HANAU. Heraeus presented the first prize of the 2006 Heraeus Innovation Award, 2,500 Euros, to Johan Knevels of Heraeus Electro-Nite (Belgium) for a new steel sensor. In steel production, the finished steel is tapped by emptying the converter vessel into giant ladles (more than 400 tons capacity) and is then transferred to the next cleaning process. This is precisely where the steel sensor developed by Johan Knevels sets new standards. Optimal filling of the ladle is of critical importance in the tapping process. However, a definite freeboard must be kept available between the top edge of the ladle and the surface of the steel for the next step. An added impediment is that slag is carried along when the steel is poured, making it more difficult to visually estimate the fill level. The new measuring sensor from Heraeus Electro-Nite solves this problem. Carried on a lance, the single-use sensor automatically pierces through the slag layer at high speed until it reaches the surface of the steel. Using an electromagnetic measuring method, the sensor first measures the distance of the top layer of the slag. The measuring signal declines abruptly as soon as the sensor head contacts the layer of steel. These two signals make it possible to determine the distance from the surface of the steel to the edge of the ladle within two seconds. If the allowable clearance has not been reached, more steel can be automatically decanted into the appropriate ladle during the next filling. Productivity is thus increased by as much as five tons more steel per ladle. This saves time and costs. The latest member of the Heraeus Electro-Nite sensor family is already being used with great success in the steel industry.
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