In future, an innovative turbine will be used on the roof of the heating centre at thyssenkrupp Steel in Duisburg-Hamborn to transform process steam into electrical energy. Today, the heavy micro steam turbine weighing 5 tonnes was lifted to its station by a truck-mounted crane.
This pioneering technology utilises steam generated on the roof of the heating centre at Hamborn. There, a steam pressure regulator reduces the generated net steam pressure of approx. 13 bar to the necessary operating pressure of approx. 2.2 bar. The micro steam turbine utilises the potential energy of the steam, which is usually wasted during traditional reduction of steam pressure. Instead, it powers a rotor turbine and produces electricity via a generator.
The development of the micro steam turbine is the result of a cooperation between the company Turbonik and Fraunhofer Umsicht and, in 2018, received the Innovation Award of the German Steel Association, among others.
Stefan Saalberg from thyssenkrupp Steel explains: “The new micro steam turbine will generate approx. 1,800 MWh of electricity per year in future. This is the equivalent of the annual consumption of approx. 420 four-person households. This is another innovative solution which we at thyssenkrupp Steel are using to optimise our processes and thereby reduce carbon emissions as far as possible within traditional steel production.”
thyssenkrupp Steel is an integrated steel mill and uses three different processes to transform coke gases and blast furnace gases in power plants in order to generate heat and electricity. The micro steam turbine is thus an additional element in the efficient use of energy during steel production and contributes to saving resources and to cost-efficient generation of electricity.
