The control for the battery heating in consideration of different operation temperatures has been extended by a full automatic generation of the pushing schedules by following all actual operating conditions. The performance of the oven machines comes ever closer to man less operation.
An improved gas-treatment module allows for economic optimization of the process with regard to the market situation for the different by-products and consumables.

A new technique is presented to recycle ladle slag within the electric arc furnace through the injection system. The dilution of the chemical species contained in the slag and their combination with the species featuring the EAF slag afford a double advantage: the final slag is structured by chemical species that do not lead to the formation of powders and better stabilize the foaming slag. The industrial results are analyzed on the basis of the chemical species identification supported by thermodynamic modelling.

The development of a pickling process, more effective and appropriate for the new steel grades, requires a deep and thorough knowledge of its interaction with the steel surface. The Surface ICP-OES technique developed for some years at ARCELOR RESEARCH SA, has permitted to obtain the electrochemical and chemical characterization of pickling, in real time, up to now on laboratory samples. The principle and the developments of this technique and its transfer to pickling are presented. The results obtained in some cases highlight the potential and the interest of this approach for an improved control of the pickling process.

A modelling strategy has been developed to reduce the overspread at the finisher of the HSM in Avilés. A new hybrid data based model elaborates the roughing and finishing mills set up. It has made it possible to reduce the overspread by 1.5 mm at the finisher since March 2005. The model is modular and flexible and it can be transferred to other installations.

A cold rolled DP-grade (TS 600 MPa), coiled at 550°C, was compared with a steel of approximately the same analysis but with the addition of 0.015 wt% Nb, coiled at 520 and 600°C respectively. The Nb-addition refines the ferrite grain size substantially and a more uniform grain shape is achieved. The smaller grain size of the ferrite and martensite phases, results in a material with better formability. Recrystallization and phase transformations were studied with the laser ultrasonic technique. This technique could be implemented on industrial annealing lines.

New international regulation imposing double hull tankers, lead to turn over end of life tankers to FPSO (Floating production Storage Offloading). This raises a problem with the life extension of the units that must account for the new operational conditions. Bureau Veritas has introduced a method to assess the residual life of a tanker and to decide of the necessary modifications and improvements to reach the new contractual life time. The method is described with the support of an actual example.

The Arcelor research center in Liège has developed an innovative ventilated double skinner roofing system based on an AluZinc coated steel siding. A pilot experiment has been carried out in July, August and September 2006 to assess the performance of the system. It makes it possible to bring down the inside temperature of a construction hut by 3°C and to minimize the energy consumption of the air conditioning by 9%.