Optimally stirred: How a stirrer influences steel production

Steel production Optimally stirred: How a stirrer influences steel production

2024-12-05 From ABB | Translated by AI 4 min Reading Time

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The electromagnetic stirrer (EMS) has advanced metal processing in terms of quality and is now indispensable in continuous casting plants. Invented in 1937 for ABB, the product has continuously evolved. Today, it can play an important role in the production of green steel.

In 1937, the EMS created a way to stir liquid metal without contact.(Image: ABB) — In 1937, the EMS created a way to stir liquid metal without contact.
(Image: ABB)

It was in 1937 when Ludwig Dreyfus, an employee of ASEA, invented the electromagnetic stirrer (EMS – Electromagnetic Stirrer). He realized that Faraday's law of induction (that a current can be induced by a changing magnetic field) could be extended to liquid metal. Positioned beside or below the furnace, his EMS generates a traveling magnetic field that achieves an effective stirring effect. This results in more uniform temperatures in the molten metal and speeds up the slag-metal reactions.

Dreyfus' invention was patented in Sweden in 1937. This created a means to stir the molten material without contact, allowing both the direction and amplitude of the stirring force to be dosed very precisely.

In the 1930s, this process was particularly revolutionary. Alternative methods, such as mechanical stirring with a rotator, often led to maintenance problems with corresponding downtimes. And metallurgical stirring by blowing gases like nitrogen, oxygen, or argon into the melt was not yet well developed at that time. The point where the gas is blown into the liquid metal can create a weak spot in the furnace and led to many safety issues with this technology.

Since then, several thousand EMS (also electromagnetic stirrers EMR) based on Dreyfus' invention have been installed in metal processing applications such as EAFs, ladle furnaces (also first developed by ABB), for continuous casting of steel, and for remelting aluminum.

Collaboration with customers is essential

The close partnership with customers is crucial for the continuous development of metallurgical processes. Parts of the processes occur at very high temperatures—1,500 degrees Celsius (2.732 degrees Fahrenheit) or more. "You can't foresee everything that happens at this temperature. Therefore, a lot of technology is developed based on experience," explains the team leader of ABB Metallurgy, Hongliang Yang. Although ABB's database allows simulations with a high degree of accuracy, "every new invention must be installed somewhere and prove itself before you can move on," Yang says.

Through close collaboration with customers during each commissioning of its EMS products, ABB has developed a deep understanding of how the technology functions under different conditions and with various feedstocks. This wealth of data is used in every new installation and development.

And so, ABB has worked closely with major manufacturers, in some cases for decades. For example, in the 1980s, ABB collaborated with Kawasaki Steel to apply an electromagnetic field to conventional slab casting to further improve slab quality.

Focusing on quality improvement in steel production

ABB's electromagnetic brake, invented by ABB in 1985.(Image: ABB) — ABB's electromagnetic brake, invented by ABB in 1985.
(Image: ABB)

The product that emerged from this joint work became known as EMBR or Electromagnetic Brake due to the control it provided over the momentum caused by jet streams in the slab casting process. In the 1990s, a flow control mold for conventional slab casters was then developed in this partnership.

ABB subsequently developed a third generation of continuous casting molds for flow control (FC Mold G3) to meet new market demands. In 2016, it launched the Optimold Monitor, a product that enables temperature measurement during continuous casting and provides an unprecedented insight into the process. In combination with Optimold Control, it allows for real-time closed-loop process control, elevating the quality of the produced metals to a new level.

Efficiency improvements also for climate-friendly arc furnaces

ABB Ability Optimold Monitor enables real-time visualization of mold temperature during continuous casting.(Image: ABB) — ABB Ability Optimold Monitor enables real-time visualization of mold temperature during continuous casting.
(Image: ABB)

Today, steel, aluminum, and other metal manufacturers are under particular pressure: They are expected to improve the quality of their products, reduce carbon emissions during production, and offer competitive prices.

Electric arc furnaces have great potential for this because they traditionally recycle metal scrap into new steel products. Additionally, they are powered by electricity, which can potentially be sourced from renewable energy to produce truly "green" steel. Among the current R&D projects of ABB, their head of the metallurgy division, Hongliang Yang, lists "the development of EMS processes that enable us to work efficiently with this new raw material for the arc furnace."

In 2022, ABB's long-standing collaboration with electric arc furnace manufacturer Tenova reached the milestone of final acceptance by steel producer Acciaieria Arvedi for a record-breaking melt unit with a furnace tapping size of 300 metric tons.

Arcsave adjusts the stirring force to specific process requirements. The technology optimizes metallurgical performance for the operation of electric arc furnaces (EAF).(Image: ABB) — Arcsave adjusts the stirring force to specific process requirements. The technology optimizes metallurgical performance for the operation of electric arc furnaces (EAF).
(Image: ABB)

For Tenova's Consteel EAF, an adaptation of the Arcsave electromagnetic stirring technology from ABB, the latest generation of electromagnetic stirrers for electric arc furnace operation, was necessary to complement a continuous scrap charging system.

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Date: 08.12.2025

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The jointly developed product is known as Consteerrer and reduced the electrical energy consumption by 3.6 percent at Acciaieria Arvedi. This corresponds to an annual reduction of CO₂ emissions from the plant by 38,000 tons. At the same time, there is a 5 percent increase in productivity and a 17 percent reduction in the final oxygen content of the produced steel. Other benefits include increased yield from scrap metals and less carried slag.

The future: ABB team relies on fiber optic sensors

The team of seven researchers, who are continuing Ludwig Dreyfus's work in the field of metallurgy for ABB, also places a clear emphasis on the topic of digitalization. This includes a particular focus on measurement with novel sensor devices that enable data transmission to a central point and the meaningful querying of this data. "As I mentioned earlier, aspects of metallurgical processes are unpredictable," reminds us team leader Yang. "Therefore, measurement is very important. One of our projects involves, for example, the use of optical fibers for temperature measurement."

Properties such as compact size, flexible structure, high sensitivity, and immunity to electromagnetic interference make fiber optic sensors ideal for the metallurgical environment. "This is a new field that will allow us to collect and analyze data and use our findings either to control our equipment or to develop new ideas for new products," says Yang. He openly admits that he is fascinated by the allure of the new and the potential to leverage previously unknown interactions in the crucibles of metallurgy to drive innovation and improve the sustainability of the industry. Because that is an ongoing mission full of possibilities.