MAY – 2016

SULPHUR RESIDUE ROASTING

MUON DETECTOR “SEES THROUGH” FURNACE

NEW PILOT FURNACE INSTALLED

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Photo: Maria Åsén

2 | News – May 2016

T ime flies when you’re having fun. Now, five months of 2016 have passed.

Much has taken place and much has yet to happen.

We are now busy prepar-ing for SCANMET V, which will be held in Luleå, 12–15 June. To be arranging and hosting a conference that attracts so many specialists from so many countries is both an im-portant and inspiring task. The conference’s scientific papers and networking will provide ample opportunity for all-important inspiration and development.

Both the business cycle and the competition in our research sector are tough. But Swerea MEFOS is well equipped to meet challenges facing the indus-try. Vinnova recently reported that Swerea MEFOS ranked third among Swedish research organizations where funding under the Horizon 2020 programme is concerned. For us, this is acknowledgement of the fact that our operations are important and attractive for European industry.

Recently, to provide clearer information for our partners and stakeholders, we conducted an internal survey to determine how much we work with CO2- related projects. The results revealed that fully one-third of projects are related to CO2 and that Swerea MEFOS works with both theoretical and practical projects. Projects concerning energy efficiency and process efficiency dominate. One concrete example is the Stepwise project, which is taking shape now that construction of the pilot facility is in full swing. In Stepwise, Swerea MEFOS’s task is to design, build and run a pilot facility to convert blast furnace off-gas into hydrogen and, in the process, capture CO2.

The concept of circular economy and a holistic approach are prominent in much of the work we are now doing for industry. A closed-cycle approach, whereby waste is seen as a raw material and the possibilities for recycling are grasped already in the design phase, is reflected in the work we are doing in agglomeration and fluidized-bed technology, for example. One example is the project we did for Boliden Koppola, which you can read more about in this issue.

We are also very pleased to be tasked with starting the fourth programme period for PRISMA, a research centre for process integration in the steel industry, with a focus on energy and materials efficiency and reduction of CO2 emissions. Together with industry and academia, we can now continue to develop one of our most important leading-edge competencies.

Much is happening at Swerea MEFOS. Read more in this newsletter and feel free to contact us! See you at SCANMET!

Eva Sundin

A word from the Managing Director

Sampling of the sand bed from the reactor. From right: Marcel Magnusson and Tobias Lindbäck from Swerea MEFOS in blue suits, Mia Pesonen, Aija Rytioja, and Jens Nyberg from Boliden Kokkola. Research Manager Justin Salminen from Boliden Kokkola (photo-grapher) was supervising the pilot campaign.

News – May 2016 | 3

Sulphur residue roasting pilot campaign

With an annual production capacity of 315,000 tonnes, Boliden Kokkola is the second-largest zinc producer in Europe. A by-product of zinc production is sulphur residue, which is currently landfilled. Upgrading sulphur residue to a usable product would be an environmentally friendly alternative to landfilling and would improve metal recovery. The sulphur residue can potentially be recovered through sulphuric acid production and by metal recovery from the roasted product.

Fluidized bed technologyIn order to seek alternatives to landfilling a roasting pilot test campaign was carried out in Swerea MEFOS’s piloting facilities. The purpose of the tests was to determine the suitability of the sulphur residue for roasting using fluidized bed technology.

Before testing, a method to feed the residue into the reactor was developed and new equip-ment was constructed that could feed the sulphur slurry mixture into the fluidized bed reactor. In the

Swerea MEFOS’s fluidized bed pilot facility. Photo: Maria Åsén

Boliden Kokkola produces around 100,000 tonnes of sulphur residue annually. This material is currently landfilled. Upgrading sulphur residue to a usable product would be an environmentally friendly alternative and Boliden has carried out tests at Swerea MEFOS to seek alternatives to landfilling.

first trial the residue was successfully fed into the reactor as slurry. Gas composition and solid residue (roasted product) were analyzed.

Good roasting yieldsDuring the pilot campaign a total amount of 320 kg of slurry feed was roasted in a con-tinuous operation. The sulphur residue that was treated in the reactor showed good roasting yields. The obtained roasted product contains valuable metals like zinc, lead, copper and silver, which can be processed further.

Further work is being carried out after the successful test week, for example, testing of different feeding options. In addition, the gas treatment, flows and suitability for sulphuric acid production as well as the recovery of the valuable metals from the roasted product will be investigated in greater detail.

CONTACT: Marcel Magnusson, marcel.magnusson@swerea.seJohan Sjöström, johan.sjostrom@swerea.se

4 | News – May 2016

Elkem AS is a world-leading producer of silicon, silicones, ferrosilicon, carbon materials and microsilica.

As early as the mid-1970s Elkem started a project to develop solar silicon. This subsequently led to the establishment of Elkem Solar in 2009. Today, Elkem Solar, in Kristiansand, Norway, pro-duces high-purity silicon for the solar-panel indus-try. The production method requires only a quarter of the energy used in competitors’ processes, which makes it extremely energy efficient.

Swerea MEFOS and Elkem have collaborated on re-search in various areas since the 1980s. Elkem is also one of our Norwegian member companies. During the 2000s Elkem and Swerea MEFOS began to collab-orate on development of the process for producing solar silicon. Manufacturing of solar silicon consists of several process stages, several of which have been developed with the help of Swerea MEFOS.

Among other things, the pros and cons of smelting refined silicon metal in a DC-type furnace (5 tonnes) were studied. To test the process concept, trials were done using the DC furnace at Swerea MEFOS. By testing in pilot scale, it was possible to identify the most efficient method/process for producing solar silicon.

In addition to trials in 5-tonne pilot scale, the work at Swerea MEFOS also included mathematical CFD modelling for different cases with both temperature and velocity fields, as well as physical modelling in full scale.

To further develop the manufacturing process, production trials were also conducted in Elkem’s own plant. Different types of gas and material injection were tested to study how the melting rate in the metallurgical process could be increased. Among other things, an injection lance was developed and tested under operating conditions. The trials yielded better know-ledge of how charged material behaves in the furnace and how material fraction sizes affect the melting rate.

“Thanks to the fact that we were able to run trials in pilot scale, we were able to obtain good data that helped us when we ran the process in our own plant. Swerea MEFOS also has the equipment and expertise to conduct industrial-scale trials, and that was very im-portant for the success of this development work,” says Kenneth Friestad, Product Manager, Elkem Solar AS.

Experiences from the work laid the foundation for Elkem Solar and the new factory for manufacturing solar silicon in Kristiansand.

Elkem’s unique, energy-efficient metallurgical pro-duction represents a breakthrough in technology. The company continues development towards further eduction in energy consumption in the process.

CONTACT: John Bustnes, john.bustnes@swerea.se

Development of high-purity solar silicon

Casting of molten silicon Injection lance

By testing in pilot scale, it was possible to identify the most efficient method/process for producing solar silicon.Photo: Maria Åsén

New PhD in process metallurgy In steelmaking, mainly in the LD converter, the metal melt can sometimes “boil over”. The object of Mats Brämming’s thesis has been to study the reasons for this phenomenon, which is known as slopping, as well as ways of predicting and prevent ing it.

On 14 January, Mats Brämmimg defended his doctoral thesis at Luleå University of Techno-logy, Division of Minerals and Metallurgical Engineering. His doctoral thesis is entitled “An operational view on foaming and slopping control in top-blown BOS vessels”. The phe-nomenon, slopping, is costly when it occurs, since it gives rise both to loss of material and damage to equipment. But what causes it and how can it be predicted and prevented?

“Slopping is the term used in Basic Oxygen Steelmaking to describe the event when the foaming slag-metal emulsion cannot be contained within the process vessel, but is forced out through its opening. There are several different reasons for the occurrence of this phenomenon. The best way to prevent slopping is to use additive materials of the right quality and maintain tight process control. I hope that the thesis project has contributed new knowledge that can serve as a basis for further development.”

Mats has studied the phenomenon in production scale at SSAB in Luleå and conducted trials using Swerea MEFOS’s pilot-plant facilities. He has also studied how multivariate data analysis can be used to predict the occurrence of slopping.

“Mats’s doctoral work has been extremely va-luable for research in process metallurgy, since he has contributed his vast knowledge of steelmaking. Above all, with respect to mechanisms which have an impact on foaming behaviour in the LD process, the doctoral study has resulted in new and indepth knowledge. We hope to continue this very suc-cessful work,” says Professor Caisa Samuelsson, who has been Mats’s principal supervisor for the PhD study.

Mats has been employed as a senior researcher at Swerea MEFOS, in the Process Integration department, since 2013.

CONTACT: Mats Brämming, mats.bramming@swerea.se

Mats Brämming

News – May 2016 | 5

By measuring the number of muons in the air it is possible to detect density differences related to materials and pro-cess inside a furnace. Swerea MEFOS has built a muon de-tector that withstands aggres-sive environments. The aim is to develop methods for study-ing furnaces during operation.

Muons are elementary particles that interact with material. By measuring the number of muons that bombard the earth from a certain direction and comparing this with the quantity of muons penetrating an object (e.g., pass-ing through a furnace), density differences between different materials and in processes can be detected.

Swerea MEFOS has built a muon detector that can be used to study blast furnace and low shaft furnaces. The equipment is portable and can be used for testing in an industrial setting. By using muon technology to study furnaces in operation, the hope is that better process control and, thereby, better energy and material efficiency, can be achieved.

Among other things, the work is aimed at detecting the melting zone profile in the blast furnace.

This is valuable information, for example, for determining the size of the deadman zone. In the low shaft furnace, the possibility of determining electrode position and length, without interrupting the process, will be studied. In this way, downtime and extra en-ergy consumption in connection to measuring the electrode can be avoided.

“This is a very promising tech-nique,” says Professor Lena Sund-qvist Ökvist, group manager at Swerea MEFOS. “The initial trials indicate that the muon detector will provide a means of tempera-ture control in the blast furnace. If it works well, we foresee other applications in which the method could be useful for improving material and energy efficiency in the metallurgical industry.”

The muon detector has been built as part of a project entitled “Improving energy efficiency in iron and ferro-chrome production through the use of muon de-tection”, which is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency and the participating partners SSAB in Luleå and Oxelösund, LKAB and Vargön Alloys.

CONTACT: Dan Sandström,dan.sandstrom@swerea.se

Muon detector “sees through” furnace during operation

▪ PUBLICATIONS

Lectures 2015Swerea MEFOS’s co-workers in bold

Slag management in steel making – The Scandinavian perspectiveJohn BustnesInternational Conference on Advances in Steel, Power and Construction Materials, 14-16 January, Raigarh, India

Model development of a blast furnace stoveJonas Zetterholm, Xiaoyan Ji, Bo Sundelin, Peter M Martind, Chuan WangICAE2015, 28-31 March, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Swerea MEFOS experiences on dry blast furnace slag granulationMikael Lindvall, Lars-Olov Nordberg, Anders Stenberg, Diana Orrling4th International Slag Valorisation Symposium, 15-17 April, Leuven, Belgium

Blast furnace raceway – measurements and modellingMartin ÖlundMittaa, mallinna, ohjaa metallien valmistus-prosesseja; 21-22 April, Uleåborg, Finland

What might be possible to measure in metallurgical processesDan SandströmMittaa, mallinna, ohjaa metallien valmistus-prosesseja; 21-22 April, Uleåborg, Finland

Measuring in circumstances present in the metallurgical industryJohan Eriksson Mittaa, mallinna, ohjaa metallien valmistus-prosesseja; 21-22 April, Uleåborg, Finland

Injecting different types of biomass prod-ucts to the blast furnace and their impact on the CO2 emission reduction Chuan Wang, Pelle Mellin, Mikael Larsson, J-O Wikström, Jonas Lövgren, Leif NilssonAISTech 2015 – The Iron & Steel Technolo gy Conference and Exposition, 4-7 May, Cleveland, USA

Development of nut coke activation for energy efficient blast furnace operationMaria Lundgren, Lena Sundqvist Ökvist, Carina BrandellAISTech 2015 – The Iron & Steel Technolo gy Conference and Exposition, 4-7 May, Cleveland, USA

Industrial material recycling – One way to sustainability Johan Eriksson World Resources Forum Asia Pacific, 1-3 June, Sydney, Australia

Industrial material recycling – Swedish perspectiveJohan Eriksson2015 World Resources Forum (WRF) Asia- Pacific on ‘Wealth from Waste’ and Inter - national Sustainability Symposium, 3 June, Sydney, Australia

Investigation of applying OxyCup process for an integrated steel plant from a Nordic countryChuan Wang, Ralf Jennes, Mattila Olli Juhani, Jarmo Lilja METEC & 2nd ESTAD 2015, 15-19 June, Düsseldorf, Germany

Development of an empirical model for hot stove system at the iron- making plantJoel Orre, D Lindström, J Schlimbach, S Kotzich, Chuan WangMETEC & 2nd ESTAD 2015, 15-19 June, Düsseldorf, Germany

Reduction behavior of self-reducing pellets during descent in experimental blast Furnace Amanda Persson, H. Ahmed, Bo Björkman, Anita Wedholm, J. Wikström, Lena Sundqvist ÖkvistMETEC & 2nd ESTAD 2015, 15-19 June, Düsseldorf, Germany

Iron ore sintering process with biomass utilizationElsayed Mousa, Alexander Babich, Dieter Senk METEC 2nd ESTAD 2015, 15-19 June, Düsseldorf, Germany

One-way coupling of an advanced CFD multi-physics model to FEA for predict-ing stress-strain in the solidifying shell during continuous casting of steelJohan Svensson, Pavel Ramirez Lopez, Pooria N Jalali, M CervantesModelling of Casting, Welding and Advanced Solidification Processes (MCWASP XIV), 21-26 June, Hyogo, Japan

System analysis of integrating fast pyrolysis to an iron and steel plantMaria Sundqvist, Chuan Wang, Pelle Mellin, Weihong Yang, Hassan Salman, Anders Hultgren, Leif NilssonECOS 2015 – The 28th ECOS conference, 30 June-3 July, Pau, France

Closing the loop – processing of waste by-product from alu minium recycling into useful product for the steel industryDavid Bellqvist, Sten Ångström, Marcel Magnusson, L Nordhag, O Falk, L GustavssonPRES 15 – Process Integration, Modelling and Optimisation for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction, 23-27 August, Kuching, Malaysia

New methods for waste minimization in an integrated steel siteJohan Riesbeck, Anita Wedholm, Katarina Lundkvist, Mats BrämmingPRES 15 – Process Integration, Modelling and Optimisation for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction, 23-27 August, Kuching, Malaysia

Biomass utilization for metallurgical industryChuan WangBiomass workshop i Sollefteå ”Kan hållbar energi ge tillväxt i Norrland?” (invited speaker), 27 August, Sollefteå

Numerical modelling of the coil cooling process of HSLA strip productsMats KarlbergRolling and Finishing Technology of Steel, 8-10 September, Ispat Bhawan, Ranchi, India

Gas radiation model for reheating furnacesPatrik Sidestam, John NiskaSHTE:s värmebehandlingskonferens, 22-23 September, Västerås

Improved temperature measurement techniques in furnacesJohn NiskaSHTE:s värmebehandlingskonferens, 22-23 September, Västerås

Gas temperature measurements in steel reheating furnacesJohn Niska, Anders Rensgard, Christoph Steimer and Andreas Queck Nordic Flame Days, 6-7 October, Copen hagen, Denmark

Economic assessment of implementing preheated blast furnace gas and oxyfuel combustion in a steel reheating furnaceChuan Wang, John Niska, Tomas Ekman, Anders Rensgard, Jan PetterssonNordic Flame Days, 6-7 October, Copen hagen, Denmark

CFD modelling of Oxy-fuel combustion of a hot stove at an iron-making factoryChuan Wang, Magnus Lundqvist, Joel Orre, Sebastian Bialek, Jürgen SchlimbachNordic Flame Days, 6-7 October, Copen hagen, Denmark

Value-in-use analysis of using olivine flux for agglomerate- and iron-making processesChuan Wang, Zhijun He, Elsayed Mousa, Lena Sundqvist Ökvist, Jan-Olov WikströmThe 10th CSM Steel Congress & the 6th Baosteel Biennial Academic Conference. 21-23 October, Shanghai, China

Assessment of low temperature waste heat utilization in the steel industry through process integration approachChuan WangThe 10th CSM Steel Congress & the 6th Baosteel Biennial Academic Conference. 21-23 October, Shanghai, China

Agglomeration activities at Swerea MEFOSUlf SjöströmAgglomeration and minerals engineering seminar, 15-16 September, Luleå.

6 | News – May 2016

Articles 2015BOF process control and slopping prediction based on multivariate data analysisMats Brämming, Bo Björkman, Caisa SamuelssonSteel Research Int.: Published online, June 2015

Investigation of a non-destructive, electromagnetic method for deter-mining material properties in steelBjörn Sjögren, Annika Nilsson, Anders RensgardMateria nr. 4, 2015

Numerical modelling of the coil cooling process of HSLA strip productsMats KarlbergIron & Steel Review, vol. 59, No. 4, Septem-ber 2015

Rolling simulator: A software for optimisation of shape rolling Bijish BabuIron & Steel Review September 8, 2015

Biomass as blast furnace injectant – considering availability, pretreatment and deployment in the Swedish steel industryChuan Wang, Pelle Mellin, Jonas Lövgren, Leif Nilsson, Weihong Yang, Hassan Salman, Anders Hultrgren, Mikael LarssonInternational Journal of Energy Conversion and Management 102 (2015) 217-226

Techno-economic analysis of low temperature waste heat recovery and utilization at an integrated steel plant in SwedenDavid Bellqvist, Chuan Wang, Leif NilssonChemical Engineering Transactions, vol. 39, 2014

Thermogravimetric study on carbo-thermic reduction of chromite ore under non-isothermal conditionsXianfeng Hu, Lena Sundqvist Ökvist, Qixing Yang, Bo BjörkmanIronmaking and Steelmaking 2015 Vol 42, No 6, 409-416

Thermal analysis study on the carbo-thermic reduction of chromite ore with the addition of mill scaleXianfeng Hu, Qixing Yang, Lena Sundqvist Ökvist, Bo BjörkmanSteel Research International 86 (2015)

Reduction behavior of self-reducing blends of in-plant fines in inert atmosphereHesham Mohamed Ahmed, Amanda Persson, Lena Sundqvist Ökvist, Bo BjörkmanISIJ International, vol. 55 (2015), No. 10, pp. 2082-2089.

News – May 2016 | 7

In June 1977, 230 metallurgical engi-neers from 17 countries gathered for the world’s first conference on injection metallurgy. They had come to Luleå, a town on the northern edge of Europe that was unknown to many, to take part in Scaninject. It was the very first confe-rence we hosted and 19 papers were presented. Scaninject was then held every third year and it attracted at most 345 delegates. In all, seven Scanin-ject conferences were held before we decided to broaden the subject area to include virtually the entire steelmaking process and, in 1999, SCANMET – the International Conference on Process Development in Iron and Steelmaking, was born. Internationally, the conference attracted considerable attention throug-hout the industry and when SCANMET III opened in 2008 we welcomed 401 dele gates, an all-time high.

With a growing realization that processes are interrelated and are no longer studied separately, a holistic ap-proach to research has been adopted. This year we have broadened SCAN-MET even further to include a Process Integration Forum with four sessions. For the steel industry, today’s chal-lenges have a lot to do with minimizing

carbon dioxide emissions, recycling as much as possible and doing it all with the best possible energy efficiency. At SCANMET, specialists from around the world meet to present the very latest in research in these areas, and we are proud and pleased to welcome so many visitors. During the three-day event 144 papers will be presented, nearly 300 people will attend and many ideas will be born.

We wish you a warm welcome to SCANMET, 12–15 June.

MAIN SPONSOR ARRANGED BY

SCANMET V12–15 June 2016 · Luleå, Sweden

www.scanmet.info

From injection metallurgy to the entire chain of steelmaking

A conference for the whole industry Article in local paper 1977.

Distributed by Swerea | MEFOS ABPublisher: Eva Sundin. eva.sundin@swerea.se. Editor: Karin Edfast. karin.edfast@swerea.seDesign: Plan Sju kommunikation AB

TELEPHONE +46 920 20 19 00 E-mail mefos@swerea.se INTERNET www.swereamefos.se ADDRESS Swerea MEFOS, Box 812, SE-971 25 Luleå, Sweden

Notice

Trial smelting in new furnace

A new pilot furnace has been installed in our demonstration hall, and trial smelting and fine-tuning of the new equip - ment is under way.

Swerea MEFOS has invested in a new pilot furnace, a so-called pit furnace. It has capacity for about 10 litres (25-70 kilos), a replaceable crucible and an operating range of up to 1300 ºC.

“This is an excellent complement to our other equipment,” says research manager John Bustnes. Initially, the equipment will be used in an environ-ment project in which lead will be re-moved from waste material by means of so-called electrolytic smelting. We foresee a broad application area for the furnace. It is intended for experi-mentation with metals and slag with melting points up to 1300 degrees.

In combination with other equip-ment at Swerea MEFOS the new furnace will enable melting trials in several different weight/volume areas.

CONTACT: Per Hellberg, per.hellberg@swerea.se

Now, the centre’s fourth programme period is beginning. During the three programme periods since the start of the centre, process integration has be-come one of Swerea MEFOS areas of expertise. During the coming three-year period the focus will be on continued research in energy and material effi-ciency and reduction of CO2 emissions from fossil resources. The PRISMA projects are prioritized by the industry and are carried out with the active par-ticipation of industry, research institutes and academia. The participation of industry is crucial for implementing the results and realizing the advantages.

“Process integration is an impor-tant tool for companies in their work towards long-term sustainability. For energy-intensive primary industries in general, and for the mining and metals industries in particular, improving energy, environmental and resource efficiency is crucial,” says Mikael Lars-son, centre manager.

The partners in PRISMA phase 4 are AGA, Höganäs, LKAB, Lulekraft, SSAB Europe, SSAB Special Steels and SSAB Merox.

CONTACT: Mikael Larsson, mikael.larsson@swerea.se

Process integration – a holisticperspective

Expertise in metallurgy and process integration at Swerea MEFOS has helped us to transition to new raw materials and recycling procedures at SSAB Europe Oy.

Jarmo Lilja, Process development manager, Raahe steel works

PRISMA is an R&D centre at Swerea MEFOS that is dedicated to intensive collaboration and mutual learning within the area of process integration.