Presentation at an academic conference in China of the eco-friendly high-efficiency arc furnace ECOARC™ – A lecture given by Benxi Iron & Steel, our customer

18. Apr, 2023

講演風景WEB

Steel Plantech delivered the eco-friendly high-efficiency arc furnace ECOARC™ to Benxi Iron & Steel (*1), a steelmaking company in China. The first ECOARC™ unit has been operating since October last year.

This company gave a lecture on the technologies and operational details of this equipment at the 2023 National Academic Conference on Scrap and Electric Furnace Metallurgy (*2) held on April 13–14, 2023 in Hebei, China.

At this lecture, Mr. Haifeng WANG, Chief Engineer of the Special Steel Business Unit, who was in charge of the ECOARC™ introduction project, explained the high energy-saving performance of this equipment, a decisive factor in its introduction, comparing it with equipment from other electric furnace manufacturers. He made a persuasive presentation including matters such as the disclosure of operational parameters at each phase after the start of operation.

The participant companies asked questions on the specific energy saving data and the molten iron charging process, which suggests that they are highly interested in the first ECOARC™ in the Chinese market.

We have delivered nine ECOARC™ series units in Japan and overseas, and one is now under construction. In the Chinese market, Unit-2 for Benxi Iron & Steel will come into operation during this fiscal year.
Amid the trend toward decarbonization, in which electric furnaces are attracting attention all over the world, Steel Plantech will expand our activities further, seeking more orders in the Chinese market.

*1. Benxi Iron & Steel (Group) Co., Ltd.
With its long history in the Chinese steelmaking industry since its establishment in 1905, the company produces more than 60 types of products such as steel wires, reinforcing steel, piping steel, various special steels, hot rolled steel sheets, cold rolled steel sheets, galvanized steel sheets, and stainless steel.
In 2021, the company merged with Anshan Iron and Steel in Liaoning, home to both companies, to become a steelmaking company with a crude steel production capacity ranking second in China and third in the world (as of 2021). 

*2. 2023 National Academic Conference on Scrap and Electric Furnace Metallurgy
This conference was hosted by the Scrap Group and the Electric Furnace Metallurgy Group of the Chinese Society for Metals, the largest science and technology association in China, as well as the Hebei Province Society for Metals and the China Association of Metalscrap Utilization. Its aim is to share information on electric furnace processes in this era of decarbonization and promoting technological exchange.
It was held on 13–14 April of this year with more than 200 participants each day from organizations including steelmaking companies, universities, scrap R&D companies, and scrap disposal companies.

Related Products

Ecological and Economical Arc Furnace (ECOARC™)

ECOARC™, the ecological and economical arc furnace developed independently by Steel Plantech, is filled with innovative technology. It comes with advanced scrap preheating technology that eliminates the white smoke and foul odors generated when melting scrap metal, and addresses environmental requirements of the future. Furthermore, it is equipped with melting technology that achieves higher productivity than conventional electric arc furnaces.

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