Processes

Contact person: Simon Pike.

In a Ceram survey carried out in 2000, the expertise of the Ceramics Research Centre (CRC) was rated amongst the top 3 worldwide. The main function of this department is the continuous improvement of the design of inorganic installation linings needed to produce iron, steel and aluminium and the materials to be used for the linings.

• The Refractories Application & Development group offers advice about refractories, operating costs and installations. It also tests refractory materials and constructions under practical or simulated conditions.

• The Microstructure Crystallography & Thermal Analysis group focuses on the analysis and characterisation of materials as well as experimental and analytical studies to explain and predict material behaviour under actual process conditions.

• The Materials Engineering & Mathematical Modelling group combines expertise in materials engineering and process engineering. This includes mathematical modelling to predict the thermal behaviour of materials, processing of ceramic or metallic powders, thermo mechanical characterisation of materials at high temperatures (up to 2400ºC) and the application of engineered ceramic products under process conditions.
  
  For further information go to www.ceramics-research.com.

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Contact person: Tim Peeters.

The Ironmaking department works on the development of new or improved processes for the production of high quality iron at low cost, including the environmental and recycling aspects of the iron making processes. The department comprises three knowledge groups that focus on ironmaking technology and the preparatory stages:

• The Coal & Coke group works on improving the processes of coke making and the properties of the resulting raw material.

• The Ferrous Materials group focuses on improving the processes for ore agglomeration and the improvement of product properties. Plus the processing of process waste from the steel plant in iron making processes.

• The Blast Furnace Development & Alternative Processes group focuses on the development and optimisation of the blast furnace process for the production of hot metal, as well as alternative processes to produce high quality hot metal quality at minimum cost.

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Contact person: Colin Jemson.

The Long Product Rolling department aims to improve the process of reheating, rolling and finishing of ‘long products’ like rails. Its work is based on expertise on these three process steps and on mathematical modelling. Theoretical work is supported by pilot testing using the recently upgraded Long Product Development Facility at Swinden Technology Centre.

• The Reheating Technology group focuses on the reheating process to bring blooms and billets up to hot rolling temperature and also to optimise the effect of reheating on the final product.

• The Product Rolling Optimisation group has expertise in all aspects of rolling including descaling, mill engineering, roll wear, etc, and interacts between the reheating process group and the finishing end of a long products mill.

• The Finishing Technology group specialises in long product finishing technology, focusing on enhancing the process to make the end product fit the customer’s needs.

• The Through Process Engineering group provides expertise in controlling complex manufacturing processes through the application of closed loop control and intelligent decision support system, using advanced technologies from the fields of knowledge and control engineering, data analysis and modelling as well as Information Technology.

• The Long Product Measurement & Inspection group develops and applies measuring and inspection techniques for long products and related processes.

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Contact person: Jochem Groot.

The Rolling Metal Strip department provides Tata Steel hubs with solutions and control models that allow them to apply cost effective process technology to produce uncoated steel and aluminium strip without compromising the environment.

• The Reheating and Annealing group focuses on reheating and annealing processes in steel strip mills.

• The Hot Rolling Process Development group focuses on the hot rolling process for both steel and aluminium. A special emphasis is placed on the development of technologies to increase productivity, production consistency and product quality.

• The Surface Technology Group focuses on the continuous improvement of the surface properties of uncoated steel and aluminium strip products, which implies the (further) development of technologies to improve production consistency and surface quality. The emphasis in the work is on the effect of the rolling process on the strip surface.

• The Strip & Coated Product Measurement group focuses on extracting and processing process and product information. The emphasis is on performance and quality indicators like geometry, plant performance, cleanliness, material properties, surface quality and appearance.
  
  

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Contact person: Christopher McDonald.

The Steelmaking & Casting department focuses on the development of new processes and the improvement of existing processes, process routes and equipment to produce high quality steel slabs, strips, billets, blooms and ingots at low cost. Particular attention is paid to the economic and environmental aspects of the production processes. The department also develops and utilises advanced mathematical, thermochemical, heat and mass transfer modelling and experimental techniques for process analysis.

• The Process Metallurgy group focuses on the development of methods to produce quality liquid steel from solid or liquid iron feedstock

• The General Steelmaking group aims at improving process control and steel quality as well as reducing costs by applying advanced models, decision support tools and diagnostic analysis techniques. The group deals with both oxygen steelmaking and steelmaking in electric arc furnaces, as well as with secondary metallurgy.

• The Steelmaking Engineering & Technology group delivers engineering solutions to all steel making operations to improve plant performance in terms of reliability and environmental issues.

• The Process Design & Engineering group aims to improve casting performance and product quality through the application of process modelling, engineering and technical support to the design, operation and enhancement of casters.

• The Casting Process Metallurgy [Longs] group works on metallurgical research related to the casting of slabs, blooms and billets for long products, focusing on process optimisation, quality improvement and on new and improved products.

• The Casting Metallurgy of Flat Products group concentrates on process metallurgical research for casting conventional and thin slabs for flat products, focusing on steel quality and process optimisation

• The Advanced Casting Technologies group focuses on new casting technologies and other medium/long term strategic developments

• The Process Modelling & Fluid Dynamics group aims at improving all Corus processes that rely on fluid flow and also contributes to process improvement and innovation through in depth process analysis. The group has vast experience in fluid flow phenomena and in using commercial CFD packages to investigate these further The group uses experimental facilities to analyse fluid dynamics, heat and mass transfer and reaction kinetics, as well as sophisticated software for process modelling.

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