SMS Elotherm received an order from Benteler Steel/Tube for a TemperLine™ for its planned seamless pipe plant in Shreveport, La. The quench-and-temper line consists of the inductive austenitizing and equalizing sections, the quenching station and the associated transport roller tables and cooling beds. SMS Elotherm employs the IGBT converter technology developed and built in-house to generate the working frequency and power, making it possible to treat all pipe diameters from around 40 mm (1.6 inches) to almost 140 mm (5.5 inches) with different wall thicknesses at a throughput of up to 15 tons per hour on the line.

The centerpiece of the TemperLine is the flexible multi-zone converters with a total installed power of around 10 MW from the Elomat® series. Eight zones of the austenitizing and annealing section are individually controlled with just three converters to ensure optimum process results. According to SMS Elotherm, this line configuration enables Benteler to achieve metallurgical and geometrical quality results that are better than the demands of the applicable API standard. The line is scheduled to go into operation in the second half of 2015.