Salzgitter Flachstahl is saving energy and protecting the environment!

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The converter in use

Salzgitter Flachstahl’s energy efficiency program has already achieved its first successes. The program is responsible for identifying potential savings, reducing energy consumption and thereby saving resources.

For example, in the first quarter of 2010, optimizing converter gas production in the steelworks generated sufficient energy to heat 2,300 single-family homes for one year.

Converter gas is a byproduct of the generation of crude steel from pig iron and scrap.

In this manufacturing process, the pig iron and steel scrap are treated with oxygen in a converter to remove the carbon present in the pig iron. This air-refining process produces combustible converter gas that, drawing on the relevant plant technology, is stored as process exhaust gas and then used in the power station to generate process steam and electricity.

By adapting the measuring and control technology and by means of process control, it is now possible to obtain a larger amount of this energy-rich gas for use in power stations.