Steel Institute VDEh (Düsseldorf, Germany):

Dahlmann P., Dr. Eng., Member of Managing Council

Fandrich R., Dr. Eng., Manager Steelworks and Metallurgical Fundamentals, reinhard.fandrich@vdeh.de
Lüngen H. B., Dr. Eng., Senior Manager Operation Unit Technology

About 60% of the crude steel made in Europe is currently being produced with the oxygen steelmaking process, 40% with the electric steelmaking process. But of course the product range is of decisive importance for the layout of the steelworks and the equipment for secondary metallurgical treatment. Regarding cast steel worldwide, thin slabs are increasingly being produced in addition to conventional formats such as slabs, blooms, billets and beam blanks. In order to ensure long-term economic success, however, companies must continuously further develop the technologies for steel production. Challenges for the future remain the production of high-purity steel grades as well as the development of zero-error strategies with maximum productivity and flexibility. This report summarizes current development trends. The main topics of this review are devoted to energy efficiency and CO₂ emissions, basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS) and electric arc steelmaking (EAF), secondary metallurgy, continuous casting. Driven by worldwide population growth, the steel industry is confronted with a shortage of resources that will lead to considerable burdens due to rising energy and raw material prices. The increase in environmental burdens associated with the rise in population is ref lected in rigid environmental policy measures that considerably increase the pressure. Steel companies can only react to these demands with continuous innovation, with the main development trends aiming at improving energy and resource efficiency, increasing competitiveness as well as improving efficiency, flexibility, quality and works logistics.

1. World Steel Association, Statistics, 2012.
2. Steel Institute VDEh, Blast Furnace Committee, 2011.
3. European Blast Furnace Committee, 2011.
4. Steel‘s CO₂-balance — a contribution to climate protection, study prepared by The Boston Consulting Group on behalf of the German Steel Federation (WV Stahl), Düsseldorf 2010, www.stahl-online.de
5. Fandrich, R.; Lüngen, H. B.; Harp, G.; Schütz, C.-H.: State of development in basic oxygen and electric steelmaking, [in:] Steel is Future, [ed.:] Steel Institute VDEh, Verlag Stahleisen, Düsseldorf, 2010, pp. 41/49.
6. Fandrich, R.; Kleimt, B.; Liebig, H.; Pieper, T.; Treppschuh, F.; Urban, W.: stahl u. eisen 131 (2011) No. 6/7, pp. 75/89.
7. Bohlender, T.; Fandrich, R.; Jungbluth, H.-A.; Kemper, G.; Müller, R.; Narzt, H.-P.; Ney, G.; Schnitzer, H.: State of the art in continuous casting, [in:] Steel is Future, [ed.:] Steel Institute VDEh, Verlag Stahleisen, Düsseldorf, 2010, pp. 64/75.
8. Steel Institute VDEh, Database „Plantfacts“, 2011.
9. Steel Institute VDEh, Committee on Metallurgical Fundamentals, 2007.
10. Jahrbuch Stahl 2011, Verlag Stahleisen, Düsseldorf, 2011.