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

摘要

ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor utilizes a hot rolling process to reheat semi-finished steel slabs nearly to their melting point before reaching 13 successive rolling mill stands driven by motors, coiling up steel sheet for transport to the next process. After exiting the finishing mills, the steel is carried through 10 banks of low-pressure, high-volume water sprays that cool the strip to between 1,000°F and 1,250°F. The cooling system was reliant on antiquated line starters for control of the constant speed pumps powering the process. Constant speed pumps led to energy waste that could be prevented through the application of adjustable frequency drives. This paper offers a case study outlining the modernization of the laminar cooling control system at the Burns Harbor mill, which delivered annual operational cost savings in excess of US$500,000.