Iron & Steel manufacturers have to deal with a pressing demand for more productivity, quality, steel variety, low environmental emissions, energy and money saving they have never experienced before.
A more extensive use of mathematical models, refined conceptual instruments and experimental approaches allow attaining more pliable process-product binomials and prompter process control in less intrinsic stable processes.
RINA “know-how” and facilities support the technological achievements in all the process steps of both the integrated and the electrical route of steelmaking.
Deliverables
We can turn raw materials into iron, and iron into steel, by means of the following technological services:
- Characterization of chemical and physical properties of raw materials (e.g. iron ore, sinter and coke for BF; slag, casting powders, refractories) and their behaviour in the process
- Modelling of systems using computational thermodynamic techniques (e.g. control of inclusion scenario for clean steel and inclusion engineering, slag design)
- Process modelling for the operating conditions optimization (e.g. Dynamic model of BOF conversion, desulphurisation, post-combustion)
- Development of control system strategies for BF, EAF, AOD
- Development of new process technologies
- Laboratory determination of physical and chemical properties of metals and oxides at high temperature.
Focus on lab & facilities
High temperature chemistry laboratory
The High Temperature Chemistry Laboratory contains:
- Electrical furnaces equipped with a weighing machine for thermo-gravimetric tests and controlled atmosphere thermal treatments (up to 1650 °C) for the measurement of the weight change versus temperature on samples weighting up to 1 kg
- Thermal analysis equipment devoted to the Tg and DTA measurement in controlled atmosphere, up to the temperature of 2200 °C, on samples weighing up to 500 gr
- A rotoviscosimeter for slag and casting powders operating up to 1600 °C
- A laser flash apparatus for thermal diffusivity measurement, operating at up to 2000 °C
Material characterization laboratory
This laboratory contains:
- Polarising optical microscopes for the quantitative analysis, measurements in the transmitted and reflected light, textural analysis in the reflected light on non-metallic, cokes, oxides and carbonaceous materials
- Two heating microscopes (up to 1600 °C and 1700°C, respectively) for the measurement of the characteristic temperatures of materials (for melting, softening and deformation)
- An apparatus for the technological characterization of coal and coke
- Several furnaces of different sizes, heating rates and the possibility to work in a controlled atmosphere. Sampling could be done during the treatments.
