Modification of tundish dryers and pre-heaters

Client

Stainless Steel manufacturer


Product

Tundish Drying and Pre-Heating infrastructure


Services / Products

• Project management
• Bespoke tundish design and manufacture
• Safety Systems
• Controls

Scope of Service

Various projects were undertaken to create and develop tundish drying and pre-heating infrastructure over a number of years. These were made necessary as the continuous casting plant was modified from solely slab casting to combicasting (slabs and blooms) and ultimately billet casting.

The original single strand slab caster required tundish dryers and pre-heaters including submerged entry nozzle heaters.

The dryers were in the repair bay and used a single high velocity burner on each unit operating with fixed air modulating fuel (Natural Gas) with “T” outlets to achieve the necessary low temperature control required for drying.

The multi-burner pre-heaters were on the casting floor, positioned to allow the tundishes to be pre-heated in-line for rapid transport by the turret into the casting position. The dryer and pre-heater lids are manipulated pneumatically.

Simple pre-mix SEN burner nozzles were used. In due course the casting machine was developed for casting either single strand slab or twin strand blooms.

This required a revised tundish design with three outlets; the centre one for slabs and the outer two for blooms with weirs. This required the dryers and heaters to be re-designed.

The dryers were refitted with three burners and a revised lid. The pre-heaters lids were re-modelled to include slots for three stopper mechanisms with covers and air knifes to seal the appropriate slots that were not required depending on operations.

A further development was to incorporate a six strand billet caster. Both the billet caster dryers and pre-heaters were fitted with five burners with the pre-heater lids having six stopper cut-outs. Both types of lid are manipulated hydraulically.

As all these developments progressed the systems used incorporated enhanced levels of safety and controls to reduce energy consumption.

Benefits of our work

• Modernised plant
• Improved safety for people and plant
• Easier operation due to improved operator interface
• Improved manufacturing performance