Tenova Revamps its Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) for ORI Martin, Italy
The two companies started their co-operation in 1998 with the supply by Tenova of the first Consteel® in Europe.
Castellanza – ORI Martin, one of the main European integrated steel groups which produces high-quality steel for the automotive, fastener, mechanical and building sectors, has awarded Tenova, a leading company in sustainable solutions for the green transition of the metals industry, a new contract to replace its Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) at its mill in Brescia (Italy). This latest contract continues the decades’ long partnership between the two companies which began in 1998, when ORI Martin presciently commissioned Tenova’s Consteel® EAF, making it the first Consteel® in Europe at the time. It remains the most sustainable technology for melting steel on the market to date. The revamping of ORI Martin’s EAF highlights the group’s ongoing commitment to evolve and innovate in its pursuit of a sustainable steel sector.
In 2015, after more than 15 years of production, Tenova was contracted to modernize the Consteel® unit, as well as install a heat recovery system on the primary off-gas line exiting the new Consteel® to recover the available thermal energy in the off-gas for the production of steam. The iRecovery® system continues to deliver thermal energy to Brescia’s district heating grid during winter, as well as feeding an ORC turbo-generator to produce electric energy for ORI Martin’s internal use. In 2019, Tenova partnered again with ORI Martin on the Lighthouse Plant “Acciaio_4.0”, a pioneering project supported by the Italian Smart Factory Cluster which created a Cyber Physical Factory by integrating the Industry 4.0 technologies in the steelmaking process.
Tenova has now been contracted to revamp the 25-year-old EAF – a demonstration of the reliability of its technologies. With this new contract, ORI Martin will finalize the revamping of their plant, optimizing consumption and process for the safe production of steel with minimal environmental impact.
The Brescia plant will also be ready for the installation of an Electro-Magnetic Stirrer with Tenova’s Consteerrer® process which will increase process efficiency. The Consteerrer® technology is an innovative electro-magnetic stirring system, developed through an exclusive worldwide partnership with ABB. It offers significantly low operating costs, extremely reliable and safe operations, as well as superior quality steel. The Consteerrer® enhances the Consteel® Evolution process with ABB’s ArcSave® non-contact electromagnetic stirring of the furnace’s liquid bath and can be customized to match the needs of different EAF process steps.
“We are delighted to continue this decades’ long partnership with ORI Martin, which is a true testament to the reliability of Tenova’s technologies and a great manifestation of ORI Martin’s trust in our company,” said Mario Marcozzi, Tenova Upstream Sales & Marketing Director.
“Sustainability has always been a core value at ORI Martin, as we have pursued strategies to protect the environment and facilitate a circular economy. As early as 1998, we were investing in technologies to mitigate our impact on the environment, which is how we came to Tenova, who has been a trusted and reliable partner throughout. With this latest generation Consteel® EAF, we are confident ORI Martin will continue to be one of the most flexible, efficient and environmentally friendly steel meltshops,” said Natale Gaudenzi, ORI Martin Plant Manager.
Start-up of the new furnace is scheduled for June 2024.