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EAF Steelmaking
Gerdau Ameristeel Starts up Pneumatic Injection System at Jacksonville EAF
May 6, 2009 Gerdau Ameristeel recently started up an additional pneumatic dolo-lime injection system at its 90-ton EAF in Baldwin, Fla.
The new injection system, which was supplied by MORE srl, Italy, complements a MORE chemical energy package that has been in operation at the furnace since 2007.
MORE’s scope of supply for the new dolo-lime pneumatic injection system comprised a MOLI dispenser and a LIMEJET burner/ injector, a combined burner/fluxes injector with a 3-MW burner mode that incorporates MORE’s innovative MSF-Mixed Swirl Flame technology. MORE was also responsible for integration of the automation requirements into the existing PLC/HMI in service for the fix injection technology.
The new technology facilitates the addition of all required fluxes into the EAF melting process via pneumatic injection. In addition to eliminating the need to charge dolo-lime material through the roof hole or bucket charge, the new system also helps to improve foaming slag conditioning and facilitates improved control of slag viscosity and basicity by injecting the material directly into the slag/metal interface. The system also allows fluxes to be injected during the melting/superheating phases, and helps to achieve a cleaner meltshop environment.
Startup of the Gerdau Ameristeel Jacksonville system brings MORE’s fix injection technology scorecard to 110 EAF installations world-wide.
Located in Baldwin, Fla., Gerdau Ameristeel’s Jacksonville facility has a production capacity of one million tons/year of rebar products.