The control for the battery heating in consideration of different operationtemperatures has been extended by a full automatic generationof the pushing schedules by following all actual operatingconditions. The performance of the oven machines comes ever closerto man less operation.
An improved gas-treatment module allows for economic optimizationof the process with regard to the market situation for the differentby-products and consumables.

A new technique is presented to recycle ladle slag within the electricarc furnace through the injection system. The dilution of the chemicalspecies contained in the slag and their combination with the speciesfeaturing the EAF slag afford a double advantage: the final slagis structured by chemical species that do not lead to the formationof powders and better stabilize the foaming slag. The industrialresults are analyzed on the basis of the chemical species identificationsupported by thermodynamic modelling.

The development of a pickling process, more effective and appropriatefor the new steel grades, requires a deep and thorough knowledgeof its interaction with the steel surface. The Surface ICP-OEStechnique developed for some years at ARCELOR RESEARCH SA,has permitted to obtain the electrochemical and chemical characterizationof pickling, in real time, up to now on laboratory samples.The principle and the developments of this technique and its transferto pickling are presented. The results obtained in some caseshighlight the potential and the interest of this approach for an improvedcontrol of the pickling process.

A modelling strategy has been developed to reduce the overspreadat the finisher of the HSM in Avilés. A new hybrid data based modelelaborates the roughing and finishing mills set up. It has made it possibleto reduce the overspread by 1.5 mm at the finisher since March2005. The model is modular and flexible and it can be transferred toother installations.

A cold rolled DP-grade (TS 600 MPa), coiled at 550°C, was comparedwith a steel of approximately the same analysis but with theaddition of 0.015 wt% Nb, coiled at 520 and 600°C respectively. TheNb-addition refines the ferrite grain size substantially and a moreuniform grain shape is achieved. The smaller grain size of the ferriteand martensite phases, results in a material with better formability.Recrystallization and phase transformations were studied with thelaser ultrasonic technique. This technique could be implemented onindustrial annealing lines.

New international regulation imposing double hull tankers, lead toturn over end of life tankers to FPSO (Floating production StorageOffloading). This raises a problem with the life extension of the unitsthat must account for the new operational conditions. Bureau Veritashas introduced a method to assess the residual life of a tanker andto decide of the necessary modifications and improvements to reachthe new contractual life time. The method is described with the supportof an actual example.

The Arcelor research center in Liège has developed an innovativeventilated double skinner roofing system based on an AluZinccoated steel siding. A pilot experiment has been carried out in July,August and September 2006 to assess the performance of the system.It makes it possible to bring down the inside temperature of aconstruction hut by 3°C and to minimize the energy consumption ofthe air conditioning by 9%.