EAF Wins Final Acceptance Certificate 2 Months Early

On December 12th, 2015, the new Electric Arc Furnace developed by Danieli Centro Met for Villares Metals in Brazil processed its first heat successfully, and on January 20th, 2016, the Final Acceptance Certificate was signed, two months in advance on the contracted schedule.

Villares Metals is a reference producer for specialty alloyed steel, long products, in Latin America. The plant at Sumarè San Paolo produces special alloys, including high-speed steels, tool steels, stainless steel, valve steels, special alloys and forgings via two meltshops, each one composed by EAF, Ladle Furnace and Vacuum Degasser.
In October 2014 Villares Metals assigned to Danieli Centro Met the order for a new, 25-t EAF, to replace the old furnace, which had been operating since 1957. The new Danieli EAF has been designed to meet Villares high-quality demands, in combination with a simplified maintenance strategy.

The main elements of the improvement project were:

• Complete updating of the Furnace Mechanical Systems, in regard to Electrode and Roof Lifting and Opening System;
• Increasing the Shell / Vessel volume for scrap charging;
• Keeping the nominal tap weight of 25 t, with a liquid steel capacity of up to 28 t;
• Providing operational safety considering the various operation modes with highest degree of automation;
• Supplying "maintenance friendly" equipment;
• Applying a "split shell" design that will allow complete exchange or split exchange with overhead crane;
• Optimizing shell design in regard to overall weight, in order to conform to the existing crane limits and actual practice.

EAF milestones:

• October 30th, 2015, last tapping of the old EAF, 15 days before the contracted schedule.
• December 11th, 2015, new EAF’s first heat, after 41 days of shut down.
• January 20th, 2016, FAC signature, two months in advance of the original planning.