This past May, Process-Electronic Sp. z o.o., a member of United Process Controls, was invited by the Polish Steel Association (HIPH) to an exclusive gathering of its top business leaders to present the benefits of combustion optimization in steel reheating. Following the presentation was a lively Q&A session with many participants asking great questions. Below we highlight a few questions and responses:

Question 1: In our situation, the furnace’s outlets are situated by the door. What impact can this placement have on sensors readings?
Answer: False air can have an adverse effect on sensors readings, therefore the location of the sensors is thoroughly considered before their installation. In most cases, the sensors are located in the heating and soaking zones, where the impact of the false air is minimized. It’s also for this reason that the outlets are encased in a protective housing.

Question 2: Is it possible to use the OxyFire™ technology for ladle soaking?
Answer: Since ladle soaking is an external process, outside of the steel preheating process, the OxyFire™ technology is not compatible with this operation.

Question 3: What is the payback period of the solution presented in your case study?
Answer: Payback depends on the scope of work applied. It varies from a couple of months in case of visualization to over a year in case of full burner control. The solution provided to BGH Polska Sp. z o.o. relied on the implementation of gas/air correctors, hence the full burner control was employed. With a 5% savings in natural gas consumption, about 23,670 m3 per month, the payback period for BGH was reduced to 4 months.