Prevas helping to climate-neutralize reinforcing steel production in Norway

Celsa Armeringsstål AS, part of Celsa Nordic, is one of Norway's largest recycling companies and has a strong environmental and sustainability profile. One of the building blocks of the company’s work with sustainability is further development of its circular and 100% waste-based value chain. Their smelters are based on EAF technology (Electric Arc Furnace) that uses hydropower as a source of energy. As a step in its work with sustainability, the company is investing in a new hot rolling furnace where electrically produced green hydrogen will, among other things, replace natural gas as fuel. The furnace is expected to be in place by 2024–2025 and will be the first hot rolling furnace to use hydrogen gas as the sole source of energy.

Prevas will be delivering the FOCS G7 software that enables the use of hydrogen gas as fuel. Prevas' solution also optimizes heat consumption in the furnace and thus provides more stable production with improved quality as well as savings in fuel and energy as a result.

As a first step, Prevas will install the software on the existing furnace in 2023, which is crucial for the model to be able to learn the current fuel mix and the product mix passing through the hot rolling furnace. During this model training phase, the solution is expected to lower consumption and provide environmental benefits and more stable production while awaiting delivery of the new furnace.

“Being involved in developing the fossil-free steel manufacturing of the future is important and feels very stimulating,” says Per Åhman, Senior Expert, Furnace Control. “We are seeing increased interest from our customers in upgrading their fossil fuel-fired furnaces to fossil-free alternatives. This is an area where we see that Prevas can help.”

Prevas’ FOCS product family includes automatic control systems that are market leading in furnace control. For more information about FOCS, please visit our website.