Production Loss in Steel Making

JULY 16, 2012 SARAH LEWISENGINEERING CONCEPTS, EXPERT OPINIONS1 COMMENT

Yield performance is a crucial issue for any steel plant chief, since poor yield
performance can negatively affect both steel plant output and production costs. In
this piece, the writer debates the subject of yield losses and elaborates on their
significance.

What are yield losses?

A yield loss pops up in any parts of the iron and steel making process, when for a
selected step, the weight of the steel product made is less than the input of steel
that is utilized. In a cold rolling mill for instance, if the input – regularly called a
charge weight – is a hundred tons of hot rolled coil, and the output is 95 tons of
cold-rolled steel, the yield performance equals 95%.

Classic yield loss values are:

3.5% in hot rolled steel coil production (slab to hot rolled coil)

5 % in rebar production (for billet to bar)

8.5% in continual tube making (billet to green pipe).

Why do the yield losses arise?

The yield losses arise for many different reasons. As an example, in the rolling
process, there could be a break-out in which the steel bar comes out of its common
rolling path, landing ( commonly at speed ) in an area opposite to the rolling mill
stands. This length of steel bar wouldn’t be further rolled ; rather, it might be
recycled as scrap so bringing down the yield performance achieved on that rolling
shift Scale will most likely be formed on a hot slab as it cools. This scale will later be
removed from the surface as the slab is prepared for a successive process step
When a steel coil is produced, the edge will most likely be trimmed on the final
product, causing a little yield loss When billet or slab is cast, the end is commonly
cut. Irregularities arising during the procedure of casting are commonly also ground
away. Every one of the examples above decreases the final weight of steel product
made, compared against the first charge weight of the steel. Why are the yield
losses critical? Yield losses are significant for a few reasons. First, it’s important to
realise yields to be well placed to envision the output of a mill.

An Example
A mini mill making 1,000,000 tons of crude steel may for instance only be well
placed to produce 850,000 tons of finished steel, if the accumulative yields from
casting, hot rolling and cold rolling of the steel amount to 15% 2nd , yields are
particularly crucial also from the pricetag perspective. This is due to the fact that,
while the scrap steel can typically be recycled, all of the labour and energy expenses
related to processing the wasted steel volumes are lost ; and the worth added ( re a
last selling price ) isn’t achieved. For some processes, the price of the yield loss can
really surpass some of the other parts of conversion cost ( like the value of
consumables, electricity or other resources ).

Managing Yield Performance

Management of yield performance thus is a vital facet of overall steel mill cost
control.

Understanding your own yield performance A standard way of understanding the

yield performance of a selected steel plant is to compare its current yield
performance against that of similar plants. Usually such plants will belong to rivals
and may regularly be found in different nations. Technical visits to mills are however
very common in the steel industry; and are undertaken particularly so that learning
benefits the industry. Metals Consulting Global offer clients pro consulting support
with due research, feasibility studies, technique, business planning and
modernization – and steel plant performance improvement.