TWT FLUID TREATMENT FOR THE STEEL INDUSTRY

DOE-OIT "INDUSTRY OF THE FUTURE"
Application Triangular Wave Technical Benefits
Wastewater transfer lines Deposit control in pipe lines.
Cooling process Deposit control in cooling towers and cooling water transfer pipes.
Dust control and electrostatic precipitators Deposit control on precipitator plates and water nozzles.
Rolling plants - cooling water and water to flush impurities Deposit, biofilm, and bacteria control in pipe lines and roller channels
Rolling stock Control scale deposits in the cooling systems and radiators of trucks, generators and locomotives
Typical equipment that will benefit from TWT systems Boilers, heat exchangers, rollers, transfer lines, pumps, valves, rollers, condensers, and cooling towers
Steel plants use a tremendous amount of water for waste transfer, cooling, and dust control. The plants have sintering mills, coke plants, electricity and gas for furnaces, chemical by-products and chemical processes, water cooled rolls, pumps, slab furnaces, mandrels, extrusion equipment, waste water treatment, transfer lines for sludges and slurries.
  • Rolling plants use a tremendous amount of water to cool the rollers and flush the impurities away from the finished stock. This coolant is a mixture of oils and water which gets contaminated with bacteria and must be disposed of as a hazardous waste. The Triangular Wave Deposit Control System acts to "homogenize" the oil/water mixture and keep it well mixed. Furthermore, the bacteria remains suspended in the water where it will not be able to feed and propagate. Eventually the bacteria die off.
  • Pumping energy costs rise as the pumps and lines become clogged. Triangular Wave Deposit Control Systems keep the lines and pumps clean and the energy costs down.
  • Scale and other deposits on boilers, heat exchangers and cooling towers rob the process of energy efficiency and cost maintenance time and chemical treatment costs. Triangular Wave Deposit Control Systems control deposits and add to the profitability of the operation.
The steel industry is one of the nine vital "Industries of the Future" designated by The US EPA Office of Industrial Technologies.  According to the OIT, these nine industries necessarily use large amounts of heat and energy* to physically or chemically transform materials. Collectively, they supply 90% of the materials vital to our economy, produce $1 trillion in annual shipments, directly employ over 3 million people, and indirectly provide an additional 12 million jobs at all skill levels.

The steel industry is vital to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security.  It employs over 150,000 people in well-paying jobs and is among the most productive, efficient, and technologically sophisticated industries in the world.  For example, many grades of steel in use today could not have been made even 10 years ago.  Traditionally valued for its impressive strength, steel has also become the most recycled material, with 55 percent of U.S. steel now produced from scrap.  

Since energy represents about 15 percent of the total manufacturing cost for steel, steelmakers are highly motivated to reduce energy intensity.  The steel industry has made significant progress in reducing energy intensity, but still accounts for about 2% of all U.S. energy use.  Since blast furnaces must reach temperatures of about 2,800° F, it is not surprising that ironmaking is the most energy-intensive part of the steelmaking process, accounting by itself for nearly 40% of the energy used in the process.

*To learn more about energy and cost savings using TWT fluid management systems, click here.  TWT Deposit Control Systems and comprehensive integrated treatment solutions provide the steel industry and other metals processing sectors with extensive benefits and significant return on investment in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner.

HOME     SEARCH