Process lab of the future: Structural work completed
Trial and error in production? Not an option in the production of high-quality steel. The voestalpine Steel Division has always relied on accurate analyses in the production process in order to maintain the quality of its steel at the highest level. We take sampling and testing seriously: The liquid phase is regularly sampled and analyzed in the company process lab that is in operation around the clock, and sampling will be even more frequent and quick in the future because a larger amount of scrap is used in the production process of the electric arc furnace (EAF). Im adaptierten und erweiterten Labor-Gebäude BG02 findet die Prozessanalytik den idealen Platz, um eine kontinuierliche, präzise Analysenqualität sicherzustellen.
Major steps in the green transformation
Die Rohbaufertigstellung der Gebäudeerweiterung ist daher ein weiterer wichtiger Schritt auf der greentec steel-Reise Richtung grüner Stahlproduktion. Four powerful roof trusses made of precast concrete parts weighing 30 tons each were lifted by crane on 25 March 2025. Then the top floor was constructed, and the shell construction was completed at the end of April. Now construction on other structures are is in full swing on the construction site. Close coordination in the course of the project will become even more essential as the next steps are taken.
Process laboratory: How it works
Each sample of the liquid phase is transported fully automatically from the numerous feeding points to the process lab in a modern pneumatic dispatch system that is operated by merely pushing a button. The pneumatic dispatch line is about the size of a 2-euro coin and transports samples to special reception stations where they are opened, samples taken and, if necessary, cooled.
The sample surfaces are prepared and examined in high-precision analytical instruments, where more than 30 chemical elements and various other parameters are determined. The results flow directly back into the steelmaking plant, where the analysis values are used to initiate specific alloying and treatment steps in order to precisely achieve the desired chemical composition of the steel. It takes an average of less than five minutes from insertion of the sample to final analysis.
Next steps Steel structure, production systems, startup
Once the shell has been completed, the next steps will be taken to complete the new process lab:
April–June 2025 Construction of steel structure: East stair tower, analysis platform, robot substructure, maintenance room for pneumatic dispatch system
July–September 2025 Roof waterproofing, painting, ventilation system, ceiling installations, ceiling suspension, new facade, existing facade
September–December 2025 Production equipment support structures, floor installations, raised floor
January–February 2026: Glass partition, residual work
From March through October of 2026 Assembly and startup
November 2026: Conversion from existing to new production line
2026: Ready for technology
It will get particularly exciting in 2026: Assembly of the new fully automated production line will begin in March. The existing and new pneumatic dispatch system will be installed. Startup will begin three months later and will be quite challenging: The transformation from the existing to the new production line will take place during a planned two-shift shutdown of the steelmaking plant. Final work activities will be expedited, such as enclosure of the final meters of the pneumatic dispatch system.
Conclusion: Highest quality guaranteed
Thanks to this coordinated procedure, the process lab will be able to supply the existing LD3 and blast furnaces with production-relevant process data even during the final construction and relocation activities. The EAF and the HBI (hot-briquetted Iron) supply lines will be connected in January 2027. Secondary Metallurgy 5 will be connected in April 2027. This is why the two core TransMet sub-projects are running at full speed to ensure a smooth supply of production-critical analyses.
Go 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.