Steelmakers could save millions of dollars a year with an award-winning
laser based technology that offers real time monitoring of the chemical
composition and temperature of molten metal.
The new laser-based technology developed by Dr Szymon Kubal with
Swansea University spin-out company Kubal-Wraith in collaboration with Tata
Steel UK ; offers real time monitoring of the chemical composition and
temperature in molten metal furnaces. The process was developed to overcome the
flaws of the existing monitoring system which breaks the production process and
increases production cost.
Dr Kubal says the real time laser monitoring process is developed
after adapting and combining contemporary developments in refractory
manufacturing and laser metrology which enable continuous monitoring without
hindering the production
The working of new laser monitoring
Dr Kubal’s laser monitoring process overcomes the existing flaw by
projecting a laser beam directly into a molten furnace through a refractory
gas-swept channel in the furnace wall. This provides real-time monitoring of the
chemical composition and temperature in molten metal furnaces without stopping
the production process. Dr.Kubal explained that the previous attempts of laser
measurement techniques have been ineffective because metallic accretions block
the channel through which the laser is probing, making the devices unreliable.
Hurdle in existing monitoring system
In the process of steel making, several samples of molten metal are
collected to check composition and the temperature is also measured plenty of
time. With the existing monitoring process, expensive disposable probes are
immersed into the molten metal to take samples and measure temperature. This
makes the present process costly and time-consuming as compared to the new
process.
Benefits of the new technology
There are over 1000 molten metal furnaces worldwide according to
World Steel Association data. By adopting this new technology, each could see
significant cost savings, increased throughput, and a reduction in the use of
consumables through adopting the new continuous process control of temperature
and composition. This technology was initially developed aiming at steel plants
but the technology is also suitable and applicable to other metal making
sectors such as aluminum, copper, and nickel.
What is SteelVia
SteelVia is an initiative that will bring the best minds from the
global steel industry under one roof, to showcase and discuss the disruptive
and cutting-edge technological innovation. If you wish to keep pace with the
fast-changing trends of the industry, click on the link for more
information www.steelvia.com
