Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation began using a new metallic heat exchanger on its No. 1 Blast Furnace on April 12. The device, which pre-heats blast gas used in the operation of the blast furnace, is expected to reduce the consumption of coke by about 3,000 tons per month. The $4 million heat exchanger is expected to pay for itself in coke savings during the first two months of its operations. The installation of a metallic heat exchanger is a first-of-its-kind application in the steel industry.

"The heat exchanger uses surplus blast furnace gas to increase the temperature of the blast gas to the furnace by 350 degrees," said Harry Page, Vice President, Engineering, Technology and Metallurgy. "While it is a fairly simple concept, it has never been used in the steel industry before and will result in a reduction in our coke usage at a time when coke is selling at record high prices."

Page notes that the concept was developed internally by the company's blast furnace operations department.

"The concept was initiated within blast furnace operations and further developed in cooperation with our engineering group," said Page. "Installation was completed within five months of project approval, which is a remarkable accomplishment."

Aker Kvaerner E&C developed the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel concept into a final design. Alstom provided the heat exchanger and Chapman Corp. performed the installation.

Hot blast for blast furnaces is normally preheated in refractory stoves, using blast furnace gas as a fuel source. In the case of the new metallic heat exchanger, a portion of the blast is heated in this new unit. The corresponding reduction in air flow through the refractory stoves allow the blast from the stoves to increase in temperature, effecting an overall increase in hot blast temperature to the furnace.