Chinese steel producer Henan Yaxin Steel Group Co. Ltd. has placed an order with London-based Primetals Technologies to build and install two electric arc furnaces (EAF). The EAFs will be used by Henan Yaxin as it moves away from induction furnace production and converter steelmaking toward the EAF process. Commissioning of both new furnaces is scheduled for the first quarter of 2019.
Henan Yaxin operates integrated and compact steelmaking plants in five provinces and cities in China. The company currently has capacity of more than 10 million metric tons of steel output per year.
Primetals Technologies indicates it will supply the entire mechanical and electrical process equipment for both new EAF production lines, known as Quantum units.
The EAF Quantum combines elements of shaft furnace technology with a scrap feeding process, a preheating system, a tipping concept for the lower shell and a tap system designed to attain significantly reduced tap-to-tap times, according to Primetals.
Primetals indicates the electrical energy requirement of the Quantum is less than that of some other EAF technologies. “Overall, reductions of up to 30 percent of CO2 emissions per metric ton of crude steel can be attained when compared to conventional arc furnaces,” the firm states.
Primetals Technologies is a joint venture of Japan-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Germany-based Siemens.