Steel production is an energy intensive industry. Secondary metallurgists, who are seeing increased demand for speciality degassed products, are using a new technology to address these issues: the integrated ladle tank vacuum degassing station equipped with modular vacuum pumping systems. However, with an increasing emphasis on reducing energy use and cutting greenhouse gas emissions in line with the UN Framework on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, steel producers are interested to find ways to address these issues while improving production rates and reducing costs. This article looks at the environmental and economic benefits, operational characteristics and recent results produced by such steel degassing installations when used in the vacuum degassing (VD) and vacuum oxygen decarburisation (VOD) processes.

1. Holmes, M.; Stafford, P.: Reduction in total energy consumption at Corus Engineering Steels, Proc. 9. European Electric Steelmaking Conf., 19–21 May 2008, Krakow, Poland.
2. Bruce, S.; Cheetham, V.: Iron & Steel Today 2 (2008) No. 4, p. 24/25.
3. Shoop, K.: Industrial Heating 73 (2006) No. 11, p. 59/62.
4. Bruce, S.; Cheetham, V.; Legge, G.: Recent operating experience with dry running vacuum degassing and vacuum oxygen decarburization systems, process technology, Proc. ISSTech 2003 (Iron & Steel Society Internat. Technology Conf. 2003), 27–30 April 2003, Indianapolis, USA.
5. Bruce, S.; Cheetham, V.; Legge, G.: Recent ex perience of mechanical vacuum pumps replacing steam ejectors in VD and VOD processes, melting processes and refining, Proc. 2nd Intern. Conf. on New Developments in Metallurgical Process Technology, 19–24 Sept 2004, Riva del Garda, Italy.
6. Bruce, S.; Cheetham, V.: Recent developments and experiences in modular dry mechanical vacuum pumping systems for secondary steel processing, Proc. 9th Europ. Electric Steelmaking Conf., 19–21 May 2008, Krakow, Poland.
7. Adapted from environmental code of practice for non-integrated steel mills, Environment Canada, Minerals and Metals Division, EPS 1/MM/8, March 2001.
8. RG 2007 (European Commission Decision 2007/589/EC) 5.1, L229/13.