Power for the process: steam drum installed in the electric steelmaking plant

The 75-metric-ton steam drum has arrived at the greentec steel construction site of the electric steel plant and has been hoisted into its designated position—a process requiring absolute precision during both transport and lifting.

Sophisticated transport

The journey from the manufacturer in Siegen, Germany, to Linz was a challenge in itself: With a diameter of 3.1 meters and a length of 14 meters, the oversized load required a 36-meter-long transport vehicle. To stay within the required transport dimensions, the drum had to be rotated by 24 degrees. After being transferred from the heavy-haul trailer to a self-propelled modular transporter, it was moved across the plant grounds to its assembly point at the electric steel plant—precisely measured and aligned with the necessary mounting points.

Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (selbstfahrender Modultransporter): Mithilfe eines speziellen fahrerlosen Transportfahrzeugs wurde die Dampftrommel innerhalb des Werksgelände zum Einbauort gebracht.
Präzise verortet: Nach korrekter Positionierung wurden die Halterungen final fixiert und das Hebesystem abgebaut.

Hoisting process: expertly threaded

The massive component then had to be lifted through the steel framework of the heat recovery system, which required it to be tilted to approximately 60 degrees at the bottom. For this intricate lifting operation, four strand jacks—two in a fixed position and two on a sliding system—were installed on the boiler platform at a height of 55 meters. Once it reached its final height, the drum was leveled horizontally and measured several times. After confirming the correct position, the brackets were permanently secured. The tension on the strand jacks was then released, and the lifting system was dismantled.

To greentec steel

The greentec steel project of voestalpine is an ambitious step-by-step plan that makes a valuable contribution to the achievement of the climate goals. As a first step, the voestalpine Group plans to replace two blast furnaces with two electric arc furnaces (EAFs) by the year 2027. The investment volume amounts to roughly 1.5 billion euros.   

Carbon emissions can be reduced by up to 30% as early as 2029 by making this switch from the blast furnace to the EAF. This corresponds to a savings of nearly 4 million tons of CO2 per year, amounting to nearly 5% of the carbon emissions in Austria. This makes greentec steel the largest climate protection program in Austria. 

The two electric-arc furnaces will enable voestalpine to produce roughly 2.5 million tons of carbon-reduced steel by the year 2027, roughly 1.6 million tons in Linz and 850,000 tons in Donawitz. Learn more about greentec steel here.