Salzgitter Flachstahl to install hydrogen-ready walking beam furnace

The Salzgitter Group, through its subsidiary Salzgitter Flachstahl, is investing in a new hydrogen-compatible walking beam furnace from Tenova Italimpianti. In these special furnaces in the hot strip mill, slabs are heated to up to 1,300 degrees Celsius before being rolled into steel strips (coils).

As Thomas Routschek, Operations Director, Hot Flat Products Division, Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH stated: "With the new furnace, we will be reducing our energy requirements for slab heating in the hot flat steel area by up to 30 %. This is another significant step towards reducing the CO2 footprint of flat steel products. Subsequent to successful commissioning, all the slabs produced at the Salzgitter site will be processed in the walking beam furnaces in future.”

Transition towards green energy solutions

According to Tenova, the furnace has a capacity of 320 t/h and is designed to process slabs – blocks of cast steel – in single and double-row configurations. It features a combustion air pre-heating system to significantly reduce overall energy consumption. Additionally, it will be equipped with hydrogen burners, enabling the transition towards green energy solutions, and with oxygen injection zones, optimizing combustion efficiency and reducing fuel consumption. The heat recovery system will capture waste heat to generate steam that will be distributed throughout the plant, thereby reducing the overall plant energy demand.
This strategic project marks the third modern walking beam furnace to be installed at the Salzgitter Flachstahl plant. The two existing furnaces have also been supplied by Tenova Italimpianti.
Source: Tenova, Salzgitter