Primetals Technologies has entered into a cooperation agreement with BGH Edelstahl in Siegen, Germany, to test the Active Power Feeder solution in the Siegen steelworks for the existing electric arc furnace with a 50 ton tapping weight. Industrial testing of the Active Power Feeder is planned for 2025.
Active power feeders
The Active Power Feeder is a key technology for environmentally friendly electric steel production. The Active Power Feeder uses the patented, tried-and-tested MMC technology (Modular Multilevel Converter) for medium voltage combined with an innovative power control developed by specialists at Primetals Technologies.
The electric arc furnace is operated with a high power quality that meets the requirements of the energy supply companies. In addition, Active Power Feeder ensures low electrical losses and high oven efficiency.
The installation of the Active Power Feeder is extremely flexible when modernizing existing EAFs as well as new systems - another advantage of MMC technology for medium voltage. Additionally, Active Power Feeder can compensate for the impact of an additional ladle furnace without requiring another Static VAR Compensator (SVC) or Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM).
Industrial application at BGH stainless steel
Demonstrating the ecological, technical and commercial advantages of the technology under industrial production conditions for scrap melting with electric arc furnaces is the goal of the cooperation between BGH Edelstahl and Primetals Technologies. The BGH arc furnace is operated by Active Power Feeder with an intermediate circuit converter using MMC technology.
BGH is a special steel producer of the highest quality stainless steels and special alloys. The product range is broad and also includes small batch sizes for the special wishes and requirements of BGH end customers, such as on-time delivery and compliance with the highest quality standards. BGH aims to reduce CO2 emissions according to Scope 1 and 2 by 42% by 2030 compared to the base year 2021. In addition, the German steel producer aims to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 25% by 2030 compared to the base year 2021.
