In early 2015, Carmeuse, an American quicklime supplier, approached INTECO PTI, asking them to come up with an injection system specifically designed for their client, SDI Butler.
Steel Dynamics, Inc (SDI), located in Butler, Indiana, is a 3 million ton per year, flat rolled, hot strip steel mill, with four electric arc furnaces (EAF). The facility uses over 80,000 tons per year of dolomitic pebble quicklime. The current practice of adding the quicklime to the scrap charge bucket results in quicklime dust lost during bucket charging and to the baghouse. The dust is lost because the quicklime is degraded to powder in transportation and storage handling systems. This situation not only wastes quicklime, but also causes unsafe housekeeping issues, since exposure to ambient quicklime dust irritates workers' eyes, skin, and respiratory systems.
INTECO PTI had the right burner and injection design specific for SDI’s needs, increasing not only their efficiency, but also their operators' safety- and therefore was awarded with the contract for the supply of new injection systems for all four EAF furnaces.
With this new technology, the steelmarkers at SDI can precisely add combustion and fluxing materials to the steelmaking process as it occurs. The INTECO PTI injection method delivers lime material directly into the bath, which dramatically lowers waste that was previously lost to the baghouse system. The INTECO PTI Injection system uses smaller top size quicklime products at 3/8” as opposed to the pebble products used for top charging, which are ¾”. The injection quicklime is delivered in a pneumatic truck, blown into sealed storage bins and transferred to the furnace through an airtight system to avoid losing dust to the working areas of the shop. The final injection into the furnace is so exact that it delivers almost 100% of the quicklime to the steel bath/slag interface, precisely where it is needed.
This project is a wonderful example of a three way partnership and the powerful changes which can be effected when companies cooperate and work to find the best solution for all involved. This is a real life example of a Win, Win, Win.
