Steel Rolling Mill Achieves Target of Reduced Operational Costs via Cooling System Upgrade

摘要

ArcelorMittaPs second largest facility in the U.S., located in Burns Harbor, Indiana, is a fully integrated steehnaking facility capable of producing five million tons of raw steel annually and serving many leading industries, including automotive, construction, shipbuilding, and rail. Like many other steel mills across North America, the facility was commissioned over 50 years ago with electrical systems and process equipment that are well maintained but outdated. Market conditions and price pressures due to the increased influx of imported steel from low-cost countries and rising energy costs have forced the site leadership to constantly seek new opportunities to reduce operating costs to remain competitive. The purpose of this paper is to review a case study of a successful energy project at the Burns Harbor mill involving the addition of five new variable frequency drives (VFDs) used to regulate flow of the high-volume water spray system for the runout table (ROT). The paper will outline 1) processes used in justifying new technology updates, 2) mill alignment with the serving electric utility to leverage energy credits, 3) equipment selection and installation and 4) metrics used to demonstrate the project delivered the desired payback.