Upgrades and modernization

Drever International designs lines with a very long expected lifetime.

Original spare parts are still available. Please contact us!

As years pass by, the evolution of technology or a modification of the product mix of the plant may require a modernization of the line.

Drever International offers:

  • Process optimization
  • Mechanical upgrades
  • Electrical upgrades
  • System control upgrades

Drever International has a long experience in updates and modernization of existing lines.

Scrubber: installation to remove NOx from the fumes

Installation of an induction heater booster in the beginning of line

Inductive booster

Drever International supplied a furnace heated by radiant tubes (RTF). To increase the capacity of the line, a longitudinal induction booster was installed in the entry section of the line. To minimise the down time, the inductor was slid into a slot prepared in advance.

Installation of a hot air recuperative system on a DFF

Recuperative system for a DFF

This outdated DFF furnace was designed without air preheating. To improve the energy efficiency of the furnace, a new recuperator was installed to preheat the air of the burners with the outcoming fumes.

The modelling of the pipes has been carried out based on a 3D scan of the furnace area.

Catalyst and urea injection in the fumes

Scrubber to decrease NOx level in the fumes

Many improvements have been brought to the burner technology in order to limit the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. When the environmental regulations are very demanding, a specific scrubber can be installed to decrease further the NOx emission in the fumes.

Replacement of a seal for a bright annealing line for stainless steel

Entry and exit seal revamp for bright annealing line

Drever International supplied a new entry and exit seal in order to limit the leakage of protection gas from the bright annealing furnace to the workshop. The erection and commissioning was included in the Drever supply.

The customer is very satisfied as the installation has enabled him to save a significant amount of hydrogen.

New bridle system

New hot bridle system, installed as a pre-mounted module This competitor’s line was designed with a hot bridle that showed mechanical weaknesses.

A new bridle roll section was installed to increase the strip tension before the galvanizing pot. It improved the surface quality of the coating.

New after pot cooling section

Improvement of the after pot cooling

The capacity of the line was limited by the cooling power of the after pot tower. To increase the hourly production of normal galvanised products, a mobile cooler was installed by Drever International on the same rails as the mobile galvannealing furnace. Therefore the cooling power of the after pot was increased by replacing the galvannealing furnace and by the mobile cooler for normal galvanized products.

Results of the mathematical model

Mathematical model

A mathematical model of the continuous annealing lines has been developed by Drever International. It is installed on new lines, but it can also be retrofitted on existing lines. The main features of the mathematical model are listed below:

  • Automatic line speed control
  • Maximize the production of the line
  • Reduction of operations personnel
  • Optimize the transition management between thicknesses, width, steel grades
  • Respect the heat treatment cycle to guarantee the requested mechanical properties (more accurate results and more repetitive results)
  • Control the heating rate to avoid the formation of heat buckles
  • Respect the operation rules defined by the quality department of the plant

The deviation histograms show the improvement over the time of the accuracy of the annealing temperature in operator mode (left), followed by the automatic mode driven by the mathematical model over the years (middle and right), including the benefits brought by its self-learning feature.