Linde Gases announced an agreement with Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB for the installation of an extensive REBOX® HLL oxyfuel system at SSAB’s steel mill in Borlänge, Sweden. Combined with a similar but smaller system implemented at the plant by Linde in early 2009, the installation will allow the Borlänge plant to operate at 60-70 MW and is scheduled for completion January 2011. The first REBOX HLL system, with 25 MW of power, was installed in one of two zones within one of the 300-metric-tons/hour walking-beam furnaces at the mill. Following its successful operation, the technology will now be extended to that furnace’s second zone and to both zones within the other furnace.

The combined oxyfuel installation will deliver operational improvements including a 10% increase in throughput capacity and a reduction of fuel consumption by 15%. In addition, CO2 and NOx emissions will decrease by as much as 15% and 25% respectively. Linde’s patented REBOX HLL technology creates a type of flameless oxyfuel without the need to replace existing air-fuel burners. By reducing the air flow within the combustion process and substituting the majority of the air with oxygen, which is delivered via high-velocity injection, combustion is greatly improved.