Low noise cooling fans for improved performance of slag granulation application.
Salzgitter Flachstahl is a major German steel company producing more than 4.6 million tons of steel per year.
Slag granulation plays an important role in blast furnace operations, managing and commercialising waste from the process.
The process involves a water cooling system in which cooling towers reduce the temperature of the recycled water and eliminate fines. The standard design approach within the towers was to use cooling fans with sound barriers to meet noise regulations. This however did not deliver the required performance sought by the customer who was looking for an alternative for a newly designed cooling tower.
As specialists in the design of low noise fans, Howden was able to supply a fan that can achieve up to 20 dB(A) reduced noise compared with standard fans. The SX fan is also able to meet a very high air output. The construction of the fan enables it to perform against high static pressure, which was necessary due to the special design of the concrete cooling tower.
The SX fan was successfully integrated into the cooling tower design resulting in a more elegant solution with superior noise performance, eliminating sound barriers. The success of the project led to the concept being taken up by other metals technology providers for use within their own slag granulation processes. This approach is now used across many steel plants worldwide.
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