuel, combustion 

air and for the waste gas (Fig. 5). 


Fig. 4: Regenerative burner in an aluminium 

melting furnace 

Fig. 5: Compact regenerative burner unit with 

switching valves (Bloom Engineering) 


49

REPORTS 


SPECIFIC ENERGY CONSUMPTION 

The specific energy consumption of aluminium melting 

furnaces with regenerative burners is 550 to 630 kWh/t. 

It depends of several factors such as furnaces size, charge 

content, charging practice, cycle end metal temperature, 

the general status of the furnace, water cooling and tightness 

of the furnace door. The retrofits of existing furnaces 

can result in energy saving, which could be higher than 

estimated only by higher air preheat because of the new 

efficient control system. 

A big advantage of the modular control system is the 

additional saving of electrical energy and the stability of 

the efficiency during a changing cycle of the regenerators. 

Due to the flexibility of the system the burner system runs 

most of the time at optimal conditions. 

MAINTENANCE 

Experiences of the successful operation of many furnaces 

with regenerative burner systems show that the maintenance 

costs stay in line with a well defined budget and are 

comparable with conventional systems: 

■ Gas solenoid valves do not cause any problems. 

■ The air and exhaust changeover dampers with pneumatic 

drives are checked periodically once a year, the 

abrasion is very low. 

■ Fans for combustion air and suction require standard 

maintenance. 

■ Measuring and control systems for regenerative burners 

with SPS and visual display systems do not cause many 

problems. They supply the operator with important 

information about the status of the system which facilitates 

the maintenance of the total regenerative heating 

system significantly. 

■ The cleaning frequency of regenerators depends very 

much from the used raw material. Clean charge material 

only needs a cleaning at intervals of 8 to 12 months. At 

extreme cases, e. g. at melting of contaminated scrap 

metal in aluminium melting furnaces this period can 

be reduced to 6 to 12 weeks (Fig. 6). 

■ The maintenance of regenerators can be significantly 

facilitated by use of regenerators with the Bloom quick 

disconnecting feature. Regenerators and burners are 

featured with a special gasket system that allows quick 

separation and connection of regenerator and burner 

(Fig. 7). 

Fig. 6: Burner with regenerator below the burners with a 

special quick disconnecting design 

CONCLUSION 

Rebuild and new construction of furnace systems with 

regenerative burner systems lead to procedural advantages 

and a significant saving potential at energy and emission 

costs is to be expected (energy tax). 

For the future, the payback period of the systems will 

reduce dramatically due to savings of up to 25 % compared 

to Systems with one central recuperator, and up to 45 % 

compared to cold air systems and the hereby also reduced 

quantity of CO 2 emissions. 

The regenerative burner technology is fully developed. 

The Bloom experiences of long-time operation at different 

furnace types show that reservations by reason of a possibly 

higher maintenance effort are without any reason. 

Today, regenerative burner systems are state-of-the-art 

and a proven instrument for reducing energy costs and 

the emission taxes to be expected. An existing regenerative 

burner system will work more efficiently by using the 

modular control system. Additional energy saving and 

higher melting rate are achievable. 

Fig. 7: Burner with regenerator above the burners with a special 

quick disconnecting design 

50 

heat processing 2-2014

REPORTS 

LITERATURE 

[1] Whipple, D.F.: Direct charged melters, Bloom Engineering 

Publication, 2004 

[2] Whipple, D.F.: “Modular control systems for aluminium 

melter”, Bloom Engineering Publication, 2011 

[3] Domagala, J.; Rixen, K.: ”Regenerative burner technology for 

aluminium melting furnace”, Vortrag, Thermprocess 2004 

[4] North American Co.: “Combustion Handbook” 

[5] Teufert, J.; Domagala, J.: “Regenerative burner systems for 

batch furnaces“, Heat Processing, 2/2010 

[6] Teufert, J.; Baur, S.: ”Regenerative burners for reduction of 

energy consumption and emissions” Heat Processing 9/2011 

[7] Reusch, G.; Domagala, J.: ”Efficient combustion systems for 

aluminium industry”, Heat Processing 2/2012 

AUTHORS 

Donald F. Whipple 

Bloom Engineering (Europa) GmbH 


Tel.: +49 (0) 211 / 500 91-0 

dwhipple@bloomeng.com 

Günther Reusch 



Tel.: +49 (0) 211 / 500 91-0 

g.reusch@bloomeng.de 

Stefan Baur 



Tel.: +49 (0) 211 / 500 91-33 

s.baur@bloomeng.de 


For a Clean Future. BLOOM ENGINEERING. 

Regenerative Burners 

100 - 10.000 kW 

Energy Saving 

Emission Reduction 

Quality Results 

Cost Reduction 

1150 ULTRA 3 LOW NOx 

REGENERATIVE BURNER 

ULTRA 3 LOW NOx 

SMALL CAPACITY 

REGENERATIVE BURNER 

BLOOM ENGINEERING 

(EUROPA) GMBH 

Phone: +49(0)211 500 91-0 

info@bloomeng.de 

www.bloomeng.de

Handbook of 

Refractory Materials 


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PAHBRM2014

REPORTS 

Studies for optimization of 

an aluminium melting furnace 

by Thomas Wittenschläger, Dominik Degen, Volker Uhlig, Dimosthenis Trimis, 

Tim Reimann, Uwe Richter, Klaus Eigenfeld, Zahra Mohammadifard, 

Bernd-Arno Behrens, Tobias Vieregge, Sven-Olaf Sauke 

The effort to develop a new type of industrial furnace can be reduced by facilitated numerical simulation tools. This 

article describes numerical studies of the flow and temperature distributions in an aluminium melting furnace. The aim 

of the studies is increasing efficiency of the furnace by reducing the melting time of the inserted material. After validating 

the numerical model, the influence of the level of liquid aluminium on the temperature of the flue gas was studied. 

Further simulations were carried out to check the influence of a rotation of the burner on the temperature distribution 

on the melting bridge. 


The charged material is molten discontinuously in 

melting furnaces for aluminium. The melting procedure 

is finished when all solid material on the melting 

bridge is molten. This point in time cannot be predicted 

precisely due to a random distribution of the solid material 

in the melting chamber. Usually the operator checks the 

total melting visually by opening the furnace door. The efficiency 

of these furnaces could be increased significantly by 

an automated check for complete melting and a directing 

of the burner flame on the remaining solid. The operators 

could be disburdened. Studies on these questions were 

performed by means of numerical simulation. 

Numerical simulations are well suited to assist in the 

design and optimization of aluminium melting furnaces 

because novel furnace concepts and modifications can be 

explored more quickly and cheaply than by conventional 

experimental approaches. Furthermore, the numerical 

models have reached a maturity where solutions accurate 

enough for engineering purposes can be expected. In the 

presented work significant parts of the development work 

were supported by numerical simulation. 

The paths of the stream lines of the flue gas leaving the 

burner were simulated numerically. It is determined which 

part of the furnace chamber is reached directly by the 

burner flame. The axis of the burner was tilted vertically and 

horizontally in the simulation. This opens the opportunity 

of increasing the area on the melting bridge which can be 

reached directly by the flame. The necessary tilting angles 

were derived by these simulations. These positions of the 

burners (melting chamber, bath chamber) and the required 

power were also calculated from the simulation results. 

The work accomplished until now has focused on validating 

the numerical model and investigating the influence 

of the burner angle on the melting time of an aluminium 

block. As an extra side project, the influence of the bath 

volume on the outlet temperature and the melting time 

of an aluminium block has been investigated. 

GEOMETRY, MESHING AND NUMERIC 

MODEL 

The furnace geometry used in the project corresponds 

to the shaft melting furnace for aluminium with a melting 

capacity of 300 kg/h located in the Foundry Institute 

at the Technische Universtität Bergakademie Freiberg. 

The installed burner has a power of 230 kW and can be 

operated in full or partial load. This choice of geometry 

was made so that the applied numerical model could be 

validated against experimental results. A picture of the 

geometry is shown in Fig. 1. 

The meshes used in this study were generated using 

the commercial meshing software ICEM. It allows a rapid 

creation of meshes by automatically generating meshes 

based on settings specified by the user. In this project, the 

appropriate settings were determined by conducting a 

grid independence study on an empty furnace, this means 

a furnace without an aluminium block or a bath volume 


53

REPORTS 


Fig. 1: Cross section of the furnace 

inside, and then applying those same settings to the other 

cases. All the meshes share the following components: 

■ unstructured tetrahedral mesh of approximately 

650,000 elements 

■ prism layer near the walls to capture the stronger gradients 

located there 

■ hexahedral cores in the interior of the fluid region. 

A cross section of a mesh on an empty furnace is shown in 

Fig. 2. The other studied meshes look similar. 

The solutions were obtained with the aid of the commercial 

fluid and heat transfer solver ANSYS CFX. In order to 

simulate a burner, a well-established method for the calculation 

of burner streamlines was used: the calculation of a free 

jet of exhaust gas [1]. An energy source term was set in the 

burner canal and a specified mass flow rate transferred the 

energy into the furnace. The turbulent flow was modeled 

with the k-ω SST turbulence model with wall functions while 

the P1 radiation model was employed to model the radiation. 

Properties for the furnace material were taken from data 

sheets provided by the furnace manufacturer. Correlations 

found in the literature [2] and such provided by the software 

[3] were used to model the properties of the gases. The fluid 

medium was provided as exhaust gas from the combustion 

of natural gas and was used for every simulation. Properties 

for aluminium were taken from literature [4]. 

VALIDATION OF THE NUMERIC MODEL 

The numerical model was validated by conducting a study 

on the empty furnace in the steady-state warm holding 

operation and comparing it to experimental results. The 

experimental furnace was heated up until it reached its operating 

temperature. In this operating regime, the furnace 

attempts to maintain the temperature at a specific point by 

periodically turning the burner on and off. A burner with a 

performance of 46 kW is able to maintain a temperature of 

700 °C in the bath chamber by burning for about 90 seconds 

Y 

Z 

X 

Y 

Z 

X 

Fig. 2: Cross section of the mesh in the empty furnace (left), enlarged region 

to show the prism layer (right) 

and remaining off for circa 114 seconds although the actual 

duration is slightly different from cycle to cycle. 

The gas temperature in the furnace was measured at 

12 points in the melting area using thermocouples. The 

locations of the thermocouples are shown in Fig. 3. The 

experiment was modeled with a stationary simulation. 

It was assumed that the simulation would be useful for 

analysing the melting region. There is some question as 

to how to compare the values generated from a stationary 

simulation with those of the unsteady experiment. To get 

around this problem, the measured temperatures were 

averaged over time to obtain one reading per measurement 

temperature. In the same way the burner output was 

time averaged to get an output of 20.9 kW and applied to 

the simulation. A comparison of the simulation and the 

experiment is shown in Table 1. 

The table shows that the difference is slight between the 

simulation and the experiment. For each point, the relative 

difference of the temperature lies under 5 %. This is acceptable 

for engineering purposes so validation of the model 

can be assumed. 

Additional confidence that the mesh is of the appropriate 

fineness is provided by a grid independence study. This 

study was done by starting with a mesh and refining it to 

six meshes. After that the meshes were used to simulate 

an empty furnace with a burner performance of maximum 

output (230 kW). It was found that the temperatures across 

the meshes for a measurement place provided little difference 

and the mesh with 650,000 was chosen. This mesh 

provides a sufficient accuracy for maintainable computing 

time. The study is depicted in Fig. 4. 

STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE BATH 

VOLUME 

In this study, the dependence of the melting time of an 

aluminium block on the volume of aluminium in the bath 

was explored. The temperature at the outlet was the most 

Y 

Z 

X 


REPORTS 

interesting parameter. This is a side study of the project and 

is used to evaluate the energy efficiency of the furnace and 

to calculate subsequently solutions for using the flue gas 

enthalpy. Data was gathered for 8 levels of bath volume and 

the empty bath. The volumes can be observed in Fig. 5. 

Simulations were performed in two steps. In the first step, a 

stationary simulation for each bath volume was performed 

at a burner performance of 20.9 kW with the aluminium 

block covered by adiabatic walls. So the aluminium block is 

not heated. Once stationary simulation completed, the adiabatic 

walls of the aluminium block were removed and the 

velocity and temperature distributions from the stationary 

case were used as the initial conditions for a subsequent 

transient simulation with a burner power of 230 kW. 

It was assumed that melting started when a point in the 

aluminium block reached the melting temperature of pure 

aluminium. This temperature was set to 665 °C. Normally, the 

melting temperature is 660 °C. But to increase the quality of 

the simulation of the melting procedure, the melting enthalpy 

was included by calculating a modified specific heat for 

the aluminium block. The altered specific heat had the normal 

temperature dependence of aluminium until it reached 

5 degrees below the melting temperature. Once it reached 

this, the dependence of the specific heat on the temperature 

became a Gauss curve where the melting enthalpy of 

aluminium was the integral under the curve. When it went 

over 665 °C, the specific heat fell back to normal. 

The data from the simulations reveal that the effect of 

the bath volume on the melting time of the aluminium 

block and the outlet temperature is small. Fig. 6 depicts 

Table 1: Data from the validation study applying equal 

heating power 

Measuring 

Position 

Measuring Simulation Deviation 

T / K T / K % 

ME1 1174.4 1175.1 0.06 

ME2 1207.1 1175.1 2.66 

ME3 1162.6 1184.6 1.90 

ME4 1180.8 1185.2 0.38 

ME5 1143.9 1171.2 2.38 

ME6 1151.0 1173.5 1.95 

ME7 1094.8 1144.7 4.56 

ME8 1103.3 1144.8 3.75 

ME9 1174.0 1126.2 4.07 

ME10 1170.6 1126.2 3.79 

ME11 1171.3 1125.8 3.88 

ME12 - 1125.9 - 

the effect of the bath volume on the melting time. Melting 

begins at the kink in the curve. The melting time for the 

other heights is shown in the accompanying table. The 

outlet temperature data is presented in Fig. 7. 

STUDY OF THE INCLINATION ANGLE OF 

THE BURNER 

In the current operation of most aluminium melting furnaces, 

a burner is stationary and points in one direction. 

It is assumed that rotating the burner during melting 


Fig. 3: Cross section of the furnace showing the positions of the thermocouples (left), rotated for sake of example 

(right); the thermocouples are positioned symmetrically on the left (blue colour) and right (red colour) side 

wall of the melting chamber measuring the gas temperature in the chamber 


55

REPORTS 


2100 

2050 

T / K 2000 

1950 

1900 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 

Thermocouple nr. 

Fig. 4: Data from the grid independency study 

Fig. 5: Cross section showing the different levels 

of the bath volume 

T / K 

1200 

1050 

900 

750 

600 

450 

H8 

H7 

H6 

H5 

H4 

H3 

H2 

H1 

H0 

300 

0 600 1200 1800 2400 

t / s 

Mesh 1 

Mesh 2 

Mesh 3 

Mesh 4 

Mesh 5 

Mesh 6 

Fig. 6: Temperature of the aluminium block and 

the corresponding melting time for the bath 

height H0 (empty bath chamber) 

Y 

Z 

X 

Mesh Elements 

1 410501 

2 628236 

3 797849 

4 843084 

5 890776 

6 1476097 

Level Height /m 

H0 0.0000 

H1 0.0525 

H2 0.1050 

H3 0.1575 

H4 0.2100 

H5 0.2625 

H6 0.3150 

H7 0.3675 

H8 0.4200 

Level t /s 

H0 2531 

H1 2519 

H2 2526 

H3 2510 

H4 2518 

H5 2542 

H6 2507 

H7 2509 

H8 2478 

operation and selective pointing at remaining 

aluminium on the melting bridge can decrease 

the melting time of the aluminium block. To 

find out the effect of the burner angle on the 

distribution of the temperature, simulations 

were done where the burner angle was turned 

using burner in the melting function firing in 

an empty furnace. The study was performed 

by establishing an operation zone in the form 

of an ellipse along which the burner could 

be rotated. Simulations were then performed 

for 12 points on the ellipse, again each point 

representing a direction the burner was pointing 

in. A maximum burner performance was 

employed. Each simulation was started by 

using the temperature distribution calculated 

from a stationary simulation of the furnace 

with the burner pointing into the standard or 

unrotated position. The simulation was then 

performed for 600 seconds of simulation time. 

The positions along the ellipse on which the 

burner pointed are displayed in Fig. 8. It was 

monitored how the temperature distribution 

on the melting bridge changes for the different 

positions. A series of 40 points were set on 

a plane 5 mm above the melting bridge and 

the point with the highest temperature was 

determined. In this manner, the shifting of the 

temperature field could be evaluated. 

Fig. 9 placed on page 58 shows the temperature 

distribution at the 40 points for 5 burner 

angles. It can be seen that the temperature 

distribution is shifting as the burner is rotated. 

If the burner is pointing downwards (P8-P12), 

a relatively high increase in temperature compared 

to the unrotated burner (P0) is shown. 

As the burner is rotated so that it is pointing 

above its unrotated state (P2-P6) a low increase 

in the temperature is observed. In conclusion, 

a performance increase is reached when the 

burner is pointing down but only little performance 

change is registered when the burner 

is pointed up. Following a significant difference 

in the required melting times can be expected 

depending on the position of the remaining 

solids. A remark should be made that the data 

contains the temperature at the end of the 

simulation. The relatively high temperatures 

shown are due to the burner operation with 

the maximum power of 230 kW assuming an 

empty furnace. In a real melting process the 

temperature above the melting bridge at the 

end of the melting operation will be lower. 


REPORTS 

OUTLOOK 

The results of the numerical simulation show to which 

extent a change in the direction of the burner axis enables 

to impinge with the flame on the solid residuals on the 

melting bridge of the furnace. By this an increase in melting 

capacity seems possible. The solid residuals on the melting 

bridge shall be detected by an optical system. The results of 

an image interpretation algorithm shall be used for controlling 

the burner and its direction. Following an automatic 

controlled melting procedure can be implemented. Aim 

of the development is the reduction of melting time and 

the improvement of energy efficiency. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

The authors would like to thank 

to the Federal Ministry for Economic 

Affairs and Energy for the 

financial support of the project 

“Energieeffizienzsteigerung und Schmelzprozessoptimierung 

durch die sensorische Erfassung des Schmelzgutes und des 

Schmelzbereiches bei Aluminiumschmelzöfen“. 

1410 

1390 

1370 

1350 

T / K 1330 

1310 

1290 

1270 

H0 

H1 

H2 

H3 

H4 

H5 

H6 

H7 

1250 

0 600 1200 1800 2400 3000 3600 4200 4800 5400 H8 

t / s 

Fig. 7: Outlet temperature of the flue gas for different bath heights 


LITERATURE 

[1] Wünning, G.: Handbuch der Brennertechnik für Industrieöfen. 

Essen: Vulkan-Verlag, 2007 

[2] Kowaczck, J.; Kurth, K.; Schubert, H.: Tabellenbuch für die 

Gastechnik, DvfG, Leipzig 1974 

[3] Ansys, Inc.: Ansys CFX-Solver Theory Guide: Version 13.0, Englisch 

[4] Kammer, C.: Aluminium Taschenbuch 1, Aluminium-Verlag, 2009 

P1 

P0 

P5 

P9 

Z 

Y 

X 

AUTHORS 

Thomas Wittenschläger 

formerly TU Bergakademie Freiberg 

Institut für Wärmetechnik und Thermodynamik 

Freiberg, Germany 

Fig. 8: Position of the center of the burner nozzle (P0) against 

positions for simulation along an ellipse resulting from 

different rotation angles of the burner 

Dominik Degen 




Tim Reimann 


Gießereiinstitut 


Dr. Volker Uhlig 

TU Bergakademie Freiberg 


Freiberg, Germany, Tel.: +49 (0) 3731 / 39 2177 

volker.uhlig@iwtt.tu-freiberg.de 

Dr. Uwe Richter 




uwe.richter@gi.tu-freiberg.de 

Prof. Dr. Dimosthenis Trimis 




trimis@iwtt.tu-freiberg.de 

Prof. Dr. i. R. Klaus Eigenfeld 





57


REPORTS 

Fig. 9: Contour plots showing the temperature distribution 5 mm above the melting bridge (see Fig. 8) for five burner 

angles; the burner is positioned on the right hand side, see right bottom image 

Zahra Mohammadifard 

Leibniz Universität Hannover 

Institut für Umformtechnik und Umformmaschinen 

Garbsen, Germany, Tel.: +49 (0) 511 / 762 4106 

mohammadifard@ifum.uni-hannover.de 

Prof. Dr. Bernd-Arno Behrens 

Leibniz Universität Hannover 



behrens@ifum.uni-hannover.de 

Tobias Vieregge 

formerly Leibniz Universität Hannover 


Garbsen, Germany 

vieregge@ifum.uni-hannover.de 

Sven-Olaf Sauke 

Sauke.Semrau GmbH 


sosauke@saukesemrau.de 


REPORTS 

Process control of aluminium 

sheet coil annealing 

by Łukasz Piechowicz, Damian Siemiatowski 

This paper presents the general principles of auto-regulation and control for the process of aluminium coil annealing 

in Seco/Warwick Vortex® Jet Heating furnaces using the SeCoil on-line simulator of the thermal process. The simulator 

is designed to determine the characteristic temperatures in an aluminium coil section during the annealing process. 

Simulation data is transmitted on-line to the digital controller, which is used for automatic regulation. The goal of thermal 

modelling in the auto-regulation and control system is not only to improve the functional properties of the furnace, but 

to reduce energy consumption and improve the quality of the finished product. 


To meet the growing customer demand, industrial 

furnace manufacturers are forced to continually 

improve traditional methods of heat treatment. The 

important areas of innovation include, among others, a 

number of technological issues, such as those related to 

development of a model to predict the structures and 

properties of materials after heat treatment and issues 

directly related to reduction of energy consumption. The 

required characteristics of heat treated material produced 

with the least possible energy outlay can be achieved using 

efficient systems of automatic regulation and control aided 

by mathematical modelling of physical phenomena. The 

starting point for optimization of the heat treatment process, 

both in terms of properties of the treated material, 

as well as in terms of energy consumption, is knowledge 

of the thermal phenomena occurring in the furnace and 

inside the load. Results of regularly conducted statistical 

surveys of recipients and providers of widely understood 

metal heat treatment processes, published by ASM (American 

Society for Metals) [1], indicate, among other things, 

the need to develop issues such as: 

■ A database for heat treatment processes, including thermal 

and mechanical properties of materials, 

■ the possibility of shortening the duration of heat treatment 

processes, 

■ a better temperature control system for heat treatment 

furnaces (various sensors and technology), 

■ sensors measuring gas flow in the furnace. 

An example of a technological process where there is a 

need to explore all these issues is recrystallisation annealing, 

which is an integral part of producing strips and sheets 

of aluminium manufactured in the process of cold rolling. 

This process is carried out in chamber furnaces based on 

“Mass Flow” technology (mass flow of atmosphere) or “Jet 

Heating” (blowing of atmosphere through high velocity 

nozzles), wherein the sheet is inserted into the furnace 

chamber in the form of tightly wrapped coils, weighing 

from a few to many tons. Annealing of coiled aluminium 

sheet is a long process and consists of three basic stages: 

heating, soaking (holding), and cooling. Therefore, the aim 

is to optimize the process of annealing, in order to shorten 

the cycle time to the greatest extent possible, while maintaining 

the desired properties in the entire load. To this 

end, a coil annealing process control system using an online 

simulator of the heating process was developed for 

installation on Seco/Warwick Vortex® Jet Heating furnaces. 

Fig. 1 presents a diagram of the jet heating furnace, together 

with a general outline of the automatic regulation and control 

method. In this furnace, the roof mounted fans move 

the furnace atmosphere from the working chamber into two 

ducts which end in nozzle plenums. The nozzle plenums 

accelerate the atmosphere and deliver heat to the coiled 

aluminium sheet which is placed between the nozzle plenums 

on either side. The nozzle arrangement used in the 

system produces a series of “rotational air flows” – Vortex®. 

The nozzle arrangement consists of groups of four circular 

nozzles (pipes) located close to each other, wherein each is 

inclined at an appropriate angle. Adequate configuration of 

the nozzles provides a swirling flow of gas. The Vortex® nozzle 

system combines the advantages of highly-convective 

technology “Jet Heating” (the gas stream impinging on the 


59

REPORTS 


Fig. 1: Cross-section of furnace with high convection 

nozzle system – Vortex® 

side area of the coil), and “Mass Flow” technology to reduce 

causing local burning on the load surface [2]. 

CONTROL OVER THE ANNEALING PROCESS 

For each alloy, or group of alloys, a recipe for heating can 

be defined, according to which the technological process 

will be implemented. To define the heating procedure, one 

should take into account several important parameters 

(Fig. 2), such as: 

■ heating ramp (WSP) – the set rate of temperature rise 

in the heating chamber of the furnace, 

■ final target temperature of the batch (t SP ), which at the 

same time is the set point temperature, 

■ increase in temperature is defined as the difference 

between the maximum temperature of the heating 

chamber (gas) and the final target temperature of the 

batch (t head = t g, max - t SP ), 

■ hold time (τ´3) measured from the moment of indicating 

the target temperature by a batch thermocouple t SP with 

the predetermined tolerance of error (most often ± 5 K). 

From a technological point of view, the most important 

parameters are the final target batch temperature, and the 

holding time. These parameters strictly define the technology 

of recrystallisation annealing and must be strictly 

met. From an economic point of view, the most important 

parameter is the total process time, which directly affects 

the performance and energy consumption. Analyzing the 

diagram presented in Fig. 2, one can state that minimizing 

the overall process time can be achieved by increasing the 

value of two basic parameters, such as heating ramp and 

heating temperature. This carries some limitations, namely 

as a result of exceeding a reasonable rate of temperature 

increase, an increase in the total energy consumption 

may occur due to excessive consumption of power at the 

initial phase of the process. In turn, exceeding a certain 

Fig. 2: Defining the gas temperature curve in SeCoil Simulator 


REPORTS 

critical value of temperature may lead to a temporary or 

long-term overheating of the batch (above the target temperature). 

In short, it is desirable that the heating is carried 

out as quickly as possible, while preventing overheating 

of the batch and ensuring minimum fuel consumption 

(natural gas). 

The task of the SeCoil automatic regulation and control 

system (after defining such parameters as WSP, t sp , t head 

and τ´3) is keeping, for the longest possible period of time, 

an adequate temperature in the heating chamber of the 

furnace and then (after reaching the temperature in the 

load t d - start temperature ratio) reducing the temperature 

of gas according to clearly defined dependencies 

(Fig. 3). Due to the procedure applied, a shorter process 

time can be achieved without the risk of overheating the 

load. However, proper operation of the system requires 

precise control of the load temperature, which despite 

appearances is not an easy task. In the classical control 

system, the temperature is measured with a batch thermocouple 

that is “hammered” at the wraps of the coil at 

a depth of approximately 60 mm. The presented method 

of temperature measurement is often burdened with an 

error due to “ventilation” of the measurement point. As a 

result of this phenomenon the temperature measurement 

is disturbed by the stream of flowing gas. Another adverse 

effect of such temperature measurement is destroying the 

edges of the sheet, not to mention the inconveniences 

related to placement and removal of the batch thermocouple. 

These inconveniences can be eliminated by using 

a mathematical model in the process of controlling the 

thermal process. The fundamentals of the mathematical 

model that constitute an essential part of the automatic 

regulation and control system for the annealing process 

of aluminium sheet coils in the described furnaces are 

shown in [3]. 

CONTROL SYSTEM USING THE 

ON-LINE SIMULATOR 

A description of the control system using the SeCoil on-line 

simulator is presented in the points below. 

1. A recipe for the annealing process must be entered 

into the InTouch software. One must define some 

basic parameters, such as: 

- temperature, 

- heating ramp, 

- hold time. 

2. In the “Edit Detail” window of the InTouch software 

one must define parameters such as: the outer and 

the inner diameter of the coil, the width of the coil, 

and the thickness of the aluminium sheet (Fig. 4). 

3. After entering the data, the prepared recipe is uploaded 

to the controller and the option for the process to 

be controlled by the SeCoil programme is selected. 

Fig. 3: Temperature control by Ratio Control System 

(example) 

4. The data that have been previously introduced in 

InTouch software are automatically copied to the 

SeCoil programme. Based on the input data and 

parameters read in real time (on-line) the programme 

determines the temperature curve of the batch at 

user-defined points. 

CONCLUSION 

The following advantages of automatic regulation and 

control of coils annealing process, using the SeCoil on-line 

simulation of the annealing process can be listed: 

■ No need for the use of batch thermocouple, 

■ elimination of the drawbacks associated with the use of 

batch thermocouple (“ventilation” of measuring points, 

destroying the edges of the sheet), 

■ knowledge of the temperature field in the cross section 

of the batch, at any time of the process, 

■ potential to reduce energy consumption, 

■ potential to improve the quality of the finished product. 

The SeCoil programme is equipped with an open database, 

where one can define the thermo-physical properties of 

the alloy as a function of temperature. These data can often 

be obtained only through experimentation. Therefore there 

is a need for conducting research in this area. 

A similar control system based on an on-line simulator 

could be developed for other furnaces for heat treatment 

of metals, including furnaces designed for homogenization 

of aluminium casting alloys. 



61


REPORTS 

Fig. 4: Window “Edit Detail” in the program InTouch 

LITERATURE 

[1] Raport ASM – Heat Treating Society: The ASM Heat Treating 

Society 1996 Research & Development Plan. Cleveland. 1995 

[2] Talerzak, J. Kramer C.: High Convection Vortex® Flow – 

Improved Performance in Coil Annealing. http://www.secow- 

arwick.com/assets/Documents/Articles/Aluminium/HIGH- 

CONVECTION-VORTEXTM-FLOW-IMPROVED-PERFOR- 

MANCE-IN-COIL-ANNEALING-AP.pdf 

[3] Piechowicz, Ł.; Raszewski, M.; Siemiatowski D.: Model 

matematyczny procesów cieplnych na podstawie instalacji 

Vortex® Jet Heating do wyżarzania blachy aluminiowej w 

kręgach [Mathematical model of thermal processes on the 

basis of Vortex® Jet Heating installation for annealing aluminium 

sheet in coils]. Piece przemysłowe & kotły, nr 9/10, 

2012 [Industrial furnaces & boilers, No. 9/10, 2012] 

AUTHORS 

Łukasz Piechowicz 


Świebodzin, Poland 

Tel.: +48 (0) 68 4145 142 

lukasz.piechowicz@secowarwick.com 

Damian Siemiatowski 


Świebodzin, Poland 

Tel.: +48 (0) 68 3819 433 

damian.siemiatowski@secowarwick.com 

Visit us at 




Vulkan-Verlag 





REPORTS 

Improved efficiency by vacuum 

sintering and low pressure 

carburizing of PM components 

by Hubert Mulin, Yves Giraud, Jean-Jacques Since, Mats Larsson 

Heat treatment process of Powder Metal materials like Astaloy, requires four steps (De-waxing – HT Sintering – 

Carburizing – Surface Hardening), usually achieved in dedicated atmospheric furnaces for sintering and heat treat 

respectively, leading to intermediate handling operations and repeated heating and cooling cycles. Chromium alloys in 

particular are difficult to heat treat because chromium oxides easily form, which has a negative impact on mechanical 

properties. This paper presents the concept of the multipurpose batch vacuum furnace, able to realize all these steps 

in one unique cycle. The multiple benefits brought by this technology are summarized regarding the quality aspect 

and cost saving, like vacuum integrity along the entire cycle avoiding oxidation, no limitation on sintering temperature, 

repeatability of the process, gas quench flexibility, energy saving (no re-heating), cost savings and environmental benefits. 

The main goal is to use this technology to manufacture high load transmission gears in PM materials. 

Today, the usual way to manufacture PM parts like 

gears is divided into several steps. When the gear is 

shaped by die compaction, four heat treatment stages 

must be carried out in order to acquire all the required 

properties. These four stages are De-waxing, Sintering, 

Carburizing treatment, and Quenching. Most of the time, 

de-waxing and sintering are performed in continuous belt 

or walking beam furnaces. The first operation, de-waxing, 

is intended to remove the lubricants. This is a critical step 

because if removal of the lubricant is incomplete, defects 

like contamination, blistering etc. might arise. Belt or walking 

beam furnaces are able to sinter directly after de-waxing in 

a single run which presents an advantage compared to the 

use of two dedicated furnaces. After sintering, the Carburizing 

treatment for tailored case hardened profile gives the 

final properties required and is generally followed by Hardening, 

using Oil quench or High Pressure Gas Quenching 

(HPGQ). Typically the conventional carburizing treatment is 

carried out in batch type furnaces. This requires intermediate 

handling between Sintering and Carburizing, post 

washing and drying operations after oil quenching. This 

article will present the concept of a multipurpose furnace, 

which can perform the four successive steps (De-waxing, 

Sintering, Low pressure Carburizing and Quenching) in one 

continuous cycle. The discussion will focus on benefits of 

this furnace and associated cycles, and compare the traditional 

method of sintering and carburizing to this concept. 

EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS 

Trials have been carried out with an industrial furnace 

(Fig. 1), owned by Höganäs AB and designed and manufactured 

by ECM Technologies. The furnace comprises 

two chambers, one heating cell and one gas quenching 

cell, separated by an intermediate leak tight and insulated 

door. The front chamber is used as an airlock to load and 

unload the charge and also as high pressure gas quenching 

unit for hardening the parts. The second chamber called 

a “heating cell” is the furnace itself where parts are heated 

and carburized. It is always maintained under low pressure 

(1 to 20 mbar) with back fill of protective atmosphere. Each 

chamber is equipped with independent vacuum circuits 

and can be operated independently. The vacuum circuits 

are designed to maintain the correct partial pressure inside 

the heating chamber and are equipped with a wax trap 

to collect the lubricant during the de-waxing cycle. One 

internal device transfers the load back and forth between 

the two chambers. A service door facilitates the access to 

the heating chamber for periodic temperature mapping 

instrumentation or maintenance. Fig. 2 displays the complete 

treatment cycle in the multipurpose furnace. 


63

REPORTS 


adjusted depending on the desired case depth. After final 

diffusion, the load is transferred back to the front chamber, 

and is quenched with Nitrogen gas (up to 20 bars). Metallurgical 

transformation occurs during the rapid cooling and 

enhances the mechanical properties of the parts. 

For example, a 300 kg load containing small spur gears 

has been carburized at 965 °C during 74 min and the effective 

case depth at 550 HV obtained is 0.6 mm (Fig. 3). 

DISCUSSION 

For each step, the new concept is compared to the traditionnal 

way to manufacture PM parts. 

Fig. 1: Multipurpose vacuum furnace installed in Höganäs 

pilot plant 

The de-waxing step is performed at around 650 °C under 

low pressure. At this temperature, the lubricant evaporates 

and is being pumped out by the vacuum circuit, it is entirely 

removed from the parts and collected in the wax trap. Then, 

the temperature is increased to reach the desired sintering 

temperature (up to 1,250 °C). At this stage, metallic bonds 

between particles are formed. After sintering is completed, 

temperature is decreased to reach the desired carburizing 

temperature (900 to 1,000 °C). Then follows the patented 

Infracarb process, where the Low Pressure Carburizing cycle 

with alternating injections of acetylene and nitrogen is 

carried out. The number of injections and cycle time is 

De-waxing 

When the parts reach a temperature above 400 °C, lubricants 

used during die compaction evaporate. Typical 

lubricants, such as Amide wax, are totally decomposed 

between 400 and 500 °C. In the pre-heating zone of belt 

type furnaces, lubricant vapors are mixed with protective 

atmosphere and burnt as exhaust. With conventional 

belt furnaces, the dewaxing time and the sintering time 

are linked and defined by the belt’s length and the belt’s 

speed. 

In multipurpose furnace, partial pressure of nitrogen 

(1 to 20 mbar) preserves the parts from oxidation. The 

vaporized lubricant is condensed and collected in a trap 

in the vacuum circuit. The dewaxing time can be increased 

or decreased easily according to the load’s weight. The 

trap reduces the rejects in the atmosphere and keeps the 

vacuum circuit clean. Vacuum is also well known to be 

an efficient way to dewax the part. Delubrication under 

vacuum is thus beneficial to the dewaxing rate. 

Fig. 2: Complete Treatment cycle for PM parts 



REPORTS 

a) b) 

Fig. 3 a/b: Part etched with Nital 2 % and Hardness profile 

Sintering 

Many parameters are crucial during sintering, especially, 

the time and temperature of sintering, the heating rate, 

and also the design of the fixtures, the arrangement of the 

parts on the trays etc. 

Sintering temperature (around 1,200 °C) is about the 

maximum limit to be used in traditional furnaces, and reaching 

it impacts the lifetime of the heating elements (radiant 

tube). In vacuum furnaces, the lack of oxygen permits the 

use of graphite rods as heating elements. Graphite rods are 

very stable mechanically (no bending with temperature) and 

the lifetime is not influenced by the working temperature. 

PM compacts, especially chromium alloys, are prone 

to oxidation and precise control of atmosphere quality is 

required. Due to the open pore system, PM compacts are 

more prone to oxidation than wrought steel. Residual oxidation 

can introduce defects during sintering. A continuous 

furnace uses a reducing gas like hydrogen to protect the 

parts, which is not necessary under vacuum. All the other 

parameters (heating rate, sintering time, etc.) can be easily 

adjusted to obtain the best sintering process. 

Carburizing 

The absence of handling between operations in the multipurpose 

furnace guarantees that the parts will not be 

affected by contamination or damaged between sintering 

and heat treatment. 

Frequently, batch furnaces are used for carburizing PM 

parts. Carbon enrichment is controlled by O 2 sensors or 

CO/CO 2 ratio. 

In the new furnace, the carburizing phase is completely 

controlled by “Infracarb”, the patented LPC process with 

acetylene gas. The case depth and the carbon profile are 

simulated and adapted for porous materials. Low Pressure 

Carburizing processes can be achieved at any temperature 

up to 1,050 °C. The carbon enrichment and the diffusion 

time can be controlled separately to achieve the required 

microstructure. The cycle is shortened and the diffusion is 

faster than in an atmospheric carburizing furnace. Moreover, 

there is no internal oxidation of the parts. The amount 

of carburizing gas injected in the chamber is optimized to 

ensure that every part is correctly carburized. Injection is 

done by short boosts in order to minimize the formation 

of gas constituent, which leads to volatile organic components 

and atmospheric rejects are reduced. 

Quenching 

The high pressure gas quench allows a range of appropriate 

cooling speeds (from 1 to 10 °C/sec) to be reached. 

Fig. 4 shows the principle of the gas quench chamber. Cold 

nitrogen gas is pushed down through the load, cooling 

it, and transfers the heat to the water when passing the 

heat exchanger. Gas quenching permits high flexibility and 

more repeatable results than oil quenching, because there 

is no boiling or vapor formation around the parts. With a 

gas quench, the pressure and also the turbine’s speed can 

be programmed for each cycle in order to adjust the cooling 

rate for every type of load so minimizing distortion of 

the parts. The parts exit the furnace clean and a washing 

operation is not necessary. 

PROCESS COST ESTIMATION 

For typical production of 300 kg net/hour, a modular 

vacuum installation with multi heating cells is required 

(Fig. 5). Based on an engineering cost estimate, the cost of 

sintering and heat treatment of parts is about 0.5 €/kg. The 

precise cost depends on the geometry and hardenability 

of different kind of parts. 

The main saving factor comes from the fact that carburizing 

and gas quench steps are carried out in situ in the 


65

REPORTS 


Fig. 4: Principle of gas quench chamber 

Fig. 5: Modular sintering multi cells line type ICBP 

de-waxing /sintering equipment. The maintenance cost per 

year for an ICBP type furnace is around 4 % of the investment 

cost or lower. The high modularity and restricted 

footprint of the furnace is also an advantage. 

The global energy balance cost is positive against the 

conventional furnace because there is no multiple cool down 

and reheating of the parts for each step of the process. The 

modularity of the heat treatment installation allows for further 

production extension by the simple addition of heating cells 

on the main frame without investment on a second line. 

CONCLUSION 

Studies have been carried out in partnership with Höganäs 

AB on different alloys including Chromium alloys. Positive 

results have been achieved on: 

■ Control of case profiles. 

■ Control of core hardness with base carbon content and 

cooling speed variation. 

Low Pressure Carburizing has been proven very suitable for 

control of process parameters without oxidation. 

The multipurpose furnace potentially offers an improvement 

at every stage of the PM production process: It will 

be the tool for further optimization to improve mechanical 

properties like fatigue strength; distortion reduction, and 

validation of the whole process for the production of high 

performance PM gears. 

LITERATURE 

[1] U. S. Patent No. 6,065,964, dated 23 May 2000 

AUTHORS 

Hubert Mulin 

ECM Technologies 

Grenoble, France 

Tel.: +33 (0) 476 49 65 60 

h.mulin@ecmtech.fr 

Jean-Jacques Since 



Tel.: +33 (0) 476 49 65 60 

jj.since@ecmtech.fr 

Yves Giraud 



Tel.: +33 (0) 476 49 65 60 

y.giraud@ecmtech.fr 

Mats Larsson 

Höganäs AB 

Höganäs, Sweden 

Tel.: + 46 (0) 42 338000 

mats.larsson@hoganas.com 


Induction Technology 

REPORTS 

Advantages of induction 

reheating in integrated minimills 

by Klaus von Eynatten, Markus Langejürgen, Dirk M. Schibisch 

The basic idea of a minimill is the production and processing of steel for long products in an integrated factory. The hot 

billets from the caster are fed through an induction heating system directly into the rolling mill. The induction system 

detects the billet’s incoming temperature and equalizes the surface and core temperatures on demand, in order to 

provide an optimum rolling temperature. Important to notice with regard to the sustainability is the fact that no fossil 

fuel combustion furnace is needed. This setup allows for significant energy and cost savings and causes less emission. 

The article describes the energetic and economic advantages of induction systems integrated in Minimills and, as an 

example, refers to a proven solution at Tung Ho Steel in Taiwan. 

In conventional minimills the cast billets are fed either hot 

or cold from the continuous caster into a combustion furnace 

then brought to rolling temperature before being 

conveyed to the rolling mill. For many years this process 

was the global standard, however it did have several disadvantages. 

First, the thermal energy contained in the billet 

is eliminated when the billet cools down after the casting 

process and then needs to be restored in the combustion 

furnace, which costs both time and money. Secondly, scale 

formed on the billet surface during conventional heating 

processes results in a loss of output. Furthermore, the condition 

of the scale leads to low roll service lives in the mill, 

while considerable quantities of offgas are emitted into the 

environment from the combustion furnace. 

Driven by the cut-throat competition among steel producers 

as well as new industry regulations and environmental 

laws with emission limits, three companies in the SMS 

group - SMS Concast, SMS Elotherm and SMS Meer, have 

jointly developed the innovative CMT technology, which 

compensates for the disadvantages described and offers 

steel producers a means of gaining a competitive edge. 

A key feature of CMT technology (Continuous Mill 

Technology) is the replacement of the conventional gas- or 

oil-fired furnace with an induction plant positioned directly 

inline between the continuous caster and rolling line. Here 

the heat stored in the billet from the casting process is used 

for the direct rolling process, and the temperature is merely 

equalised over the length and cross-section and adapted 

to the optimum rolling temperature. Overall, therefore, far 

less energy is consumed here, compared to the traditional 

method, than would be the case if the entire billet had to 

be re-heated from room temperature or any other intermediate 

temperature to the optimum rolling temperature 

at the inlet section of the first roll stand (Fig. 1). 

Depending on the planned annual production, CMT 

minimills are used at varying capacities in terms of casting, 

heating and rolling output (Table 1). 

HIGH COST EFFICIENCY 

The major benefits of this innovative minimill configuration 

with integrated induction technology above all include: 

■■ 

Lower investment costs 

- Reduced overall plant size means smaller production 

bays are possible 

- Induction plant does not require foundations or pits 

- Less infrastructure for supply and discharge of fossil 

combustion fuels (e.g. gas, heavy oil) 

- No billet storage 

- Far less handling technology such as roller conveyors, 

cranes, etc. 

■■ 

Lower operating costs 

- In most cases lower primary energy costs for operating 

the induction plant 

- Higher output with the low-scale induction heating 

method 

- Higher output with fewer crop cuts or short bars 

- Lower handling and logistics costs as the billets do not 

require intermediate storage and additional transportation 


67

REPORTS 


Fig. 1: Arrangement of a CMT TM minimill compared to the traditional 

layout (source: SMS Concast) 

The lower investment costs are primarily achieved by 

dispensing with a conventional combustion furnace and 

reducing the logistics associated with billet production, 

e.g. storage facilities or crane tracks, as well as the reduced 

requirements with regard to space and accordingly to warehouse 

stock. 

The reduced operating costs can mainly be attributed 

to the energy savings from lower primary energy costs 

and higher output; this is covered in more detail later on. 

Furthermore, the capital stock is reduced by eliminating 

the billet store. Additional savings can be made as a result 

of a reduction in the maintenance work which would be 

required on a conventional reheating furnace, and by reducing 

manpower requirements for operating personnel. 

USING RESIDUAL HEAT TO SAVE ENERGY 

Traditional minimill operation is usually broken down as 

follows: 30 % of the billets are fed cold into a conventional 

combustion furnace from the billet store before the rolling 

Table 1: Overview of various minimill layouts depending on annual production 

CMT TM core data CMT TM 1 CMT TM 2 CMT TM 3+ 

Annual capacity [1,000 t/y] 100 - 350 350 - 700 500 - 1,000+ 

Line productivity [t/h] 15 - 50 50 - 100 85 - 140+ 

Steel grades 

Structural steel and high-grade steel 

(carbon steel) 

Casting radius [m] 7.0 - 10.25 

Cast cross-section [mm] 100 - 150 

Billet length [m] “endless” 12 - 16 

Temperature homogenisation 

Induction heating with 

various output capacities 

1 - 2 units 2 - 4 units variable 

Number of roll stands 

variable 

Number of casting strands 1 2 variable 

process, 70 % are conveyed directly out of the continuous 

caster and through this furnace with residual heat. The specific 

energy consumption depends on the required rolling 

temperature and type of furnace (pusher, roller hearth, 

walking beam furnace), which in turn depends on the productivity 

of the rolling plant. With this type of production 

programme (30/70) and an entry temperature of 1,000 °C 

at roll stand 1, around 155–160 kWh/t of specific energy 

consumption can be taken as a general guideline value. 

With CMT minimills the picture is different: here 

100 % of the cast billets are fed directly – with no rerouting 

involved – through the induction furnace to the rolling 

line. The design of the induction plant substantially 

depends on the workshop layout, i.e. the distance from 

the continuous caster to the first roll stand, the required 

rolling temperature and the relevant rates of production 

of both the continuous caster and rolling line. 

In CMT minimills that are optimally laid out and feature 

casting strand insulation to prevent heat losses and 

a compact continuous caster/rolling line set-up, the specific 

energy consumption for heating a billet to 1,000 °C is 

between 20 and 25 kWh/t. This equates to a reduction by 

a factor of 7 (Table 2). 

Any decision in favour of the innovative CMT minimill 

technology with integrated induction heating system is 

essentially based on the primary energy costs for fossil fuels 

(gas, heavy oil) or electric power, as well as their regional 

availability in each case. 

The benefits of modern CMT minimills with integrated 

induction reheating prevail significantly in cases where 

fossil fuel costs are far greater than electricity costs. The 

following applies as a rule of thumb: The benefits of the 

CMT minimill concept with induction furnace can be 

fully brought to bear if the electricity/natural gas cost ratio 

is lower than 0.75. And this 

only takes the energy costs 

into consideration. Looking 

at other advantages such 

as output, low investment 

and space requirements or 

fewer operating personnel, 

to name just a few, this ratio 

increases even further, with 

the result that the number 

of plant operators able to 

benefit from inductionassisted 

CMT technology 

over the long term also continues 

to rise. 

Fig. 2 shows the industry 

prices for natural gas 

and electricity in Germany 

(in 2013) and the savings 



REPORTS 

that plant owners can achieve if they use an inductionassisted 

CMT minimill and direct rolling instead of a conventional 

minimill with combustion technology. It is clear 

that even with existing minimills the break-even point 

for the integration of induction heating is very quickly 

reached through the primary energy savings alone. If other 

factors, such as those as described above, are included 

in the cost-efficiency analysis, then a decision in favour 

of an induction-assisted CMT minimill becomes all the 

more obvious. 

HIGHER OUTPUT WITH NEGLIGIBLE 

SCALE 

With the conventional reheating process the cast billet is 

fed either cold or with some residual heat into the fossil 

fuel-fired furnace. The formation of scale, which depends 

on the time factor as well as a few material-related variables, 

increases above a temperature of around 900 °C. 

In other words: the longer a billet is held in the reheating 

furnace above 900 °C, in order for it to be "heated through", 

and the higher the furnace outgoing temperature is, the 

more primary scale is formed. Today´s modern combustion 

furnaces with optimal temperature adjustment and combustion 

air regulation in the holding zone are capable of 

achieving values of around 0.6 % scale loss. 

In CMT minimills the billets are brought directly to 

rolling temperature in induction heating systems at very 

high heating rates. At less than 60 seconds the holding 

time within the critical temperature range above 900 °C 

is very short, with the result that virtually no scale is able 

to form. Compared to an atmosphere furnace, the level 

of scale formation with induction heating is, at around 

0.02 %, lower by a factor of 30 and therefore negligible. 

This results in a higher metal yield of approx. 0.6 % which, 

given the high production volumes, very quickly adds 

up in terms of cost efficiency (Fig. 3). By comparison 

with conventional minimills this increased output can 

be viewed as "cost-free“ production. In minimills with an 

annual production volume of 800,000 t, the economic 

effect from the higher material output alone amounts to 

almost € 2.2 million each year. 

Table 2: Specific energy consumption for different production layouts 

Production capacity 

CMT TM minimill 

with induction 

100 % direct rolling 

Moreover, further benefits can be gained from the lowscale 

billet surfaces in the subsequent rolling process. The 

brittle-hard scale has an abrasive effect and results in the 

rolls becoming worn. Low-scale surfaces following induction 

heating mean the service life of the rolls increases 

significantly. 

LONG-TERM OVERALL SAVINGS 

The overall cost reductions are thus the result of various 

individual cost reductions such as energy costs, increased 

output thanks to the higher metal yield as well as other 

factors. In the example of Germany given above, savings 

of around € 5 million per year or € 6.25 per ton of structural 

steel produced for a steel mill with 800,000 t/a output 

can be made from the point of view of energy costs and 

material yield alone. What‘s clear, therefore, is that an investment 

in state-of-the-art CMT minimill technology very 

quickly pays for itself. 

The following table shows the long-term savings offered 

by a CMT minimill with integrated induction technology 

compared to a conventional line with gas furnace 

based on an international comparison (Table 3). It should 

be noted here that the price and availability of gas are 

heavily dependent on the regional situation with regard to 

production. In cases where gas is not available, expensive 

heavy oil supplied by road tanker is usually used as fuel. 

This means additional costs which further promote the use 

of induction technology. 

Conventional minimill 

with combustion furnance 

(30 % cold + 70 % warm) 

Specific energy consumption 

20 – 25 kWh/t ~155 – 160 kWh/t 

300,000 t/a 6,750 MW/ a 47,250 MW/a 

500,000 t/a 11,250 MW/a 78,750 MW/a 

800,000 t/a 18,000 MW/a 126,000 MW/a 

Fig. 2: Energy savings based on various production figures 

in Germany (source: SMS Concast) 

Fig. 3: Annual production increase using low-scale induction 

technology in a CMT minimill (source: SMS Concast) 


69

REPORTS 


Table 3: Long-term economic benefit of a CMT minimill with integrated induction heating system compared to conventional 

facilities with a gas furnace. (source: Platts, SBB Steel Prices, Dec. 2013 [1 € = 1.3 $]) 

Country 

Energy input 

(cost/ unit) 

∆ 

Energy 

∆ Output 

(Primary scale only) 

Overall cost 

saving 

Electricity 

Natural 

gas 

Sales price of 

structural steel 

[€/kWh] [€/Nm 3 ] [€/t] [€/t] [€/t] [€/t] 

Brazil 0.11 0.40 845 -4.4 -5.1 -9.5 

China 0.04 0.22 400 -2.9 -2.4 -5.3 

Germany 0.06 0.28 515 -3.5 -3.1 -6.6 

India 0.08 0.37 510 -4.4 -3.1 -7.5 

Russia 0.04 0.05 400 +0.2 -2.3 -2.1 

Middle East 0.03 0.05 510 -0.2 -3.1 -3.3 

East Asia 0.07 0.30 430 -4.8 -2.6 -7.4 

USA 0.05 0.10 545 -0.6 -3.3 -3.9 

If one brings together the various individual benefits in 

terms of energy costs and material output, then the picture 

gained is quite clear: In all major industrialised countries 

with significant steel production and processing industries 

the superiority of the CMT minimill concept is plain to 

see. Even in countries with a high availability of natural gas 

resources and correspondingly low gas prices, a minimill 

equipped with induction technology pays off through 

increased material output (Fig. 4). 

Up to now attention was paid only to the monetary 

aspects associated with the use of induction technology 

in minimills. In addition to this, however, aspects relating 

to ecological sustainability, which may well be of greater 

importance in future, should be taken into consideration. 

Fig. 4: Preferred concepts for reheating systems in minimills, depending on energy costs and 

primary output by international comparison (source: SMS Concast) 

ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTION 

Traditional minimills featuring conventional furnace technology 

for reheating billets use either natural gas or heavy 

oil as fuel. When looking at the general environmental 

impact, it is not just the combustion process alone that 

needs to be considered but the upstream manufacturing, 

transportation and storage processes, too. 

The burning of fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases 

such as CO 2 , NO X and SO X . These gaseous substances are 

emitted into the atmosphere during the burning process, 

thus contributing to the greenhouse effect by absorbing 

some of the infrared radiation given off from the ground 

which would otherwise escape into space. This interference 

with the natural equilibrium which makes life on Earth possible 

in the first place ultimately 

leads – through anthropogenic 

causes such as, for example, the 

combustion of gas and heavy oil 

for reheating billets – to global 

warming and all its known consequences. 

Furthermore, carbon dioxide 

as well as sulphur and nitrogen 

oxides are considered some of 

the main causes of what we call 

acid rain, and the effects thereof 

on our ecosystem are well 

known. 

The use of heating technology 

that minimises the negative 

impact on the environment 

can help improve the situation. 

By using induction technology 



REPORTS 

instead of conventional combustion furnaces, direct 

emissions of CO 2 , NO X and SO X when heating the billets 

before the rolling process are completely eliminated in 

a CMT minimill. Fig. 5 shows that with a conventional 

minimill featuring combustion technology and an annual 

production of 800,000 t, for example, 53,000 t of CO 2 and 

73 t of NO X would be produced; using an induction system 

eliminates this (Fig. 5). 

In summary the CMT minimill can be classed as a typical 

"ecoplant“ thanks to the integrated induction technology. 

"Ecoplants“ is the term given to sustainable solutions from 

SMS Meer which also offer plant owners economic benefits 

at the same time. This takes account of the fact that sustainability 

has become a significant business growth factor 

– for both economic and ecological reasons. Economic 

because saving energy and raw material reduces costs, 

and ecological because protecting resources is becoming 

increasingly important. Ecoplants solutions do both. 

REHEATING USING THE INDUCTION 

PROCESS 

Before we look at the design and implementation of an 

induction system which is integrated in a CMT minimill, 

a brief explanation should be given of the technology 

involved. 

As already explained in the preceding sections, a key 

feature of the induction technology used in a CMT minimill 

is the very rapid and therefore low-scale heating it 

offers, as well as the fact that fossil fuels and the resulting 

emissions are completely eliminated. 

Induction heating is a non-contact type of heating 

whereby the heat is generated directly in the workpiece. 

The billet to be heated is encompassed by a coil, through 

which current flows, thereby creating a magnetic flux in 

the workpiece. 

This magnetic flux, in turn, produces an eddy current in 

the billet surface, which generates heat due to the specific 

resistance of the material. This enables the temperature 

in the billet to rise using a current flow in a non-contact 

manner. Depending on the capacity and frequency of the 

current, it is possible to influence the temperature in the 

workpiece very precisely (Fig. 6). 

Due to the geometry of the billet longitudinal-field heating 

is used in CMT minimills. Here the workpiece is fully 

encompassed by the coil. The resulting eddy currents run 

along the billet’s surface at the current penetration depth. 

The simple design of the longitudinal-field inductors makes 

them very robust and capable of being integrated into the 

rolling mill process. 

The high power density values that can be achieved can 

be used to full advantage in minimills, thereby enabling 

compact heating systems with high thermal efficiency 

levels to be integrated into the processing lines. As the 

Fig. 5: CMT technology with integrated induction heating reduces 

greenhouse gas emissions (source: SMS Concast) 

Fig. 6: The principle of induction heating 

(source: SMS Elotherm) 

following example of Tung Ho Steel in Taiwan shows, a 

total output capacity of 8,700 kW has been installed over 

a length of approx. 8 m. This output capacity is sufficient, 

for example, for a temperature rise of more than 200 K at a 

production rate of 100 metric tons/h. This effectively compensates 

for temperature level fluctuations in the upstream 

processes and ensures constant conditions at the inlet section 

of the rolling mill. This means no equalising through 

the rolling mill is required, plus any spares or reserves in 

terms of the layout and design as well as increased wear 

and tear are avoided. 

Fig. 7 shows the options available using two randomly 

selected, typical examples. With both dimensions, 100 mm 

and 195 mm square section, the temperature at the mill 

entry can be maintained at a constant level. An alteration 

of the production speed of between 3 m/min and 9 m/ 

min has been taken into account here. 

As the thermal conditions at the rolling mill entry are 

being stabilised, the temperature over the cross-sectional 


71

REPORTS 


Fig. 7: Typical temperature curves with the induction heating of 

square material with dimensions of 100 mm and 195 mm 

at a conveying speed of 3 m/min and 9 m/min 


Fig. 8: Example of a typical temperature profile for a 160 mm square 

section on entering the induction unit from the continuous 

caster [1], following induction heating [2] and at the rolling 

mill entry [3] (source: SMS Elotherm) 

Fig. 9: Integration of an SMS Elotherm EloHeat induction heating 

plant between an SMS Concast continuous caster and an 

SMS Meer rolling mill (source: SMS Concast) 

area of the material is homogenised. As shown in Fig. 8, 

the result is a temperature profile during transportation 

from the casting machine to the rolling mill whereby the 

surface is 173 K colder than the centre. This situation is 

often referred to as a natural temperature profile. This 

temperature profile changes due to the rapid heating 

process in the induction heating system, such that the 

highest temperatures occur on the surface. This is caused 

by the typical power density distribution of induction 

heating. However a crucial factor here is the fact that, 

on entering the rolling mill, the temperature differences 

over the cross-section can be reduced by around 30 % 

compared to natural cooling. Billets with a homogeneous 

temperature distribution can be more easily formed and 

therefore ensure a stable rolling process. Since less rolling 

force is required for forming billets with higher absolute 

and relative heat, there is also less roll wear and the rolls 

last longer. 

EXAMPLE OF APPLICATION: TUNG HO 

STEEL, TAIWAN 

As an emerging economic power, Taiwan is faced with 

huge challenges. Oil and gas have to be imported. So 

energy costs are correspondingly high. Therefore, Tung 

Ho Steel decided to install a CMT minimill – with a high 

production capacity and low energy consumption and 

reduced emission values thanks to the integrated induction 

technology – in its works near Taipei. 

What‘s more, this minimill is a shining example of how 

a heavy oil-fired combustion furnace can be replaced by 

a compact yet powerful induction heating system, thus 

resulting in sustainable and measurable ecological and 

economic success. As there was no natural gas available 

at the site, heavy oil would have had to be used. Using 

induction heating technology meant that Tung Ho Steel 

was able not only to save almost 20 €/t of rolled steel but 

reduce its emissions in particular. This workshop at Tung 

Ho is therefore now capable of reducing its emissions by 

around 72,000 tpa CO 2 , 410 tpa SO 2 and 225 tpa NO X – year 

in, year out. 

The steel mill is equipped with a 120 t electric arc furnace 

(EAF), a ladle furnace and a caster with 5 strands. At a 

production rate of 40-45 t/h per casting strand, this results 

in an annual capacity of around 1.2 million t of cast billets. 

The attached rolling mill produces around 800,000 t of 

rolled structural steel every year. 

The induction heating system was integrated inline 

between the casting machine and rolling mill (Fig. 9 and 

Fig. 10). 

The induction plant comprises 3 individually controllable 

modules with two induction coils each (Fig. 11). 

With an overall length of around 8 metres the plant has 

an installed capacity of 8.7 MW. This ensures both a tem- 



REPORTS 

Fig. 10: SMS Elotherm EloHeat – induction heating plant 

with 6 induction coils at Tung Ho Steel in Taiwan 


Fig. 11: Billet before reheating at the inlet of the Elotherm 

EloHeat system at Tung Ho Steel in Taiwan 


perature rise of up to 150 K and a consistent temperature 

distribution of the billets between the continuous caster 

and rolling mill. So on the one hand high process speeds 

of 140 t/h can be attained in the rolling mill, while on the 

other hand optimal rolling processes can be conducted 

with only minimal wear. 

For this the induction heating plant is equipped with 

state-of-the-art IGBT converters, which themselves feature 

transistors and can therefore be flexibly adapted to the 

respective heating process and help to achieve a high level 

of overall plant availability. 

Fig. 12 shows the calculated temperature profile 

between the casting machine and the entry section of 

the rolling mill at Tung Ho Steel. The green curve shows 

the temperature of the surface, the first third of which is 

influenced by the secondary cooling and contact with the 

support rolls. Following complete solidification upstream 

of the cutting torch position, the material goes through an 

even cooling-down phase, whereby any losses are minimised 

by radiation protection measures. 

The induction heating section is identified by a red 

circle in Fig. 12 and shown in detail in Fig. 13. This is where 

adjustments and stabilisation of the thermal conditions 

for optimum rolling process preparation take place. The 

penetration depth at a frequency of 300 Hz is ~ 30 mm, 

ensuring near-surface heating can be achieved. The colder 

temperature at the core is equalised by means of heat 

conduction around 5 m after the billet exits the last induction 

coil, in order that a homogeneous temperature can 

be achieved over the billet cross-section for the purpose 

of the rolling process. 

CONCLUSION 

The demands being made by plant owners for flexible steel 

production in terms of the production volumes, the discussions 

currently being held with regard to low-emission 

production methods as well as the regional and limited 

availability of fossil fuels have been translated into innovative 

production concepts by manufacturers of plant and 

equipment for steel and rolling mill technology. 

One result is CMT minimill technology with integrated 

induction technology for energy-efficient reheating. As 

well as a variety of innovative solutions in the steel and 

Fig. 12: Temperature profile of the billet with a cross-section of 

150 mm at Tung Ho Steel in Taiwan 

(source: SMS Concast) 


73

REPORTS 


In future higher costs for CO 2 certificates will further 

increase the pressure on production costs for steel products. 

Plant owners would be well advised to bear in mind 

the economic advantages that can be attained with energy-efficient 

induction technology, both on an individual 

level and in terms of the total costs of a minimill over its 

lifetime. The CMT minimill concept offers manufacturers 

of rolled products a variety of solutions here, especially as 

any investment in most cases quickly pays for itself, even 

with revamps of existing lines. 

Fig. 13: Illustration of a temperature increase through the six 

induction coils and core temperature homogenisation by 

means of heat conduction (source: SMS Concast) 

AUTHORS 

Dr. Klaus von Eynatten 

SMS Concast Italia S.p.A. 

Udine, Italy 

Tel.: +39 (0) 432 / 654600 

klaus.eynatten@sms-concast.ch 

rolling mill sections of these minimills, special mention 

should be made at this point of the benefits of integrated 

induction technology: individual, rapid attainment of the 

optimum rolling temperature despite variable incoming 

temperatures, no energy consumption during downtimes 

and stoppages, increased metal yield with low-scale heating 

and above all no direct emissions – these are the means 

with which plant owners can secure their competitive edge 

on the international stage. 

Dr. Markus Langejürgen 

SMS Elotherm GmbH 

Remscheid, Germany 

Tel.: +49 (0) 2191 / 891-218 

m.langejuergen@sms-elotherm.com 

Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Dirk M. Schibisch 

SMS Elotherm GmbH 

Remscheid, Germany 

Tel.: +49 (0) 2191 / 891-300 

d.schibisch@sms-elotherm.com 

Visit us at 




Vulkan-Verlag 




Burner & Combustion 

REPORTS 

Research centre for combined 

optimum burner and furnace 

chamber design 

by Enrico Mozzi 

New generation patented burners matching the best available technology and performances using flame and flameless 

combustion have been designed by Danieli Centro Combustion to accomplish increasingly demanding targets in several 

applications and respond to customer requirements. These technologies include flame or flameless combustion and have 

been developed for central energy recovery mode (in waste gas extraction) or local recovery mode (recuperative – regenerative) 

to offer customers a wide array of solutions. Systems are tested in the laboratory and fired with fuels requested by 

the customer before installation at the plant. An important aspect in the design of modern and efficient industrial furnaces 

is a correctly designed combustion process which combines many technical choices and offers considerable advantages 

in furnace optimization. 

Required furnace performances have become more 

challenging over the last ten years especially in the 

provision of industrial furnaces for steel and aluminum 

reheating and heat treating. Capital expenditures 

(CAPEX) remain important, however operating expenses 

(OPEX) are also critical where decisions on new investments 

are made and in particular when considering escalating 

energy expenditures. The need to reduce energy consumption 

is also closely associated with increasingly stringent 

pollution restrictions applied worldwide. 

Focus by steel producers is now on plant energy management 

and reducing the purchase of fuel, promoting 

residual gas recycling (produced in the reducing and melting 

processes) especially where large reheating furnaces are 

concerned. Additional demands are therefore the potential 

to burn a larger selection of fuels with important reductions 

in thermal NO X emissions. Global players in industrial 

furnace supply need to design and apply the Best Available 

Technologies (BAT) to plants and constantly improve 

know-how and performance of its nucleus: combustion 

technique and control. 

COOPERATION WITH ITALIAN 

UNIVERSITIES 

Some of the challenging targets mentioned above may be 

effectively incorporated into equipment through theoretical 

and practical research. Powerful thermo-fluid dynamic 

modelling simulators are required to perform complete 

analyses using a step-by-step approach and provide theoretical 

results in a reasonable time frame. 

Each model requires specific know-how in DCC’S combustion 

kinetics and the University’s specific expertise in 

the modeling simulator system. 

Danieli Centro Combustion established collaboration 

with one of the most important universities in Italy proficient 

in this specific field in 2004 and commenced theoretical 

R&D. Politecnico di Milano was founded in 1863 and 

possesses over 150 years of experience and history working 

alongside industries in the North of Italy. 

Cooperation was extended to include Università degli 

studi di Genova – Energy Department: a key Italian university 

located in Genoa, a city in northern Italy and Centre 

of Excellence for major Italian Public Companies over the 

last century. 

Research Approach 

Combustion is a combination of oxygen and fuel which 

results in heat release. Typically carbon, hydrogen (and 

sometimes sulphur) react with oxygen as follows: 

■■ 

■■ 

carbon + oxygen ➝ carbon dioxide + heat 

hydrogen + oxygen ➝ water vapour + heat 


75

REPORTS 


Perfect combustion is achieved through mixing precise 

quantities of fuel and oxygen avoiding surplus: although 

excess oxygen does not take part in the process it affects 

the flame pattern making it appear shorter and clearer. The 

flame also tends to be longer when there is excess fuel. 

Burning conditions can therefore be classified as either 

oxidizing (excess air è excess oxygen) or reducing (excess 

fuel); different flame patterns can be identified according 

to conditions. Oxygen generally comes from air which 

contains 79 % nitrogen: therefore injecting the required 

amount of oxygen to burn the fuel (stoichiometric – oxidizing 

– reducing conditions) also requires a massive injection 

of nitrogen. Nitrogen is not involved in the combustion 

reaction but it absorbs part of the heat. This helps to control 

flame temperature and depending on the different 

temperature spots in the flame it also reacts locally forming 

various dioxides (Thermal NO X ) which are released into the 

atmosphere together with combustion products. 

Major concepts involved in the combustion process are: 

■■ 

Proper fuel/air mixing (stoichiometric – oxidizing – 

reducing conditions) 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

Chemical (exothermic) reaction of each major component 

(carbon; hydrogen; sulphur) 

Water vapour heat absorption (phenomenon generating 

the difference between Gross & Net fuel heating values) 

Chemical reaction of additional components present 

(nitrogen and other elements found in the compound) 

Heating transmission via thermal convection phenomena 

controlled by: 

Qc= h* (Ts – Ta) where Qc is in KW/m 2 ; h = convection 

coefficient; Ts = surface temperature; Ta = ambient 

temperature 

Heating transmission via thermal radiation phenomena 

controlled by: 

Qr = S1,2*б (T1^4 – T2^4) where Qr is in KW/m 2 ; 

б =Stefan Boltzmann constant; T1 = absolute surface 1 

temperature K; T2 = absolute surface 2 temperature K. 

This law applied to a combustion gas environment 

becomes: 

Qg =є *б (Tg^4 – Ts^4) where є = gas emissivity 

(depending on gas composition and geometry); 

б = Stefan Boltzmann constant; 

Tg^4 = produced (by reaction) waste gas temperature 

- Ts^4 = heated stock surface temperature 

Basic design of equipment may commence after detailed 

analysis of combustion concepts are applied to a specific 

project to determine the following parameters: 

■■ 

■■ 

Flame pattern: considering flame characteristics and 

specific behaviour; 

Staged combustion: combustion is progressively 

achieved with different air injection phases (usually 

referred to as primary air and secondary air); 

■■ 

■■ 

Air and gas momentum defining the convection pattern 

and the kinetic characteristics of the flow entering the 

furnace atmosphere; 

NO X formation favoured by oxygen; high flame temperature; 

residence time in the reaction area; nitrogen 

(both in the air and in the fuel itself). 

All these concepts are important and many parameters 

connected to them affect combustion chemical reaction 

kinetics and therefore also the final results. Consequently, 

theoretical research in terms of fluid-dynamic simulation 

is essential for the analysis and prediction of each of the 

phenomena involved in the reaction process. The simulation 

process starts by defining the appropriate type of 

burner; the number of burners in the furnace and concludes 

when the entire furnace is modelled to the best 

performing design and according to its final use. 

NEW R&D CENTRE AT UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI 

STUDI DI GENOVA – ENERGY DEPARTMENT 

Kinetics is crucial to the design of burner flame characteristics 

(flame pattern), predicting theoretical combustion and 

controlling and respecting noxious waste limits. Observation 

of actual results and the furnace-burner compound are 

even more critical. The only way to verify this theory and 

consistently correct predictions is by using practical R&D. 

The flame pattern (and correlated emissions) for a furnace 

supplier is not simply a geometrical requirement but it is 

mandatory for the furnace to reach required performances 

in terms of chamber temperature uniformity; high, uniform 

heat exchange via radiation; improved heat exchange via 

convection (where open flame heating and heat treating is 

concerned); efficiency and other significant aspects influencing 

furnace design. Therefore, even the testing facility 

must have the required characteristics to replicate different 

industrial burner running operations. 

Danieli Centro Combustion has installed a proprietary 

R&D facility to test burners and reproduce the behaviour 

expected in new furnaces. Installation of this R&D facility 

is fundamental to Danieli Centro Combustion’s method 

of practice and promotes synergy between theory and 

practical R&D. 

The new R&D Center has been completely re-designed in 

order to encompass new challenging requirements by endusers 

through increasing the range of burners that may be 

tested: this allows burner testing specifically for heat treating 

applications. The requirement stems from the acquisition 

of Danieli Olivotto Ferrè by Danieli Centro Combustion in 

June 2012. This new centre of expertise with offices located 

in Turin has more than 60 years experience in the supply of 

special furnaces to the heat treatment market. 

Two test furnaces (Fig. 1a and 1b) entirely equipped for 

various industrial burner operations (from 30 to 3,500 kW) 



REPORTS 

privilege the study of any kind of burner application for 

heating and heat treating and allow to: 

■■ 

Reproduce flame patterns and emissions to verify theoretical 

predictions, 

■■ 

Test a variety of fuel types and compositions consistent 

with the customer’s requirements. 

An industrial simulator represents the plant and is fully 

equipped with all auxiliaries, sensors, instrumentation, monitoring 

and recording systems and suitably sized for testing any 

kind of burner including any additional components such as: 

radiant tube (U-P-W-double P); single recuperator (recuperative 

burners); regenerator (regenerative burners); flame detection 

components; automatic shut-off and controlling valves. 

FROM THEORY TO INDUSTRIAL 

SIMULATION 

Each facility is equipped with several systems to simultaneously 

monitor the function of the burner being tested 

and specifically: 

■■ 

Feeding flows (fuel; oxygen or combustion air; atomizing 

air if requested; cooling water for sensors and 

other cooled elements used to simulate the heated 

feedstock), 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

Waste gas composition in different combustion chamber 

locations (several intakes distributed throughout 

the chamber: up to four) (*), 

Waste gas composition along the extraction system 

(one measuring point at the exit before the centralized 

recuperator – one downstream recuperator – one at 

the stack base) (*), 

Temperatures reached in different locations of the 

combustion chamber (thirteen different temperatures 

can be measured simultaneously, longitudinally 

to the flame, plus 4 different temperatures are 

measured to monitor average furnace chamber temperature 

(**), 

Visible flame shape (TV monitor with recording facility), 

Flame stability (TV monitor with recording facility), 

Emissions generated during chemical reactions (usually 

when waste gas exits the furnace), 

Burner efficiency (thermal balance calculation obtained 

by measuring all the energy that enters and exits the 

combustion chamber). 

(*) Extractive gas analysis measurement systems are used 

in the research centre to detect NO X , NO, NO 2 , O 2 , CO, 

SO 2 , both inside the furnace and in the waste gas duct. 

(**) A LDV (Laser Doppler Velocimeter) and PIV (Particle 

Image Velocimeter) analyze thermal and motion distribution 

patterns throughout the flame; these patterns 

play an important role in understanding the combustion 

mechanism when using different types of fuels. 

Furnaces are equipped with passive and active (small furnace) 

recuperators to preheat combustion air: therefore 

testing can be performed with either cold or preheated 

air at selected temperatures. 

The nucleus of the plant’s control system is a PLC (Programmable 

Logic Controller). A large data logging and 

storage system is included to record all data coming from 

each experimental operation and available as historical 

trends and graphs. 

TARGETS ACCOMPLISHED IN RE-HEATING 

APPLICATIONS 

Correct burner design in a reheating furnace minimizes the 

quantity of excess air involved in the stoichiometric ratio 

required to optimize fuel/air mixing and completely burn 

the fuel. Less free oxygen in the furnace atmosphere means 

a reduction in scale formation from the heated stock during 

the heating process (provided the furnace is properly 

sealed) and lower energy consumption. 

a) 

b) 

Fig. 1: Test furnaces; a) Furnace No. 1; b) Furnace No. 2 


77

REPORTS 


Burners today must operate with reduced flame peak 

temperatures for optimum furnace chamber uniformity 

and minimum NO X formation. High temperature and long 

residence time of combustion products in the flame area 

generate an oxidization process producing thermal NO X . 

One technical approach to reduce Thermal NO X is staged 

combustion: air is injected into several different locations 

to obtain an expanded chemical reaction. 

Danieli Centro Combustion based its new burner Series 

MAB (Multi Air Burner) on this principle (Fig. 2). MAB is 

composed of: 

■■ 

■■ 

A primary combustion area rich in fuel – reducing area. 

A secondary combustion area rich in air – oxidizing area. 

Fuel and primary air injection speeds are optimized to generate 

primary partial combustion and promote recirculation 

of large amounts of waste gas inside the furnace chamber. 

The chemical reaction then takes place in the furnace chamber, 

where secondary air injection completes the combustion 

and re-circulated waste gas is conveyed to dilute flame 

temperature peaks: NO X reduction results are excellent. 

MAB is a complete new series of DCC proprietary 

burners which offer optimum flame patterns and great 

flame stability in a wide range of working conditions, 

sizes available range from extra small (200,000 kcal/h) to 

large (4,500,000 kcal/h). These burners may be used to 

burn various industrial fuel gases starting from the lowest 

(1,500 kcal/Nm 3 ) to the highest (25,000 kcal/Nm 3 ) gas 

heating value. Flame length can be tailored to the required 

furnace application. Danieli Centro Combustion further 

improved the MAB concept by generating a second series 

of burners: MAB Flameless TM (Fig. 3). 

MAB Flameless TM works on demand in flame mode or 

flameless mode (above the fuel’s self-ignition temperature) 

further promoting furnace chamber temperature uniformity 

and decreasing temperature peaks and the generation of 

thermal NO X . It combines a staged combustion technique 

(during flame mode) and a volumetric combustion technique 

(during flameless mode). MAB Flameless TM is patented. 

Temperatures recorded for flame patterns of the two 

new series of burners (MAB and MAB Flameless TM ) during 

testing are illustrated in Fig. 4. The different NO X emissions 

during flame mode and flameless mode are shown in 

Fig. 5. Pictures of the MAB burner during the different 

modes can be seen in Fig. 6a and 6b. 

Comparative testing was performed using: 

■■ 

■■ 

The same test furnace. 

Identical instrumentation, location and furnace operation. 

ACCOMPLISHED TARGETS IN HEAT 

TREATING APPLICATIONS 

Staged and flameless combustion approaches were applied 

to smaller burners used for batch reheating and heat treating 

furnaces with open-flame combustion. TFB SIK TM (Treatment 

Furnace Burner Silicon Carbide) Ultra low NO X is a 

new series of Danieli Centro Combustion burners developed 

specifically for this market and designed to reduce 

NO X pollution and the environmental impact of furnace 

waste gas emissions while maintaining high flame stability 

in all operating conditions. This type of burner is particularly 

recommended for applications where the feedstock 

requires high convection heating with excellent chamber 

temperature uniformity. The TFB SIK TM (Fig. 7) series is a 

low thermal input burner (from less than 80,000 kcal/h to 

500,000 kcal/h) using air staging technology. 

Ultra Low NO X emissions are obtained by multi-air staging 

combustion to reduce flame temperature peaks responsible 

for generating thermal NO X . The first combustion is 

Fig. 2: MAB burner concept 

Fig. 3: MAB Flameless TM burner 



REPORTS 

MAB Flame temperature pattern in flame mode compared with flameless mode 

performed in sub-stoichiometric ratio 

(inside the silicon carbide cone) and the 

gas produced is injected into the furnace 

chamber at high speed (jet burner) where 

it is mixed with secondary combustion air 

to complete the chemical reaction: again 

lower flame temperature is assured by a 

massive volume of waste gas recirculation 

inside the furnace chamber that also 

promotes convection heat exchange. The 

NO X emissions reached at different temperatures 

are shown in Fig. 8. The special 

double-flame cone is made of Si-Si-C. 

Major targets in the heat treating market 

also include reductions in fuel consumption 

while still guaranteeing minimum 

effects of pollutants. Staged and flameless 

burners combined with self-recuperative 

or regenerative solutions are frequently 

used to reach this target. Further requirements 

by clients for improved efficiency 

encouraged Danieli Centro Combustion 

to implement a second generation burner 

dedicated entirely to heat treatment, 

where energy recovery is higher than with 

traditional solutions. 

The new TFB-REK series (Treatment Furnace 

Burner- Recuperative) was developed 

for both radiant tube (indirect heating) 

and free-flame. The series is composed 

of different sized burners with nominal 

capacities ranging from 30 kW to 350 kW. 

When using this particular burner 

application one burner simultaneously 

injects fresh waste gas from combustion 

while sucking lower temperature 

waste gas from the furnace chamber. A 

counter-current preheats combustion. 

TFB REK is the recuperative version of 

TFB SIK TM burners emitting approximately 

the same volume of NO X . Two different 

versions (one equipped with a metallic 

recuperator and one with Si-Si-C Silicon 

Carbide recuperator) are available and 

may be used with low (700 to 1,000 °C) 

or high (1,250 °C) furnace temperatures 

respectively. TFB REK is able to operate in 

both flame and flameless mode. TFB REK 

is a patented series. 

Radiant tube self-recuperative burners 

(available from 80 kW for P-tubes to 160 kW 

for 2P-tubes) are normally designed to 

achieve a long and stable flame pattern 

Temperature °C 

1300 

1280 

1260 

1240 

1220 

1200 

1180 

1160 

1140 

1120 

1 

t = 25°C 

2 

Distance along the flame 

3 

Fig. 5: NO x emission level performed; combustion air preheated 500 °C; 3 % O 2 

in waste gases; natural gas 

a) b) 

4 

5 

Fig. 6: a) MAB in flame mode; b) MAB in flameless mode 

6 

t = 36°C 

Flameless mode 

Flameless mode 

Flame mode 

Flame mode 

Fig. 4: Comparison of the temperatures recorded of the two series of burners 


79

REPORTS 


uniformity along the entire tube surface (Fig. 10): the difference 

between the hottest and coldest points of tube 

ends is less than 40 °C and less than 30 °C on the central 

leg. Pre-heated air with temperatures between 650 °C 

and 680 °C corresponds to reduced fuel consumption 

when compared to burners with a plug-in recuperator 

or cold air burners. 

Fig. 7: TFB-SIK 

with extremely high waste gas recirculation inside the 

tube and important reductions in hot spots. Radiant tube 

temperature uniformity (and uniform heating effect of 

the tube inside the furnace chamber) (Fig. 9) is radically 

improved. Both radiant tube thermal stress and NO X production 

due to lower flame temperature peaks are also 

reduced. Final tests demonstrate excellent temperature 

THERMAL EFFICIENCY OF BURNERS FOR 

RADIANT TUBES 

For free-flame applications burners are able to function 

in flame and flameless mode with the same efficiency; 

when 85-90 % of waste gases are sucked from the burner 

efficiency is approximately 73-75 %. At 1,150 °C and in 

flame mode NO X emissions are 350 mg/Nm 3 with 5 % O 2 . 

In flameless mode and with preheated air temperature 

at 800 °C NO X emissions are reduced to 65 mg/Nm 3 

with 5 % O 2 . 

RECENT EXPERIENCE AND FEEDBACK 

Table 1 illustrates a variety of DCC and DFO furnaces 

commissioned over the past few years and covering an 

array of products. Important results obtained compared 

to the guaranteed values are evident. This is only a partial 

representation of efforts by Danieli Centro Combustion 

and Danieli Olivotto Ferrè to improve the quality of 

the entire product range. A study targeted at increasing 

equipment reliability and simplifying and optimizing design 

Table 1: List of different furnaces commissioned over the past years 

Furnace Type As-sold Parameters Achieved and Tested 

Energy consumption for 122 t charged: 

Homogenizing and re-heating pit furnace 

for aluminum slabs 

Temperature uniformity: ±5 °C 

225 kWh/t 

252 kWh/t 


Aluminum coils heat treatment furnace 

Boogie hearth furnace for re-heating, 

austenitization and tempering of special 

steel cylinders 

350 t/h Walking beam furnace for steel 

slab reheating 

130 t/h Walking beam furnace for big 

round steel blooms 

Hardening and Tempering Walking 

Beam furnaces for API pipe heat treatment 

up to 122 pieces/h 

Energy consumption for 50 t charged: 

200 kWh/t 


Energy consumption for 600 t of charge: 

450 kWh/t 


Energy consumption with reference slab: 

285 kcal/kg 

Temp. Uniformity ±10 °C 

Scale Loss 0.7 % 

NO X 200 mg/ Nm 3 burning Coke Gas 

Energy consumption with reference bloom: 

312 kcal/kg 

Temp. Uniformity ±7 °C 

Scale Loss 0.8 % 

NO X 250 mg/ Nm 3 burning Natural Gas 

Energy consumption and temperature uniformity 

running reference pipe at max. rate and 

Hardening discharging 890 °C – Tempering 

discharging 665 °C 

192 kWh/t 


432 kWh/t 


270,3 kcal/kg 


Scale loss 0,6 % 

NO X 160 mg/Nm 3 

258,1 kcal/kg 


Scale loss 0.62 % 

NO X 90 mg/Nm 3 

220.2 kWh/t (149,2 kWh/t) 

Temperature uniformity: ±5 °C (±3 °C) 



REPORTS 

(containing OPEX and easy maintenance) is 

performed consistently to offer customers 

long-term advantages and improved product 

quality. 

FUTURE CHALLENGES 

Promising results achieved so far in improving 

the design of combustion systems (reaching 

best performances and optimum equipment 

flexibility) clearly identify that theoretical 

studies including practical testing need to be 

applied to each and every furnace sold. A sufficiently 

wide range of 3D modelled furnace 

types and an extended range of modelled 

burners allow for a more rapid simulation 

of new plants performable within the timeframe 

of actual projects. 

Danieli Centro Combustion is now near 

to accurately simulating every burner-furnace 

chamber combination, on-line design 

demonstrates that this is the best available 

proposal. Burner technology may also be 

improved through studies with complete 

models simulating joint burner-furnace 

chamber operations using the products to 

be heated or heat treated. This will allow the 

team to investigate final performances and 

test different design solutions and therefore 

obtain extremely reliable results. 

NOx [mg/Nm 

200 

150 

800 °C 

100 

50 

0 

0 200 400 600 

Combustion Air Temperature [°C] 

Fig. 8: NO X emissions at different furnace temperatures 

Fig. 9: Radiant tube surface temperature uniformity 

AUTHOR 

Dr.-Ing. Enrico Mozzi 

Danieli Centro Combustion 

S.p.A. 

Genoa, Italy 

Tel.: +39 010 5341 701 

e.mozzi@danieli.it 

Temperature [°c] 

1030 

1020 

1010 

1000 

990 

980 

970 

960 

950 

940 

930 

920 

910 

900 

890 

880 

Fig. 10: Different radiant tube shape temperature distributions 


81

ALUMINIUM 

CHINA 2014 

9-11 JULY, 2014 

Shanghai New Int'l Expo Centre 

◆ 500 Exhibitors 

◆ 35,000 m 2 Exhibition area 

◆ 16,000 Trade visitors & Delegates 

Organised by: 

Co-Organised by: 

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Beijing Antaike Information Development Co., Ltd. 

Concurrently Held Shows: 

INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS 

SHANGHAI 2014·MAGNESIUM 

Contact us: 

Tel: +86-10-5933 9392 

Email: alu@reedexpo.com.cn 

Supported by: 

China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association 

INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS 

SHANGHAI 2014·COPPER 

www.aluminiumchina.com

Edition 6 

PROFILE+ 

This is where we focus in regular intervals on the main institutions and organisations active 

in the field of thermoprocessing technology. This issue spotlights the International Aluminium 

Institute (IAI). 

The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) 

The 21 st century began with almost 7 billion 

people on the planet and global 

population is expected to reach 10 billion 

by 2050. The sustainability challenge shared 

by all is to provide not only for these people’s 

basic needs, but to meet expectations for an 

improving quality of life. Crucially, this socioeconomic 

progress must be achieved while 

ensuring the environment remains ecologically 

and economically viable and able to 

meet the needs of future generations. The 

products of human ingenuity, including the 

versatile metal aluminium in its many applications, 

have a vital role to play in successfully 

addressing this sustainability challenge. 

OBJECTIVES OF THE IAI 

By working continuously to minimize its 

environmental impacts and maximize the 

benefits that its products offer to the world, 

the aluminium industry is committed to 

ensuring that aluminium is part of the solution 

for a sustainable future. 

Through the International Aluminium 

Institute (IAI), the aluminium industry aims 

to foster a wider understanding of its activities 

and to demonstrate both its responsibility 

in producing the metal and the 

potential benefits to be realised through 

their use in sustainable applications and 

through recycling. 

The key objectives of the Institute are to: 

■ Increase demand for aluminium products 

by building world-wide awareness of the 

metal’s unique and valuable qualities. 

■ Provide the global forum for aluminium 

producers to discuss matters of 

common interest and concern, in cooperation 

with regional and national 

aluminium associations. 

■ Identify issues of relevance to the sustainable 

production, use, recovery and 

recycling of aluminium applications 

and to promote appropriate research 

in these areas. 

■ 

■ 

■ 

Encourage and assist continuous 

improvement in the healthy, safe and 

environmentally sound production of 

aluminium. 

Collect, analyse and communicate statistical 

and other relevant information 

both within the industry and to external 

audiences. 

Communicate the views and positions 

of the membership and of the wider 

aluminium industry to international 

agencies and other relevant parties. 

All aluminium producing companies are 

eligible for IAI membership, which brings 

benefits including access to performance 

benchmarking data and industry trend 

modelling as well as the opportunity to 

lead and engage in global industry initiatives 

on issues of common interest. 

Since its incorporation in 1972, the work 

of the IAI has overseen by its Board of Directors, 

which meets twice a year, with each 

member company having a representative 

at senior management level, usually Chairman 

or CEO. 

VALUE-ADDED CHAIN OF 

ALUMINIUM 

Demand for aluminium continues to 

grow at rates faster than global GDP. Aluminium 

semis demand grew 3 % annually 

in the period 1990 to 2004 and accelerated 

to annual growth rate of 6 % in the 

period 2005 to 2012. Estimates have the 

growth continuing this trajectory over 

the next three to five years, possibly rising 

to average over 7 % annually during 

this period. 

Demand for primary aluminium passed 

the 50 million t level in 2013 for the first 

time, a new milestone for the industry. 

This level of demand requires the input 

of 100 million t of alumina – and around 

300 million t of bauxite annually. 

Total aluminium consumption is met 

from both primary (new) aluminium metal 

production and the recycling of aluminium 

(Fig. 1) from the recovery of metal at the 

end of life of each use phase whether that be 

in a motor vehicles, buildings, beverage cans 

or aircraft. The long life of aluminium applications 

(over 70 % is used to produce products 

with a lifetime greater than ten years) along 

with increasing demand for such durable, 

light weight and energy saving products, 

mean that primary aluminium will continue 

to meet the majority of aluminium demand 

to the middle of the 21 st century and beyond. 

High recycling rates at end of life mean such 

material and its valuable properties, after a 

long and useful life, will be recovered for use 

in another application. 

Aluminium is the most abundant metal 

in the earth’s crust. The aluminium-containing 

bauxite ores gibbsite, böhmite and diaspore 

are the basic raw material for primary 

aluminium production. 

Proven, economically viable reserves 

of bauxite are sufficient to supply at least 

another 100 years at current demand. While 

demand for bauxite is expected to grow 

as demand for high quality aluminium 

products increases, new reserves will be 

discovered or become economically viable. 

A sustainable mining operation maintains 

the natural capital of the area in which 

it is located through sound environmental 

management systems. Successful rehabilitation 

and environmental management 

ensures that bauxite mining is a temporary 

land use that does not compromise other 

long term land uses. 

Specific rehabilitation processes are 

very much dependent on the mine site 

and the ecological, social and geological 

conditions. 

Bauxite mining operations (Fig. 2) aim 

to restore the pre-mining environment and 

respective conditions; returning the original 


83

PROFILE+ Edition 6 

Fig. 1: Scrap melting furnace 

Fig. 2: Bauxite operations in Brazil 

ecosystem as close as possible, in terms of 

structure, function and dynamics and creating 

a land-use to benefit the local community. 

Most operations rehabilitate used 

areas progressively as mine pits are closed. 

Bauxite residue, a by-product of the 

Bayer Process used to produce alumina 

(aluminium oxide) mainly for smelting into 

aluminium metal, is the largest by-product 

within the aluminium sector. The industry 

is constantly working on new bauxite 

residue treatment methods to increase the 

removal of alkaline fluids and salts – and 

improving the management of bauxite 

residue, which is held in bauxite residue 

disposal and storage areas. 

The type of disposal and storage 

employed by alumina refineries varies 

across the world, depending on factors 

such as land availability, technology availability, 

climatic & geographic conditions, 

logistics and regulatory requirements. 

Companies are required to ensure that 

disposal and storage areas comply with the 

respective environmental standards. Modern 

bauxite residue disposal and storage guidelines 

will include both general and locationspecific 

design criteria such as soil conditions, 

earthquake risk, long term stability and management 

of storm events. Careful monitoring 

ensures structural integrity is maintained. 

The IAI has established a number of 

sustainability objectives relating to bauxite 

residue and the integrity of all existing 

residue storage facilities, including closed/ 

legacy sites to ensure adequate monitoring, 

management and control processes 

to minimise risks to the environment. The 

industry is committed, through collaborative 

and individual actions, to continue 

research and development into innovative 

industry-wide remediation, rehabilitation, 

re-use and benign storage options for 

bauxite residue – and to disseminate the 

research results on a global basis. 

ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN 

ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION 

The high value of aluminium products 

is a function of their unique properties 

and these unique properties are realised 

through the input of significant quantities 

of energy in the smelting process. 

All steps in the aluminium production 

process, as with all industrial processes, 

consume energy: fuel is combusted to 

mine, move and refine bauxite. Refineries 

may co-generated electricity for use or 

export in addition to producing the steam 

required for the Bayer process. Smelters 

combust fuel within the facility to generate 

heat for anode baking, casting and supporting 

operations and semi fabrication 

and fabrication facilities require heat and 

pressure to form the metal. The energy 

required by these processes, however, is 

relatively low compared to the electrical 

energy required by the reduction process: 

Recent years have seen the industry 

move towards new centres of production, 

in part driven by the growth of new centres 

of consumption (such as China), but 

also due to changes in availability of reliable, 

long term and economical sources of 

power. Energy-rich countries and regions 

that are looking to diversify their economies 

or have stranded power (i.e. energy 

that is remote from consumer base), such 

as the GCC and Iceland are those which 

are seeing growth in aluminium smelting 

capacity and which are, in effect, exporting 

their excess energy in the form of aluminium 

or aluminium products. 

The growth in smelting capacity worldwide, 

with new facilities tending to be the 

most energy efficient, has seen reduction 

energy consumption per tonne of aluminium 

fall by 10 % over the last 20 years. 

Due to the high power requirements 

of aluminium smelters, the aluminium 

and power generation sectors have a 

close developmental relationship. While 

new smelting capacity “follows” available 

energy, it also enables the development of 

power generation and distribution capacity 

in such areas, bringing reliable electrical 

energy to new areas, along with concurrent 

economic development, other industries 

and improved quality of life for residents. 

The fact that it does take a lot of energy 

to break the aluminium oxygen bonds of 

alumina (the same physical fact that gives 

aluminium its unique qualities of durability, 

conductivity, strength and light 

weight); and that the growing markets for 

aluminium products will need to be met 

through supply of primary metal mean that 

absolute decoupling of industrial (and economic) 

growth from environmental impact 

and resource use is not possible solely by 

process efficiency. 


Edition 6 

PROFILE+ 

The true measure of the aluminium industry 

and its products to the improvement of 

human well-being, economic growth and 

the reduction in environmental impacts 

and resource use, should necessarily be 

seen in the light of its role as an enabler of 

such improvement. Thus the full lifecycle of 

aluminium products, including the benefits 

they bring during their use, whether over 

long time periods as building applications or 

relatively short lifetimes as packaging solutions, 

should be the focus of any analysis of 

their contribution to sustainability. 

THE ALUMINIUM STORY 

The IAI has developed the “The Aluminium 

Story” as a way to communicate the performance 

of the industry in improving its 

production processes and to demonstrate 

the benefits of aluminium products in use 

and through recycling (Fig. 3). The Aluminium 

Story suite of websites were realised by 

Interstruct a leading Berlin-based design 

agency, which has specialized in producing 

highly attractive and user-friendly web 

presentations for companies and institution 

primarily from the technology sector. 

The Aluminium Story website itself is a 

portal webpage that provides easy access 

into the world of aluminium. It includes three 

dynamic animations that explore the key elements 

of the story: production and the industry’s 

performance in reducing its impacts; 

use of aluminium products and the positive 

social, economic and environmental benefits 

they have the potential to deliver; and the 

value retention potential of recycling at end 

of life. The portal also links to a number of 

sub-sites that go into greater detail on these 

elements: 

■■ 

Aluminium in Building 

■■ 

Aluminium in Transport 

■■ 

Aluminium in Packaging 

■■ 

Aluminium Recycling 

(www.thealuminiumstory.com) 

The Campaign Sites 

The “Aluminium Production” and “Bauxite 

& Alumina” sites are dedicated to the topic 

of aluminium production and processing 

as well as the impacts and benefits to 

local communities. Three central processes 

(and respective technical procedures) 

are explained step by step 

with the help of illustrations 

and short texts, along with 

detailed life cycle data. 

The site entitled “Aluminium 

in Building” was 

conceived as a way of communicating 

the benefits 

of aluminium building and 

construction applications 

to architects and specifiers, 

who might be unaware of 

the environmental and economic 

benefits that could 

be delivered through their 

buildings by designing with 

aluminium, if their focus was solely on the 

production impacts of the material relative 

to competing materials. It has a clear layout, 

high-quality images and a dynamic look & 

feel. The benefits of aluminium as a building 

material are highlighted on the homepage, 

complemented by testimonials of globally 

renowned architects. 

Based on the design concept of the “Aluminium 

in Building” website, “Aluminium 

in Transport” features a highly innovative 

tool developed by Interstruct, based on IAI 

data and modelling: The “Transport Light- 

Weighting Model” enables users to individually 

calculate savings in terms of energy 

and green house gas emissions resulting 

from the use of aluminium in transport 

applications. 

Various forms of aluminium packaging 

are displayed within a type of showroom 

on the starting page of the “Aluminium 

in Packaging” campaign. Unlike the transport 

and building sites, the focus of packaging 

is more on retailers and consumers 

than customers and thus it has a more 

“supermarket-shelf” look and feel. The 

role of aluminium as a protective, lightweight 

barrier material is explored and 

lifecycle information heavily promoted; 

quantifying the use phase benefits of 

aluminium which, while having a high 

environmental footprint per gram compared 

to other materials, has improved 

protection potential, lighter weight for 

transportation and high design potential. 

The recyclability and real world recycling 

rates for packaging applications are also 

Fig. 3: The Aluminium Story 

presented and broad information on 

the wide range of packaging types that 

benefit from aluminium use – including 

multi-material solutions. 

Built around the IAI’s mass flow model, 

the “Aluminium Recycling” site demonstrates 

both the benefits and challenges to 

aluminium recycling, exploring specificities 

of collection schemes through regional case 

studies and delivering data on recycling rates 

per market segment. The limits of recycling 

to meet demand are also explored through 

an animated version of the mass flow model, 

illustrating the importance of product lifetimes 

and the fact that the majority of 

aluminium produced is still doing its work, 

locked in products currently in use until they 

reach the end of their useful life, which can 

be 50 years or more. Clear information in 

combination with the elaborate “Mass Flow 

Model” animation communicate the complex 

flows of material in use and at end of 

life. All of the sites are currently presented in 

English and Chinese, with French versions of 

the transport and building sites. 

Contact: 

Ron Knapp 

International Aluminium Institute 

10 Charles II Street 

London 

SW1Y 4AA 

United Kingdom 

Tel.: +44 20 7389 3820 

ron.knapp@world-aluminium.org 

www.world-aluminium.org 


85

Developing the Powder Metallurgy Future 

european powder 

metallurgy association 

Technical Programme 

Available Now 

INTERNATIONAL 

CONGRESS & EXHIBITION 

21 - 24 September 2014 

The Messezentrum Salzburg, Austria 

Download a copy of the 

Technical Programme only at 

www.epma.com/pm2014

Edition 10 

FOCUS ON 

“We contemplate a strong 

growth in our photovoltaic 

sector in the future” 

Laurent Pelissier is CEO of the ECM Technologies Group. In this interview with heat 

processing he talks about the future of the energy industry and technological challenges, 

revealing his personal tip for upcoming generations. 

Read all 

interviews online 

Topic: The energy mix of the future: Are you prepared to 

risk a prediction? 

Pelissier: The prediction is for energy mixing, in the future, 

photovoltaic energy will have an important place of between 

20 and 30 %. 

Europe in 2020: How will people‘s 

everyday life have changed as a 

result of changes in the energy industry? 

What fuel will they use in 

their cars? How will they heat their 

homes? How will they generate 

light? Risk a scenario! 

Pelissier: Self-production will make 

them more and more autonomous thanks to solar panels 

and storage systems either with hydrogen fuel cells, or with 

the help of batteries. Cars are becoming more and more 

hybrid, electric or fuel cell. 

The sun, wind, water, geothermics, etc.: Which regenerable 

energy source do you consider to have the greatest future? 

Pelissier: For me, the sun is one of the sources of the future 

as well as water for the production of hydrogen. 

Which of the currently emerging technologies would 

you invest in today on that basis? 

Pelissier: We would be willing to invest in photovoltaic 

energy which we have already developed in ECM Technologies 

and the entire hydrogen sector. 

The energy turnaround: What changes will be necessary 

at the political (including the global political), the social 

and the ecological level to enable us to talk realistically of 

a “turnaround”? 

„Decisions on the 

energy policy of each 

country should be 

taken collegially.“ 

Pelissier: In my opinion, the Government should stop its 

lobbying on nuclear energy and energies of our time. On 

the other hand, decisions on the energy policy of each 

country should be taken collegially, with throughout government, 

because a decision for 

a nuclear center with wood charcoal 

factories for example, may 

affect neighboring countries as 

much as investing countries. 

And your wishes for the federal 

government in this context? 

Pelissier: If we use renewable 

energy, we will have to review 

electricity distribution, because renewable energy could 

be produced closer to the consumer, which is not the case 

for nuclear energy. 


87

FOCUS ON Edition 10 

RESUME 

Laurent Pelissier 

Education 

1990 – 1992 ESA (Ecole Supérieur des Affaires) – 

DESS CAAE Gestion d’Entreprise 

1985 – 1988 Ecole Catholique des Arts et Métiers – 

Diplôme d’ingénieur ECAM 

1984 – 1985 Mathématiques Supérieures et Spéciales 

Career 

Since 2008 CEO of ECM Technologies Group 

1996 – 2008 CEO of ECM and various companies 

1994 – 1996 General Manager, ECM group 

1991 – 1994 Sales Manager, ECM group 

1988 – 1991 Product Engineer in charge of R&D, 

ECM group 

■ President of Industry Commission Grenoble CCI 

■ TENERRDIS and UDIMEC Administrator 

■ December 2012: Trophee “Leader Croissance” Presences 

CCI Grenoble 

■ Manager of the year in 2003, "Grand Prix de l’Entrepreneur 

Prix Industrie Région Rhône-Alpes" 

Irrespective of the form of energy and the technology 

used, many consider the term “energy-efficiency” to be 

the key to the energy questions of the future. How do 

you view this subject? What do you consider to be the 

most important development in this field in the heatprocessing 

technology industry? 

Pelissier: We must clearly work on energy efficiency and 

on reducing consumption or on improving the efficiency 

of buildings and transport. 

What role does your company currently play on the energy 

market? 

Pelissier: Today, we offer equipment for the nuclear and 

the photovoltaic industry as well as turnkey plants to manufacture 

solar panels. 

What role will your company be playing on the energy 

market in twenty years time? 

Pelissier: We contemplate a strong growth in our photovoltaic 

sector in the future and we are also thinking of 

working more and more on fuel cells. 

What will be your company’s most important innovation 

or project? 

Pelissier: The most important projects in the company 

apart from innovations made in partnership with the 

French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) are very costly 

turnkey plant projects for different countries and a significant 

technology transfer. 

How does the expansion of the EU and globalization affect 

your company and its business? 

Pelissier: Our company has been exporting for many 

years and more than 90 % of our sales are in export, so 

EU enlargement and globalization are rather an opportunity 

for us. 

How important is a trade name or a brand for the success 

of products in the industrial sector? 

Pelissier: We work in B2B, we sell to industry, so our 

name is important in terms of quality of our products 

for sales. 

Have you been able to launch new developments, or 

able to pursue them only after a delay, or at reduced 

speed, due to the lack of qualified personnel? 

Pelissier: We have never had a problem of qualified personnel 

to carry out our development. 

What would you like to change in your company? 

Pelissier: I do not want to change the company now, I 

hope that our business thrives on the different sectors, 

including the photovoltaic sector. 


Edition 10 

FOCUS ON 

How important is expansion abroad for your company? 

Pelissier: Today, we have subsidiaries in the US, China, Kazakhstan, 

and India. We plan to create more in Brazil and Germany. 

So our development abroad is essential as we export 

90 % of our production. 

Is your company receptive to renewable energy? 

Pelissier: Yes, our company is highly sensitive and receptive 

to renewable energy as the photovoltaic sector is one of the 

important areas of our development. 

Does your company already use renewable energy? 

Pelissier: Yes, we have installed solar panels on our company’s 

building to partly cover our energy consumption. 

How receptive is your company to new technologies? 

Pelissier: Our business is based on two major aspects: export 

and R&D, so it is essential for us to heavily invest in research 

and development both internally and via partnership with 

schools and research centers such as the French Atomic Energy 

Commission (CEA). 

How much does your company spend on investments each 

year? 

Pelissier: Our company essentially invests in research and 

development. We spend between 5 % and 10 % of our turnover 

in this area. 

How would you assess your dealings with employees? 

Pelissier: Relations with employees are good, and are based 

on mutual trust and information and decision sharing. 

What moral values are of particular relevance for you? 

Pelissier: I believe that for a company which aims to make 

a profit and sell projects, we need to have an important set 

of working values. 

How do you manage to be sure of some time for yourself, 

and not always to be dealing with internal and external 

challenges? 

Pelissier: It is important to have moments when the company 

is not at the heart of your activity. I manage to find time 

during the day or during the year when I can detach myself 

a little. However, I still reply to my emails and phone calls. 

Do you, or did you, have any people whom you regard as 

examples to you? 

Pelissier: My father is an example to me; he has been 

able to develop the business while preserving his personal 

life. 

How were you brought up and educated? 

Pelissier: I was brought up to respect others, with goals 

of success and excellence and with a need to undertake. 

What is your motto for life? 

Pelissier: Look forward. 

In your opinion, what was the most important invention 

of the 20 th century? 

Pelissier: The Internet. 

What personal characteristics are most important to you? 

Pelissier: Capacity to listen. 

What is your own personal tip for 

the upcoming generations? 

Pelissier: Be motivated and undertake new things. 

What has shaped you in particular? 

Pelissier: My education. 

What can you absolutely not do 

without? 

Pelissier: I cannot work without 

the others. 

What do you wish for the 

world? 

Pelissier: I wish for it to be 

better and fair. 

Thank you for 

this interview. 

„We must clearly work on 

energy efficiency and on 

reducing consumption.“ 

2-2014 heat processing

Inductive Melting 

and Holding 


Fundamentals | Plants and Furnaces | Process Engineering 

The second, revised edition of this standard work for engineers, technicians 

and other practitioners working in melting shops and foundries is to 

appear in mid-2013. This new version of the title on inductive melting and 

temperature maintenance originally published in 2009 is the result of the 

great demand generated at that time, and includes coverage of the plantand 

process-engineering advances achieved during the intervening four 

years. These relate, in particular, to the use of the induction furnace in 

electric-steel production, a field in which this environmentally and mainsfriendly 

melting system has evolved into a genuine and advantageous 

alternative to the electric arc furnace. Characteristic of this is the recent 

increase in inverter supply power from its maximum of 18 MW at the 

time of publication of the first edition of the book to its present 42 MW 

to permit supply of 65 t crucible furnaces. 

Author: E. Dötsch 

2 nd edition 2013, 322 pages, with interaktive e-book (online reader access), 

hardcover 

ISBN: 978-3-8027-2386-5 

price: € 75,- 

Vulkan-Verlag GmbH, Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 55, 45127 Essen 


FUTURE 



Yes, I place a firm order for the technical book. Please send 

— copies of Inductive Melting and Holding 2nd edition 2013 

(ISBN: 978-3-8027-2386-5 ) at the price of € 75,- (plus postage and packing) 

Company/institution 

First name and surname of recipient 


Country, Postcode, Town 


Vulkan Verlag GmbH 

Versandbuchhandlung 

Postfach 10 39 62 

45039 Essen 

GERMANY 

Phone 

E-mail 


Fax 


to Vulkan-Verlag GmbH, Versandbuchhandlung, Postfach 10 39 62, 45039 Essen, Germany. 




✘ 


PAIMAH2014

TECHNOLOGY IN PRACTICE 

Gaining stability through a change in energy 

policies and attitudes 

The power consumption of a steelworks 

is comparable to that of a small-sized 

town. Thus, the participants on the steel 

industry market always operate right 

on the economic limit of endurance, 

and even the slightest rise in the cost of 

electricity may imply life-or-death consequences. 

On the hard-fought international 

market, however, price increases are not an 

option. Therefore, in order to withstand 

possible additional burdens and to be 

completely up-to-date as regards environmental 

technology, it is important to 

keep track of energy flows and to optimize 

energy costs within the production process. 

A platform for this is provided by the 

X-Pact® Energy Advisor software system 

from SMS Siemag. 

The international steel industry is today 

facing the challenge of reconciling ever 

greater flexibility and productivity with 

environmental protection and sustainability. 

One of the set aims here is to utilize 

resources advantageously while at the 

same time reducing the CO 2 emissions. First 

and foremost, there is the requirement to 

remain competitive in this hard-fought 

environment. These objectives, however, 

are hampered by the energy costs. These 

costs represent a major proportion of the 

total expenditures of steelworks. 

The steel industry thus has to bear a 

double burden: on the one hand the heavy 

weight of international competition and, 

on the other, the upward trend in energy 

costs, representing yet another handicap. 

To balance this out, a number of firms are 

intending to take the plunge and move 

to other countries with a more favourable 

business environment, in keeping with the 

maxim “Steel is global”, since price increases 

cannot be passed on to customers in a situation 

of cutthroat competition. 

The steel industry is being weakened by 

precisely those economic burdens which 

go hand-in-hand with the “change in 

energy policies and attitudes”. The paradox 

here is: Innovative steel grades and highly 

developed steel processing technology are 

actually the driving forces of this “change”. 

It is only these that enable the operating 

efficiency of thermal power stations to be 

further optimized, for example. Steel functions 

as a crucial material here. 

Various German steel giants, for 

instance, are already thinking out loud 

about abandoning Germany as an industrial 

location, in view of the rising energy 

costs caused by the levies imposed under 

the Renewable Energy Act and by the EU 

Emissions Trading Scheme. In spite of the 

exceptions allowed for energy-intensive 

industrial companies, the German Steel 

Federation estimates that the annual additional 

burden on German steelworks owners 

will be around € 1.5 million as from the 

beginning of 2013. 

At the same time, the debate currently 

being restarted concerning CO 2 emissions 

certificates trading and political stipulations 

such as the “Green Electricity Levy” 

are making it more difficult for steelmakers 

located in Germany to operate with a 

profitable production process. 

The rising energy costs and the increasing 

demand for flexibility in production are 

leading to a global rethink in the industry. 

The feeling among owners of metallurgical 

production facilities is one of walking 

a tightrope, with energy and cost efficiency 

being the only way of assuring firm 

ground underneath it. This efficiency can 

be achieved through energy data management 

systems such as Energy Advisor from 

SMS Siemag (Fig. 1). These systems allow 

an overall, integrated examination and 

assessment of energy flows. The evaluation 

and optimization of energy consumption 

make it possible not only to cut down 

costs but also to ensure quality. This gives 

steel producers a better chance to reduce 

energy costs rather than profits during production 

and thus continue to function in a 

competitive manner. 

ATTAINING PLANNING 

SECURITY 

An energy management system according 

to ISO 50001 may have a compensatory 

effect and reduce the high cost 

pressure during the production process. 

It allows transparency with regard to 

energy flows and consumption during 

the entire production process. Authoritative 

knowledge can thus be obtained, 

which helps to reduce energy costs and 

CO 2 emissions. 

Fig. 1: The energy and utilities data are interlinked with the production and status 

information and evaluated in the Energy Advisor 


91


Empirical values show the following: If 

an EMIS system (Energy Monitoring Information 

System) has been correctly installed 

and the corresponding measures have 

been taken, savings of 5 to 20 % are typical, 

with 8 % being realistic. The payback time 

for these systems is generally between one 

and two years (Jens Hundrieser and Oliver 

Seifert in Stahl und Eisen 129 (2009) No. 7). 

As a plantmaker active worldwide in the 

field of metallurgical plant and rolling mill 

technology, SMS Siemag makes available 

its Energy Advisor as a relevant energy datamanagement 

system which can do more 

than mere monitoring. This is because the 

integrated philosophy of SMS Siemag as a 

system supplier proves to be advantageous 

already during the planning process for new, 

energy-efficient plants and then finally during 

the subsequent implementation. 

For this it is necessary to have interdisciplinary 

knowledge of the electrical and 

automation systems as well as of the process 

technology. 

With the implemented electrical and 

automation solutions, SMS Siemag can 

utilize the measuring systems directly and 

without obstacles. The ability to make use 

of the sensors and actuators from SMS Siemag, 

integrated during the erection of the 

plant itself, means that potential savings 

can be achieved since there is no need to 

provide any further interfaces. The Energy 

Advisor can be tailored directly to the customer’s 

plant following an analysis, even if 

the plant has been supplied by other firms. 

Steelworks thus benefit from the competence 

of a plantmaker such as SMS 

Siemag, who is familiar with the systems, 

processes, interfaces and procedures and 

thus creates the optimum conditions for 

establishing a system of this type. 

THE ENERGY SITUATION AT A 

GLANCE 

The Energy Advisor is adapted individually 

to the respective plant and takes account 

of the particular production conditions. 

Besides electrical power, the system 

records other energy-related utilities, 

such as fuels, gases, compressed air, heat 

or water. This results in a holistic energy 

management. Automatic aggregation of 

the measured values allows a clear and 

highly efficient representation of the 

measured values, both for long periods 

of times and short intervals, in such a way 

that all analyses can be made directly 

in the system. The energy efficiency of 

the plant is displayed to the operator in 

screens by dial indicators or traffic lights 

and an easy overview of the energy situation 

is provided in this form. 

The evaluation of the installations using 

efficiency indicators allows comparison 

with values from previous periods or 

other areas. Different materials and types 

of energy can be compared, examined and 

evaluated within the process. Consumption 

data of the overall plant or individual plant 

sections is compiled in reports. 

Consumptions may be allocated in total 

or proportionally to the relevant cost centres 

for consumer-related cost-accounting. 

Controlling of the energy consumptions 

can thus also be performed in the Energy 

Advisor. 

COMPUTATION OF CHARAC- 

TERISTIC LINES 

“The absolute energy consumption data 

are not sufficient for an assessment of the 

energy situation in a steelworks. Characteristic 

lines and coefficients must additionally 

be specified in combination with the 

production conditions. 

Positive and negative limit values are 

able to be defined for coefficients, allowing 

the production process to be evaluated 

at a given moment”, explains Prof. Ingela 

Tietze from the Niederrhein University of 

Applied Sciences. For example, the utilization 

of energy with a high calorific or electrical 

value and its effect within the process 

are decisive. 

To satisfy these requirements, the 

type of product and its quantities are 

also recorded in the described energy 

data management system. This makes it 

possible to show a relationship between 

consumption and production and to 

express this by using coefficients. These 

values, calculated on the basis of various 

measured variables, enable comparisons 

to be made between different situations 

or plants. 

If coefficients depend on production 

data or production conditions which cannot, 

or must not, be introduced into the 

coefficient as quantities for calculation of 

it, then use is made of characteristic lines. 

A characteristic line takes account of the 

fact that under certain circumstances the 

coefficients may assume differing values 

in the production process. For instance, 

at high capacity utilization, lower energy 

consumption per ton of the product may 

be achieved than during periods with low 

production rates. 

If the coefficient is plotted against 

the influencing variable, it is possible to 

compare equivalent circumstances and to 

evaluate the various plant conditions in a 

meaningful way. 

UTILIZATION IN METALLURGI- 

CAL PLANT TECHNOLOGY 

Coefficients and characteristic lines can be 

illustrated by using the example of metallurgical 

plants (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3). The 

required energy for melting a heat is put 

into relation with the produced quantity. 

The result of this is the relative coefficient 

of specific consumption in kWh/t. Under 

equal production conditions, this value is 

of significance and allows a quantitative 

comparison. If however the charge mix 

changes, for instance, the typical specific 

consumption values differ accordingly. 

These values can now be subsumed for a 

charge mix and plotted on the x-axis as a 

bunch. For each charge material mix, different 

limit values apply. To analyze the prevailing 

situation, the current charge material 

mix is defined and the corresponding 

limit values are used for the representation 

of the assessment. 

The yellow dot shown in Fig. 3 corresponds 

to an outlier which is just above the 

desired limit and hence in the yellow dial 

indicator range for the given charge mix. 

The same specific consumption would still 

have been within reasonable limits in a 

case of only charging cold DRI, represented 

with the indicator in the green dial indicator 

field. It is evident here how important 

it is to also consider the production conditions 

in order to achieve a reliable evaluation 

of the energy situation. 



Apart from a transparent representation 

of energy consumption values, the system 

can be used to provide concrete recommendations 

to the operating staff on how 

to proceed to ensure an optimized operating 

practice in terms of energy. This is illustrated 

by the example of dedusting. During 

the dedusting process, the fans run at different 

speeds and correspondingly varying 

energy consumption values in different 

process phases. If ventilation is not reduced 

during tapping, a signal is displayed to the 

operating staff that the energy consumption 

requires action. A recommendation is 

issued as to the further control of the plant 

and any uncertainties of the operators are 

eliminated. These process optimizations, 

which are technically unproblematic and 

only require low investment, lead to significant 

energy savings. 

FUTURE PROSPECTS: 

FORECASTING PROCEDURE 

SMS Siemag is also currently developing a 

mode of procedure for making forecasts. 

On the basis of the stored energy data 

already available, the production data 

and the future production schedule, use 

can be made of neuronal networks and 

other methods to create models which 

interpret the energy data on a self-learning 

basis. 

These models enable the energy 

consumption to be depicted and to be 

predicted for the future. A reliable forecast 

of the energy requirement helps the 

energy suppliers to react to the fluctuating 

energy market and to do justice to 

this by means of more favourable tariffs. 

Alternatively, the information obtained 

can be utilized for an individual procurement 

strategy and the electrical power 

can be purchased directly on the energy 

market. 

ECOPLANTS FOR SAVING 

ENERGY AND RESOURCES 

The Energy Advisor is a component of 

the SMS Siemag Ecoplants concept. The 

sustainability solutions under the “Ecoplants” 

label are characterized by important 

reductions as regards raw material 

input, energy, operating materials and 

Fig. 2: Example for determining a coefficient and corresponding characteristic 

line for an electric arc furnace 

Fig. 3: Example for assessing the energy situation, using the characteristic line 

emissions as well as the improvement of 

the recycling rate. 

To sum up: Further need for action is 

being generated by the worldwide developments 

on the steel market and in the 

energy balance relating to this. Thus, for 

example, the change in energy policies 

and attitudes signifies both an opportunity 

and a risk for the steel industry. On 

the one hand, it opens up new markets 

and fields of application for this significant 

material. On the other hand, it could also 

turn out to be a cost trap. Nevertheless, 

by means of energy saving concepts and 

the accompanying systems, ecology and 

economy can be reconciled in a meaningful 

manner. 

Author: 

Dr. Jesper Mellenthin 

Contact: 

SMS Siemag AG 

Electrical and Automation Systems Division 

Wiesenstraße 30 

57271 Hilchenbach, Germany 

Tel.: +49 (0) 2733 / 29-5895 

automation@sms-siemag.com 

www.sms-siemag.com 


93


Induction hardening – 

A quick guide to methods and coils 

There are two alternative methods of 

induction hardening: conventional 

“scanning hardening” and the less common 

“single-shot hardening”. This article 

looks at the induction hardening process 

and discusses these options. 

It is sometimes the case that workpiece 

characteristics determine which method 

must be used. A long, large-diameter 

shaft, for instance, requires scanning, as 

the power needed for single-shot hardening 

would simply be excessive. Then there 

are workpieces whose irregular shapes or 

complex geometries makes single-shot 

hardening the only viable alternative. 

SCANNING HARDENING 

Scanning hardening involves relative 

movement between the workpiece and 

the induction coil. Scanning is divided into 

vertical and horizontal hardening. In the 

former, the workpiece is held stationary in 

a vertical position and a coil moves across 

its length (sometimes the coil is stationary 

and the workpiece moves), The coil 

moves at various speeds, but it is typically 

in the range of 5-25 mm/second. A major 

advantage with vertical scanning is that 

the induction coil is relatively easy to make, 

as it is normally a single-turn, round ring. 

Another advantage with vertical scanning 

is that the quench assembly is placed 

below the induction coil. This means the 

quench medium flows downward without 

interfering with the heating. It is possible to 

control the depth of hardening in different 

zones of the workpiece by adjusting the 

coil’s speed and the power fed into it. 

With horizontal scanning hardening 

(Fig. 1), a horizontally held workpiece is 

fed through a coil and quench. One benefit 

of horizontal scanning is that it can reduce 

distortion. This is achieved by maintaining 

the workpiece in a concentric position in 

the coil and quench, as this results in symmetrical 

heating and quenching. Another 

benefit of horizontal scanning is that it facilitates 

the hardening of large workpieces. It 

is, for example, possible to harden tubes up 

to 6 m long with this method. 

SINGLE-SHOT HARDENING 

Single-shot hardening means the complete 

hardening zone is first heated and then 

quenched. Such hardening can be achieved 

with a multi-turn coil that encircles the entire 

hardening zone. But for workpieces with 

rotational symmetry, a coil is typically used 

that follows the workpiece’s contour, combined 

with rotation. Coils can be designed 

to “push extra heat” into areas such as fillets 

on flanged shafts, where it is often difficult to 

obtain sufficient hardening depth. 

The benefits of single-shot hardening 

include minimized distortion and optimal 

results for workpieces with complex geometries 

and/or large diameter changes. The 

method’s relatively long heating times (compared 

to scanning) also benefit the workpiece 

microstructure and residual stresses. 

But even if single-shot’s heating time for each 

Fig. 1: Example of high-volume horizontal scanning hardening 

grain is longer compared to scanning, the 

total heating time is shorter since the entire 

heating zone is heated at the same time. 

Single-shot hardening typically requires 

more power than scanning. This extra 

power is needed to achieve the required 

temperature increase in the complete 

hardening zone. Moreover, the coils used 

in single-shot hardening are more complicated 

and expensive than those used 

in scanning. And if the power demand 

changes somewhere on the workpiece, 

it will be necessary to physically modify 

the single-shot coil. With scanning, such 

changes can usually be handled by adjusting 

the control program. 

NO TOIL, NO COIL 

Regardless of the induction hardening 

method used, the inductor (coil) is a critical 

component. In fact, designing and testing 

coils is often the process with the longest 

lead time when devising an induction 

heating solution. A key reason for this is the 



MAGNETIC-FLUX CONCEN- 

TRATORS 

Magnetic-flux concentrators are another 

aspect of an overall induction solution that at 

first glance seems relatively straightforward. 

As the name suggests, the main function 

of such concentrators is to concentrate the 

coil’s current in the area of the coil facing the 

workpiece. Without a concentrator, the magnetic 

flux propagates around the coil in air – a 

medium with low magnetic permeability – 

setting up a magnetic field that draws part of 

the current away from the active zone facing 

the part. But when the return flux is conducted 

by a concentrator, the magnetic field can 

be restricted to precisely defined areas of the 

workpiece, resulting in the localized hardening 

zones characteristic of induction heating. 

Many variables must be considered 

when making flux concentrators: the 

workpiece material, the coil’s shape and 

the application. Each influences the concentrator’s 

final design. Even deciding what 

material to use for the concentrator can be 

a complicated task. Basically, concentrators 

are made from laminates or from pure ferrites 

and ferrite- or iron-based powders. 

Each concentrator material has its own 

drawbacks and advantages. Laminates 

have the highest flux densities and magnetic 

permeability, and they are also less 

expensive as parts than iron- and ferritebased 

powders. Laminates must, however, 

be stamped to a few standardized sizes 

and are therefore less flexible. They are 

also labor-intensive to mount. Pure ferrites 

can also offer outstanding magnetic permeability. 

They suffer from low-saturation 

flux density, however, and their brittleness 

makes them difficult to machine (diamondtipped 

cutters must be used). Iron powders 

are easy to shape and offer high flux 

densities. But great care must be taken to 

provide against overheating because internal 

losses, together with heat transfer from 

the heated part by radiation, may harm the 

binder of such powders due to the relatively 

low working temperature. 

Fig. 2: Example of a specialized induction coil designed and built for the specific task 

of hardening CV (constant-velocity) joints 

fact that coils are task-specific. They must 

be designed to achieve specific results on 

specific materials under specific conditions. 

There are no (or at least there shouldn’t be) 

off-the-shelf coil designs. 

Rigorous testing of a coil’s design and 

construction is essential (Fig. 2). Too few 

people realize that coils are often the part 

most exposed to harsh operating conditions. 

Therefore, testing and computer-aided 

simulation are sometimes needed to arrive 

at a design that is both safe and fatigueresistant. 

And, of course, it takes repeated 

testing to achieve optimal part heating 

patterns. Nothing can be taken for granted 

when designing induction coils. With very 

high power-density coils, for example, one 

even needs to determine the correct speed 

at which cooling water should flow through 

the coil. Too low a speed will result in insufficient 

thermal transference. But even when 

the correct speed has been found, the coil 

designer must decide whether a booster 

pump is necessary in order to achieve and 

maintain the desired water through-flow rate. 

A competent coil designer will also specify a 

purity level for the cooling water in order to 

minimize corrosion on the inside of the coil. 

So, something as apparently straightforward 

as the coil’s water is in fact a complex matter 

demanding technical competence and 

specialized equipment. 

CONCLUSION 

Of course, many other factors need to be 

considered when designing induction coils, 

not the least of which being its efficiency. 

Correct impedance matching between the 

coil and the power source, for instance, is 

crucial in order to use the full power from 

the power source. Its reactive power need, 

which is normally several times that of the 

requirement for active power, influences 

the frequency. It is also vital to select the 

correct form of electrical insulation for the 

coil. Again, these are complicated decisions 

influenced by several variables. As we have 

seen, a professionally designed and fabricated 

induction coil is an advanced, complex 

component. Unfortunately, too many 

induction users persist in viewing coils 

as low-tech copper tubes. The results of 

this misconception are incorrect and even 

dangerous coil designs; amateurish repairs; 

insufficient or incorrect maintenance; and, 

ultimately, process and equipment failures. 

Authors: 

Kristian Berggren, Leif Markegård 

Contact: 

EFD Induction GmbH 

Lehener Straße 91 

Postfach 426 

79004 Freiburg, Germany 

Tel.: +49 (0) 761 / 8851-0 

sales@de.efdgroup.net 

www.efdinduction.com 


95

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS 

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS 

Company Page Company Page 

AICHELIN Holding GmbH, Mödling, Austria 13 

ALUMINIUM 2014, Düsseldorf, Germany 32 

ALUMINIUM CHINA 2014, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China 82 

ANKIROS/ANNOFER/TURKCAST 2014, Istanbul, Turkey 17 

Bloom Engineering (Europa) GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany 51 

Bürkert GmbH & Co. KG, Ingelfingen, Germany 15 

Danieli Olivotto Ferrè, Torino, Italy 39 

Elster GmbH, Osnabrück, Germany 7 

EURO PM2014, Salzburg, Austria 86 

Heat Treatment 2014, Moscow, Russia 21 

JASPER Gesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft und Kybernetik mbH, 

Geseke, Germany 

front cover 

LOI Thermprocess GmbH, Essen, Germany 41 

Optris GmbH, Berlin, Germany 19 

Schwartz GmbH, Simmerath, Germany 11 

SECO / Warwick Europe S.A., Swiebodzin, Poland inside front cover, 3 

SMS Elotherm GmbH, Remscheid, Germany 

back cover 

Tube India International 2014, Mumbai, India 25 

Business Directory 97 - 117 

International Magazine for Industrial Furnaces, 



your contact to the 

heat processing team 

Managing Editor: 

Dipl.-Ing. Stephan Schalm 

Phone: +49 201 82002 12 

Fax: +49 201 82002 40 

E-Mail: s.schalm@vulkan-verlag.de 

Editorial Office: 

Annamaria Frömgen 

Phone: +49 201 82002 91 

Fax: +49 201 82002 40 

E-Mail: a.froemgen@vulkan-verlag.de 

Advertising Sales: 

Bettina Schwarzer-Hahn 

Phone: +49 201 82002 24 

Fax: +49 201 82002 40 

E-Mail: b.schwarzer-hahn@vulkan-verlag.de 

Advertising Administration: 

Martina Mittermayer 

Phone: +49 89 203 5366 16 

Fax: +49 89 203 5366 66 

E-Mail: mittermayer@di-verlag.de 

Editor: 

Thomas Schneidewind 

Phone: +49 201 82002 36 

Fax: +49 201 82002 40 

E-Mail: t.schneidewind@vulkan-verlag.de 

Editor (Trainee): 

Sabrina Finke 

Phone: +49 201 82002 15 

Fax: +49 201 82002 40 

E-Mail: s.finke@vulkan-verlag.de 

96 heat processing 4-2013 

www.heatprocessing-online.com

International Magazine for Industrial Furnaces 



2014 

Business Directory 

I. Furnaces and plants for industrial 

heat treatment processes ......................................................................................... 98 

II. 

Components, equipment, production 

and auxiliary materials ................................................................................................ 108 

III. Consulting, design, service 

and engineering ............................................................................................................ 116 

IV. Trade associations, institutes, 

universities, organisations ......................................................................................... 117 

V. Exhibition organizers, 

training and education .............................................................................................. 117 

Contact: 

Mrs. Bettina Schwarzer-Hahn 

Tel.: +49 (0)201 / 82002-24 

Fax: +49 (0)201 / 82002-40 

E-mail: b.schwarzer-hahn@vulkan-verlag.de 

www.heatprocessing-directory.com

Business Directory 2-2014 

I. Furnaces and plants for industrial heat treatment processes 

thermal production 

Melting, Pouring, casting 


2-2014 Business Directory 


Heating 

Powder metallurgy 


99



Heating 




Heat treatment 

More information available: 

www.heatprocessing-directory.com 


101




Your contact to 

HEAT PROCESSING 


Tel. +49(0)201-82002-24 

Fax +49(0)201-82002-40 

b.schwarzer-hahn@vulkan-verlag.de 







103







cooling and Quenching 

surface treatment 

Joining 




105



Joining 




recycling 

energy efficiency 

retrofit 




107


II. Components, equipment, production and auxiliary materials 

Quenching equipment 

Fittings 

Burners 

transport equipment 




Tel. +49(0)201-82002-24 

Fax +49(0)201-82002-40 








Tel. +49(0)201-82002-24 

Fax +49(0)201-82002-40 





109



Burners 

Burner equipment 

Burner applications 




Tel. +49(0)201-82002-24 

Fax +49(0)201-82002-40 





Hardening accessories 




111



resistance heating 

elements 

Forging accessories 

inductors 




Measuring and automation 

Gases 




Tel. +49(0)201-82002-24 

Fax +49(0)201-82002-40 





113



Measuring and automation 

Power supply 




refractories 

HOTLINE Meet the team 

Managing Editor: Dipl.-Ing. Stephan Schalm +49(0)201/82002-12 s.schalm@vulkan-verlag.de 

Editorial Offi ce: Annamaria Frömgen +49(0)201/82002-91 a.froemgen@vulkan-verlag.de 

Editor: Thomas Schneidewind +49(0)201/82002-36 t.schneidewind@vulkan-verlag.de 

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115


III. Consulting, design, service and engineering 



IV. Trade associations, institutes, universities, organisations 

V. Exhibition organizers, training and education 


117

International Magazine for Industrial Furnaces, 



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COMPANIES PROFILE 

Trumpf Hüttinger GmbH + Co. KG 


Contact: 

Dirk Künzig 

Head of Sales Europe 

Tel.: +49 (0) 761 / 8971-0 

dirk.kuenzig@de.trumpf.com 

COMPANY: 


Bötzinger Str. 80 

79111 Freiburg 

Germany 

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT: 

Dr. Dieter Pauschinger 

HISTORY: 

Trumpf Hüttinger is a worldwide leader in innovative solutions to 

convert energy in power and distributes a vast selection of highpower 

direct current, mid-frequency and radiofrequency generators 

for plasma applications, induction heating processes and CO 2 

laser excitation. Trumpf Hüttinger is Europe’s largest manufacturer 

of power supplies for these processes. With subsidiaries in Poland, 

China, the U.S. and Japan, Trumpf Hüttinger offers a large sales and 

service network around the globe. 

GROUP: 

Since 1990 Trumpf Hüttinger is part of the Trumpf Group. The 

company was founded in 1923 as a mechanical workshop. Ever 

since, it has developed to one of the world’s leading companies 

in production. 

NUMBER OF STAFF: 

700 

PRODUCTS: 

The generators and associate products are produced in Germany 

and Poland. 

PRODUCT RANGE: 

Induction processing plays a decisive role in high tech manufacturing. 

Trumpf Hüttinger’s induction heating generators cover a wide 

range of applications in the high tech industry like float zone process 

for silicon wafer production, crystal growing such as sapphire 

glass, epitaxy for LED production and inductively coupled plasma 

for surface treatment. This is in addition to traditional processes like 

hardening, soldering and melting. 

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES: 

Trumpf Hüttinger also offers special services to its customers: test 

set-ups in the application lab, development and design of application-specific 

inductor coils. At the core of all activities stands the 

compre-hensive and individual support and advisory services for 

all clients, with the goal of creating long-lasting and productive 

partnerships. 

CERTIFICATION: 

Certification ISO 9001 since 2008. 

SERVICE POTENTIALS: 

The structure of Trumpf Hüttinger Service guarantees fast and 

qualified service. In different countries all over the world (Germany, 

Poland, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, United States) the company 

provides hotline support, field service, and certified repair centres 

are available. Beside the fast service repair program Trumpf Hüttinger 

offers Service Contract programs, Application and repair 

trainings and maintenance and installation support. 

INTERNET ADDRESS: 

www.trumpf-huettinger.com 


2-2014 IMPRINT 


Volume 12 · Issue 2 · May 2014 

Official Publication 

Editors 

Advisory Board 

Publishing House 

Managing Editor 

Editorial Office 

CECOF – European Committee of Industrial Furnace and Heating Equipment Associations 

H. Berger, AICHELIN Ges.m.b.H., Mödling, Prof. Dr.-Ing. A. von Starck, Appointed Professor for Electric Heating at RWTH 

Aachen, Dr. H. Stumpp, Chairman of the Association for Thermal Process Technology within VDMA, CTO Tenova Iron & 

Steel Group 

Dr. H. Altena, Aichelin Ges.m.b.H., Prof. Dr.-Ing. E. Baake, Institute for Electrothermal Processes, Leibniz University of 

Hanover, Dr.-Ing. F. Beneke, VDMA, Prof. Y. Blinov, St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University “Leti“, Russia, René 

Branders, President of CECOF, Mike Debier, CECOF, Dr.-Ing. F. Kühn, LOI Thermprocess GmbH, Dipl.-Ing. W. Liere-Netheler, 

Elster GmbH, H. Lochner, EBNER Industrieofenbau GmbH, Prof. S. Lupi, University of Padova, Dept. of Electrical Eng., Italy, 

Prof. Dr.-Ing. H. Pfeifer, RWTH Aachen, Dipl.-Phys. M. Rink, Ipsen International GmbH, Dipl.-Ing. St. Schalm, Vulkan-Verlag 

GmbH, M.Sc. S. Segerberg, Heattec Värmebehandling AB, Sweden, Dr.-Ing. A. Seitzer, SMS Elotherm GmbH, Dr.-Ing. P. Wendt, 

LOI Thermprocess GmbH, Dr.-Ing. J. G. Wünning, WS Wärmeprozesstechnik GmbH, Dr.-Ing. T. Würz, CECOF 

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INDUCTION SOLUTIONS. 

HARD TO BEAT! 

With their developments and system 

solutions SMS Elotherm and the associated 

IAS have set new standards in 

induction technology for decades. The 

medium-sized internationally operating 

companies are part of the SMS group. 

As technology leaders, SMS Elotherm 

and IAS combine all competences when 

it comes to induction. 

■ Induction heating of metals for 

forging, rolling and extruding 

■ Induction hardening and 

quench & temper 

■ Induction welding, annealing and 

special technology for tubes 

■ Continuous induction strip heating 

■ Induction kinetics 

■ Induction melting 

■ Service worldwide 

www.ias-induction.com 

www.sms-elotherm.com 

Induction Hardening 

Induction Heating

HEAT PROCESSING Read all about the exhibition in the Aluminium 2014 Special (Vorschau)

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