- ArcelorMittal Selects GE’s Power Conversion Business to Upgrade the Bremen Hot Steel Mill
- GE’s Solution Provides Reliability, Increased Spare Availability and Lower Maintenance Cost
- GE’s Technology Enables Steelmakers to Achieve Improved Energy Efficiency
Berlin - 27 Oct 2014 - Energy costs, excess capacity, environment and an increasingly competitive marketplace are some of the key factors redefining the steelmaking industry. (Source: EY Global Steel Report 2014). Faced with these challenges, steel makers are modernizing and revamping existing plants to improve their sector’s appeal by improving energy efficiency and reliability, increasing spare availability and decreasing maintenance cost.
In an effort to increase competitiveness, ArcelorMittal has chosen GE’s Power Conversion business to replace their existing DC drives control system with GE’s water-cooled Powersemi PW100 in an important upgrade of their Bremen hot rolling mill.
“GE Power Conversion is one of the most experienced companies in the market for modernizing and revamping high power drives for steel plants.” said Andreas Dalchow, Managing Director, Hot Strip Mill at ArcelorMittal Bremen, “We know GE’s HPCi and PECe/PIBe solutions well and are pleased with their performance and benefits.”
ArcelorMittal (AM), headquartered in Luxembourg, is one of the leading steel companies in the world. The Bremen hot steel mill is one of the largest of its kind and is one of the core production units within the group. Its strip currently reaches a maximum speed of 1,300m/min and has a production capacity of 4.5 million metric tons per year.
The new DC drives to be provided are employed with HPCi controller technology using PECe and PIBe. This results in a freely programmable, modular system with a real-time multi-tasking operating system. It features modular hardware and software and is used in particular for its fast information processing of time-critical tasks in process control and related areas. It is also used as the controller of GE’s low and medium voltage drives.
“Given the tough environment, steel makers are looking for modern technologies that provide improved energy efficiency and reliability, and solutions that provides a lower carbon footprint to comply with environmental regulations,” said Mike Archibald, GE Power Conversion’s Global Services Leader. “There is certainly a growing need for service in this industry and GE is proud to support our customers in all these aspects.”
The project is expected to complete at the beginning of 2017.
About GE Power Conversion
GE’s Power Conversion business applies the science and systems of power conversion to help drive the electrification of the world’s energy infrastructure by designing and delivering advanced motor, drive and control technologies that evolve today’s industrial processes for a cleaner, more productive future. Serving specialized sectors such as energy, marine, oil and gas, renewables and industry, through customized solutions and advanced technologies, GE Power Conversion partners with customers to maximize efficiency. To learn more, please visit: www.gepowerconversion.com
Follow GE’s Power Conversion business on Twitter and on Linkedin.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
Paul Floren
GE Energy Management
[email protected]
+33 153592844
+33 620711421
Andy Jin
GE’s Power Conversion, Communications
[email protected]
+33 (0)1 8532 2394
+33 (0)6 1013 0253