Environment
Special steel plant Kapfenberg: groundbreaking ceremony for environmental protection
27. April 2018
Special steel plant Kapfenberg: groundbreaking ceremony for environmental protection
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Volkmar Held
As a freelance writer, Volkmar Held reports for voestalpine on topics that move people. The content of his stories ranges from archaeometallurgy to future technologies.
Construction of the new high-tech plant at voestalpine BÖHLER Edelstahl GmbH & Co KG is also setting new standards in environmental protection.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the world’s most advanced special steel plant held on April 24, 2018 is not only a further step towards technological excellence and fully digitalized processes, it also sets a new benchmark in terms of environmental protection. Three examples show how dust, heat and noise–all byproducts of production–can be minimized.
Dedusting
The effective dedusting of all melting units and the production hall is a basic element in environmental protection and employee welfare. The new special steel plant will achieve top performance with a dedusting volume of 3.8 Sm3 (standard cubic meters) per hour. The plant processes will be regulated in order to reduce the noise of the blowers and the consumption of electrical energy: their output will be adjusted to reflect the particular production situation, e.g. with peaks during charging and tapping. The dedusting facility sets a new benchmark by remaining significantly below the statutory emissions limits.
Noise protection
Focusing protective measures where noise originates is the most efficient means of reducing noise. The level of noise created by an electric arc furnace (EAF) during some of the process phases reaches pain thresholds. For that reason the EAF in the new special steel plant will be enclosed in a so-called doghouse in order to reduce the noise level. Supported by absorbent panels, it prevents noise being carried into the production hall and surroundings. A similar form of sheathing also minimizes the operating noise of the dedusting blowers. The pipes used by the dedusting facility and installed under the hall roof will also be insulated.
Waste heat
A modern waste heat and heat recovery concept contributes significantly to increasing energy efficiency at the new special steel plant. The heat generated in the melting units will be temporarily stored in a boiler from where it is fed into the internal voestalpine district heating network–with an appreciable environmental impact:
"The heat from the furnaces is rendered utilizable; the majority is fed into Kapfenberg's district heating network, with the rest used at the plant itself to provide refrigeration, for example. In this way we can avoid the need to produce up to 22 GWh of district heating each year."
Cooling
Facilities such as server equipment and control rooms also need cooling at the new special steel plant. Absorption technology is applied so that the heat produced in the plant can be used for cooling purposes, removing the need for electricity-powered compression machines.
The production facilities in the new SSP are cooled using a closed circuit, a so-called recooling system. Compared to the existing electro-steel plant, the extraction of cooling water and its subsequent return into the Thörlbach River will be reduced by over 90%.
"Cooling Facilities such as server equipment and control rooms also need cooling at the new special steel plant. Absorption technology is applied so that the heat produced in the plant can be used for cooling purposes, removing the need for electricity-powered compression machines. The production facilities in the new SSP are cooled using a closed circuit, a so-called recooling system. Compared to the existing electro-steel plant, the extraction of cooling water and its subsequent return into the Thörlbach River will be reduced by over 90%."
- More on focus environment: http://www.voestalpine.com/environment
- voestalpine BÖHLER Edelstahl
Volkmar Held