Siemens supplies water treatment plant for new steelworks in Slovakia: recycling cooling water protects the environment

Warrendale, Pennsylvania, USA, Siemens has received an order from Slovakia Steel Mills, a.s (SSM) in Strážské, Slovakia, to supply a water treatment plant for its new steelworks. The plant will treat the water used for direct and indirect cooling and is scheduled to come on stream by the end of 2010. The order is worth some ten million euros.
Siemens water treatment plant at Slovakia Steel Mills

Installation of filters of the Siemens water treatment plant at Slovakia Steel Mills in Strážské, Slovakia.

The mini mill of Slovakia Steel Mills in Strážské is designed to produce around 600,000 tonnes of structural steel per year. It incorporates the complete process chain consisting of an electric arc furnace, ladle metallurgy facility, a three-strand continuous casting plant and a rolling mill. Steel production requires large quantities of treated water for direct and indirect cooling, so the central Siemens treatment plant has to supply some 7,000 cubic meters of treated water every hour. The technical equipment includes cooling towers, pumping stations, pressure sand filters, metering stations and sludge treatment facilities.

Heavily polluted water returning from the direct cooling system of the casting plant and rolling mill is first fed into a cyclone separator to remove scale. Oil is then removed by a skimmer and the remaining solids are filtered out by downstream pressure sand filters. The temperature of the water is then lowered by 10 to 15 °C in a cooling tower before it is fed back into the cooling systems. The less heavily polluted water from the secondary cooling system passes through bypass filtration. This reduces the concentration of suspended solids before the water is pumped into the cooling towers.

The backwash water from the sand filters, still contaminated with sludge, then passes through the sludge treatment plant. Suitable polymers are added to the sludge to make it easier to separate the solids from the water in a lamella separator. The pre-clarified water passes through a sand filter again, after which it can also be fed back into the cooling system. The remaining sludge is thickened and dewatered in a filter press. Part of the metalliferous sludge can be recycled back into the production.

The entire water treatment plant is automated by Simatic type S7 300 programmable logic controllers. Visualization is provided by a WinCC HMI system. Siemens is also supplying the process instrumentation equipment for monitoring the water quality. This includes instruments to measure flow rates, pressures, temperatures and levels. All the pump drives are equipped with frequency converters, enabling the pumps to be run according to demand and thus saving energy.

Further information about water treatment solutions can be found at http://www.siemens.com/water

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The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the world´s leading supplier of environmentally friendly production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. With integrated automation technologies and comprehensive industry-specific solutions, Siemens increases the productivity, efficiency and flexibility of its customers in the fields of industry and infrastructure. The Sector consists of six divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility und Osram. With around 207,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry achieved in fiscal year 2009 total sales of approximately €35 billion. http://www.siemens.com/industry

The Siemens Industry Solutions Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world’s leading solution and service providers for industrial and infrastructure facilities comprising the business activities of Siemens VAI Metals Technologies, Water Technologies and Industrial Technologies. Activities include engineering and installation, operation and service for the entire life cycle. A wide-ranging portfolio of environmental solutions helps industrial companies to use energy, water and equipment efficiently, reduce emissions and comply with environmental guidelines. With around 31,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry Solutions posted sales of €6.8 billion in fiscal year 2009.

Further information and downloads at:
http://www.siemens.de/industry-solutions

Reference Number: IIS201008410e