Rapid operational analysis in line with requirements in the chemical laboratories of Salzgitter Flachstahl.
20.01.2021 | Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH
The time requirements for the preparation of analysis data for process control in the various operating areas of Salzgitter Flachstahl have increased significantly in recent years. Whereas a few years ago it was sufficient to provide analysis parameters only after hours or days, today data is required much earlier in order to control processes more closely. This has increasingly been reflected in the testing and analysis procedures used by chemical laboratories, e.g. various analysis methods have been automated. This will be illustrated by means of four examples from industrial analytics - in the past and today.
Alloying agents for metallurgical treatment in the steel mill are sampled after delivery by ship or truck and analyzed in the laboratory after appropriate sample preparation. Whereas in the past the sample was dissolved in acid in a longer process and analyzed on a spectrometer, for some years now the sample has been melted into a borate tablet and analyzed with X-rays. This makes it possible to provide the composition of the alloying agent, including mechanical sample preparation, in just one day.
Another time-enhanced analytical method is the automated determination of the ash and volatile components content in coking coals. These determinations are needed promptly for the coking process in the coking plant. In this case, an automated system allows up to 29 samples to be analyzed simultaneously. Previously, the samples had to be processed manually one after the other. As a result, the required analysis parameters are now available.
It has also been possible to significantly accelerate the analysis of the oil content and the presence of tramp oils (saponification number) in the rolling emulsion of the cold rolling mill. Whereas in the past the oil content of the emulsion was determined gravimetrically and the saponification number had to be determined in a complex chemical reaction, these parameters are now available as infrared spectroscopic measurements after extraction of the oil after only about 30 minutes.
A fourth method is able to produce a semi-quantitative analysis within a few minutes of pressing an unknown sample of unknown weight into solid boric acid. In many cases, this rapid analysis is sufficient for identification of the substance, e.g., a statement about deposits in pipes.
These examples show that rapid operational analysis meets the increased time requirements for analytical data. Modern analytics thus improves process control and thus also the quality of the products produced.