EMPCO Commissions Two Newly Developed EAF Probes at Hyundai Steel
12/19/2012 - KOREA EMPCO (CANADA) LTD has successfully commissioned two fully mechanized, remotely controlled probe apparatus, named wSCORPIO™, at Hyundai Steel in Korea.
KOREA EMPCO (CANADA) LTD has successfully commissioned two fully mechanized, remotely controlled probe apparatus, named wSCORPIO™. The wSCORPIO™ probe apparatus design incorporates several innovative, unique features, not presently found on any other sample probes or manipulators in the steel industry worldwide. The wSCORPIO™ apparatus is designated to automatically measure temperature, carbon and oxygen, with the added possibility of collecting samples at steelmaking metallurgical furnaces, preferably electric arc furnaces. The first two wScorpio™ probes were installed at two EAFs (75t and 100t) at Hyundai Steel Company in Pohang, Korea. The systems are using commonly available as standard expendable cardboard cartridges (ECC).
The main function of the wSCORPIO™ is immersing the ECC into the steel bath through all types of slags and withdrawing it from the steel bath after the particular task of collecting information has been accomplished. This function is performed by the linear metallic pole located in the curved and linear water cooled main body of the wSCORPIO™ apparatus. The metallic pole is automatically extended and retracted by a unique propelling mechanism. Since the metallic pole is safely inserted into the ECC, the controlled immersing and withdrawing of the ECC from the steel bath is executed perfectly. The industry is embracing the wSCORPIO™ due to its outstanding and reliable functional abilities.
The exceptionally simple, compact, rugged and highly user-friendly wSCORPIO™ apparatus is mounted directly onto the EAF shell on the furnace platform, with zero footprint on the mezzanine. The wSCORPIO™’s curved and linear water-cooled main body enters the furnace chamber through a small opening high in the furnace side wall panel, so all its function can be accomplished with the furnace’s main slag door closed. The ECC are fully protected inside of the wSCORPIO™’s curved and linear water-cooled main body, except for the immersion through the slag into the liquid steel bath. All expendable ECC could be, when selected, automatically discharged from the metallic pole inside the furnace during the automatic retraction phase of the metallic pole. After entering the furnace, the metallic pole of the wSCORPIO™ carrying the ECC extends from the protective water cooled main body and it is driven into the bath in the same location and to the same depth consistently for reproducible results. Use of the wSCORPIO™ can be made with power off or on and with the furnace in a tilted position.
A key features of the wSCORPIO™ is the drastically improved safety of the furnace operators. Previously, ECC used with other available types of manipulators had to be removed from the pole by hand, frequently causing severe burn injuries. Now, further enhanced operator safety is achieved while performing the task of sliding the new, hollow cylindrical cardboard body ECC on the metallic pole. This is accomplished with the operator standing off to the side, away from the furnace slag door and far away from the furnace. Based on initial operating results, it is projected that the wSCORPIO™ system will reduce the overall number of metallic poles and ECC used, and at the same time improve consistently reproducible measuring operating accuracy, while reducing melting time, reducing energy consumption and reducing maintenance at any three phase AC or DC EAF or other metallurgical furnaces such as ladle furnaces.
