LAND® helps metals industry plant designer increase tapping system safety and control

CASE STUDY
Tuesday, March 25, 2025

LAND^® helps metals industry plant designer increase tapping system safety and control

The Background

Leaders in steel

Based in northeast Italy, Danieli is one of the world leaders in the production of steel plants. Established in 1914, Danieli specializes in designing plants, and manufacturing and installing machinery for the metals industry. Its comprehensive expertise spans the entire production cycle from raw ore to finished steel products.

LAND^®, an AMETEK business and world-leading manufacturer of instrumentation and analyzers for non-contact industrial infrared temperature measurements, joined forces with Danieli to develop advanced automatic tapping systems aimed at enhancing operational safety and process control in steel plants.

The Challenge

Tinkering with tapping

Tapping is the process of draining molten metal and slag from a furnace. Steel plants face several challenges during the tapping process. Traditional tapping methods expose operators to hazardous environments, while ensuring consistent steel quality and reducing slag carryover requires precise monitoring and control. Inefficient tapping processes can lead to higher slag depths and increased downstream processing costs.

Danieli was looking to produce an automated tapping system that would make it possible to execute a complete furnace tapping remotely from the main pulpit of a steel plant. The system was intended to start furnace tilting in automatic mode, controlling the furnace position during the complete tapping process.

An electric arc furnace (EAF) is a type of furnace that heats charged material by means of an electric arc. In steelmaking, an EAF melts scrap metal using high-voltage electric arcs between electrodes and the metal.

The Solution

Enhancing operations

Danieli partnered with LAND to create the Danieli Automatic Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) Tapping System. This innovative system enables complete remote furnace tapping from the main pulpit of a steel plant, significantly improving safety and control during the tapping process.

This incorporates two LAND thermal imaging systems: the Slag Detection System (SDS) – branded as Danieli’s Q-Slag – and the near-infrared (NIR) fixed thermal imager used for the embedded Ladle Level Detection (LLD) system. Q-Slag detects the transition between steel and slag, quantifying slag for alloy adjustments, while the LLD system monitors steel levels in the ladle. These systems, integrated with Danieli software, enable real-time steel flow control.

LAND’s customized solutions for Danieli have improved operator response times and steel consistency, reducing slag depths by up to 25% compared to traditional methods. This collaboration has successfully addressed critical challenges in steel production, enhancing safety, process control, and efficiency.

Learn more about LAND's steel plant solutions.

The Slag Detection System (SDS) is LAND's definitive solution for monitoring and reducing slag carryover in steel production facilities. It is proven to reduce slag carryover, save money and improve operator safety.