Especially in secondary metallurgy and melting treatment, it is important to control purge gases reliably and as required. The gas control experts at Bürkert Fluid Control Systems have therefore developed an automated and precisely reproducible gas control system with mass flow controllers (MFC types 8742, 8745 and 8746) for users and plant engineers, which is specially tailored to the requirements of metallurgy.
The devices regulate the argon or nitrogen flow (from 0 to 2500 Nl/min at up to 25 bar gas pressure) according to the specifications of the steel recipe via the higher-level control system. This preserves the slag and homogenizes the melt. This eliminates the need for the usual high-pressure bypass against flushing blockage and saves up to 25 % flushing gas compared to manual control. The average batch time is also reduced thanks to the precise control. If, for example, the duration per batch for ladle furnaces is 70 minutes, this can be reduced to around 45 minutes. The process becomes significantly more efficient. The system is digitally networked with the control system and can work without human intervention. A diagnostic function via feedback of all relevant process data enables consistent documentation and precise quality assurance.
Reproducible quality with increased throughput
The gas control and mixing systems tailor-made for metal finishing are available either for installation in the control cabinet or as a decentralized unit on site. Compact batteries of space-saving MFCs arranged in a row can also be easily retrofitted to existing systems. This makes it easy to modernize existing converter stock for special steel production. This makes production more efficient and environmentally friendly while increasing output. Reliable measurement data and thus predictable maintenance cycles improve the production process as well as the quality of the alloys produced.
