The system delivers proven sustainability benefits for the entire production process. Our innovative EAF technology significantly reduces the carbon footprint of steel production. Advanced power electronics minimize fossil fuel usage, electrode consumption, and electrical energy requirements during the melting process.
The EAF is coming with a lot of new technological developments including the latest generation of SMS group armored sampling robots and is feeding the CMT® for continuous production of steel bars. The power feeding technology of the 75 MVA power DC furnace is equipped with SMS group’s AURA technology. This is a digital feeding technology replacing conventional technologies like thyristors to regulate power feeding and is reducing the grid impact significantly. The furnace operator benefits from various advantages like reduced consumption of electrical energy and reduced consumption of electrodes.
Thanks the advanced development, testing methods and the usage of RTDS simulations (Real-Time Digital Simulator), the system was pre-tuned before delivering to site. This permitted an easy and smooth commissioning: a real “plug and play” ensuring a smooth and fast start-up of the system that concentrates modern and consolidated technologies, is fully modular and redundant.
Furthermore, the system can be scaled with the furnace size. The modularity reduces spare parts inventory and eases maintenance. Based on the modular design, reliable operations and reduced power operation in case of one module is out of service, can be achieved. X-Pact AURA will allow flicker and harmonics reduction, making it particularly interesting to reduce impact from EAF operation on power grid operation.
SMS group’s furnace technology with the X-Pact AURA system is one of the key building blocks on our road to continuously improve technologies for EAF steelmaking supporting our customers on their road to sustainable green steel production with maximum efficiency.
Further advantages of X-Pact AURA compared to a conventional thyristor solution:
- Very low flicker level
- Low harmonics generation (> 36 pulse equiv.)
- No phase unbalance
- High power factor (0.95 @LV)
- Low power losses
- Faster control due to higher switching frequency
- Constant power control
- Less reactive power exchanged with the grid
- Increase of power transfer efficiency to liquid steel
- Increase productivity at same power
- Decrease power same productivity
- Higher availability with less spares