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U.S. steel producer NLMK Indiana has started up a 118-ton electric arc furnace, revamped by Primetals Technologies, at its steel plant in Portage, Ind. The project was undertaken to improve safety and simplify the maintenance process.

The total shutdown time spanned six weeks until the first heat. Within four days, the furnace produced 21 heats, and from then on it has showcased stable performance figures now surpassing the 5,000 heats mark, the companies claimed.

A few years back, NLMK Indiana wanted to increase safety and simplify the maintenance procedures executed by furnace operators at its Portage site. Two key aspects of Primetals Technologies’ solution to tackle these challenges were a single-point roof-lifting system and an integrated gantry, both of which are  developed by experienced Primetals Technologies specialists. With this solution, operator safety in the context of replacing the delta or lifting off the roof is increased because there no longer is any need to physically access the furnace roof when disconnecting the chains.

The process of replacing the delta is faster compared to that done with the equipment the company used prior – it now lasts less than an hour. As a result, the EAF’s maintenance-related downtime is lower, which in turn increases productivity.