Ebner to Supply New Bell Annealer Facility for Bohler Uddeholm
09/04/2009 - Bohler Uddeholm orders an additional EBNER HICON/H2 bell annealer facility capable of reaching new energy efficiency milestones.
Bohler Uddeholm Precision Strip has placed an order with Ebner Furnaces Inc. for the world’s largest bell annealer facility for medium width steel strip. The new facility will be an addition to Bohler Uddeholm’s already existing EBNER facility.
The new bell annealer facility comprises six HICON/H2 workbases, three heating bells and three cooling bells. A heat exchanging bell and hydrogen recycling system is also included, marking a new milestone in resource efficiency.
The new facility features greater preheating of combustion air in a larger recuperator combined with an energy exchanging system (patent pending) between the exchanging bell and the heating bell. Together, the new features are to result in a reduction in natural gas consumption of up to 30%.
The new facility will be capable of recycling hydrogen in a (patent pending) process in which contaminated hydrogen from the evaporation stage is burned in a hydrogen burner on the heating bell. The minimally contaminated hydrogen from the soaking stage is collected in a tank and reused during the evaporation stage, resulting in hydrogen savings of up to 40%.