In 2001, the width extension of the strand, with the increase of the pallet width from 5 to 5.5 m, increased the new effective sinter area up to 572 m2. A new ignition furnace was built in order to ensure a nominal production of 21,000 tons of sinter per day at constant quality. The new ignition furnace makes it possible to decrease the total thermal needs by 25 MJ/t of sinter. The safety of the installation is improved and the process control is easier. Total productive maintenance was used from the design to the realization. All the experiments and knowledge were capitalized. This was used for the training of the operators.

Clean steel encompasses a multitude of concepts that are based on fulfilling customer requests. Clean steel can be produced in many ways depending on the existing equipment and detailed customer demands. A common feature of all clean steel production is tight process control along with continuous monitoring. Quality assurance is essential and it still requires many improvements. There are no specific obstacles to clean steelmaking, as the industrial processes are available, sufficiently understood and controlled. The major issues to be addressed remain disturbances that occur in industrial reality. This asks for continuous improvements in processes and equipment and for further development of quality assurance systems to achieve full control of any possible detrimental effect.

In this paper, Siemens VAI presents its SmartCrown Technology package, which includes innovative solutions for the improvement of dimensional tolerances, of profil and flatness, and for the achievement of high mechanical properties of hot rolled strips. Steel producers can thus benefit from advantages in terms of product quality and cost.

A numerical tool has been implemented at Arcelor Research to evaluate the influence of different process parameters on the stability of the flow in the CC mould and on steel cleanliness. The key parameter to improve steel cleanliness is hydrodynamics. It is generated in the mould and naturally unsteady, even if maintaining the process parameters at a constant value. In order to maintain a stable mould flow that allows inclusions removal while avoiding the creation of new defects, process parameters should be optimized or some actuators should be proposed and adapted. The new numerical tool affords a better understanding of the phenomena in the CC mould when some modifications or variations are imposed.

A fast quenching equipment, the TWICE, has been installed on the continuous annealing line of Kessales in May 2002, to satisfy the ever increasing demand for high strength steels with a good formability. After more than two years of industrial operation, the TWICE has proven all its excellent properties, in terms of reliability of the equipment and quality of the steels produced, making of the C.A.L. of Kessales the reference tool for the HSS production in the Arcelor Group.

Due to the new European Regulations and to the new material tests prescribed by the European Acceptance Scheme, most current materials for domestic distribution of drinking water will have to be substituted for. Performances of stainless steel, as compared with other materials, are highlighted considering sanitary aspects and fitness for purpose as well. The new press-fitting technique makes it possible to join stainless steel plumbing easily, thus alleviating the only difficulty with stainless steel installation. This opens the way for the development of stainless steel in drinking water distribution.