Asahi Industries Introduces New Heating Furnace

Japanese major concrete reinforcing steel bar maker, Asahi Industries started operation of a walking beam heating furnace including the regenerative burner at Saitama plant. The firm changes the fuel for the furnace from heavy oil and recycled oil to liquid natural gas. The firm changes the fuel for steel making mill and rolling mill to LNG by converting the fuel for tundish preheater and electric arc furnace until this summer.

The new heating furnace with 120 tonnes per hour of capacity can heat about 110 units of square billet with 150 millimeters width and 6.2 meters length each batch. Asahi Industries removes the old heating furnace and adds 2 roughing mills at the site totaling 8 roughing mills. Through the series of energy saving effort, the firm plans to reduce CO2 emission by 30% in fiscal 2010 starting April compared with fiscal 1990.