In the presence of NRW’s prime minister Hendrik Wüst, thyssenkrupp Steel recently inaugurated its newest hot-dip galvanizing line 10 (FBA 10) in Dortmund, Germany. The new line sets a global benchmark in energy efficiency and low-emission heating. By using modern regenerative burners from WS Wärmeprozesstechnik GmbH in double-P radiant tubes, the plant typically saves between 15% and 30% fuel as compared with conventionally heated furnaces. At the same time, particularly low NOx emission values are achieved, thanks to the patented FLOX® combustion process. Due to its high efficiency and the excellent temperature uniformity of the radiant tubes used, the heating system also creates a perfect basis for a later switch to green fuels such as hydrogen.
With a total of three vertical strip-processing lines, the thyssenkrupp plant in Dortmund is one of the world's most modern locations for the annealing and surface finishing of steel strip. Together, the three lines can process up to 2,000,000 metric tons of steel per year. WS already delivered nearly 800 modern gas burners to the Dortmund location, making it one of the most advanced and environmentally friendly sites worldwide. Regarding the regenerative burners used for FBA10, Dr. Clemens Trachternach, team leader of FBA 10, says: "It is the best technology available on the market, which we are installing in order to really future-proof the plant and still safely undercut the emission limits many, many years from now."
Crucial to meeting this goal is the decades of experience at WS with the multiple award-winning and patented FLOX® technology, which is already successfully in use in tens of thousands of burners worldwide. The FLOX® combustion technology allows highly efficient burners to be operated with particularly low NOx emission levels. "It is our ambition at WS, to provide solutions for all continuously operated strip lines which can reliably attain NOx emissions well below 100 mg/Nm³, with simultaneously high combustion efficiency over 80% and which are, already today, suited for a future with green combustion gases" says Dr.-Ing. Wünning, President of WS Wärmeprozesstechnik GmbH.
Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minsiter Winfried Kretschmann visits WS in Renningen to find out about activities in the field of hydrogen. In addition to the production of green hydrogen from biogas and decentralized ammonia cracking, the high-ranking visit also focuses on the highly efficient and low-emission industrial burners manufactured by WS.
The new research field of thermal process technology is dedicated to the goal of defossilizing high-temperature processes above 1,000 °C. While some processes are flexible enough to be heated with renewable electricity, climate-neutral fuels will be necessary for many applications in the future.
Continuous and recently even particularly strong increases in sales figures prove that the REGEMAT® 250 is the new gold standard for modern strip galvanizing lines. Customers are impressed by the lowest NOx values with maximum efficiency as well as its future viability thanks to its outstanding suitability for operation with hydrogen.
The WS Group is looking forward to an exciting and successful year 2024. We are expecting the completion and commissioning of several pioneering investments. On the product side, our customers can also look forward to various innovations and further developments that will make a decisive contribution to their success in achieving true sustainability.
Sustainability and efficiency were the key objectives in the design of thyssenkrupp's state-of-the-art hot-dip coating line FBA 10. COO Dr. Heike Denecke-Arnold and Dr. Clemens Trachternach, Team Leader FBA 10, provide an exciting insight into the various parts of the ultra-modern line.
A long-term test of high-efficiency and ultra-low-emission burner technology from WS Wärmeprozesstechnik at Waelzholz demonstrated that hydrogen can be used very well as a fuel gas to heat silicon strip lines.
