Reheating furnaces at Çolakoğlu to meet steel market demand
Çolakoğlu Metalurji is a leading steelmaker in Turkey producing slabs, bars, hot rolled coils, blooms, and billets for the European and Asian markets. The company was looking for a new technology capable of reheating high-quality steel to meet the increasing demands of the automotive industry.
They entrusted Fives with supplying a second Stein Digit@l Furnace®, following the successful installation of the first one.
“The Çolakoğlu Metalurji’s decision to invest in the second furnace was driven by market growth. We also had limitations on the existing furnace, creating a bottleneck for the existing hot strip mill. When looking for new reheating technology, we targeted capacity, efficiency, and decarbonization features in line with our commitment to meet market demands while prioritizing environmental sustainability,” says Sercan Bahadir, Production Engineer - Hot Strip Mill at Çolakoğlu Metalurji.
First high-quality product
The new Stein Digit@l Furnace® represents a significant step forward in terms of production capacity. It is capable of reheating slabs of up to 40 tonnes with a maximum capacity of 450 tonnes per hour, ensuring improved efficiency and performance.
“The main challenge in this project was meeting short deadlines: the production had to start quickly while ensuring precise and safe installation. Working closely together, we started the installation in early September 2023 and stabilized it within five months, including the critical task of balancing the combustion airflow. The first high-quality hot product was discharged on September 5, 2023, and sent directly to the mill for rolling,” explains Dominique Resseguier, Project Manager at Fives Stein, a Fives subsidiary specializing in thermal technology.
Energy efficiency
The furnace is equipped with new-generation Central Wide Flame (CWF) and Modulated Wide Flame (MWF) burners that offers high operational flexibility and decreases gas consumption. Moreover, enhanced thermal operation is guaranteed by VirtuoTM-R, an innovative furnace control solution to improve heating and energy efficiency.
“VirtuoTM-R solution from Fives allows us to control the uniformity in the furnace and easily manage the process through an automation system. This advanced thermal solution has helped us reduce energy consumption up to 10 percents while improving uniformity and temperature accuracy,” says Fatih Eker, Project Manager at Çolakoğlu Metalurji.
The final acceptance certificate for the project was issued in December 2023, just four months after the furnace was installed, confirming that the state-of-the-art technology from Fives can meet required production schedules and final product quality. Over the past decade, Fives has installed more than 100 reheating furnaces for leading steelmakers worldwide.