France-based engineering firm Fives Group has successfully implemented a new oxygen enrichment system at SN Maia Siderurgia Nacional, marking its first such project on an existing billet reheating furnace.
The project, located at SN Maia—Portugal’s largest rebar production facility and part of the MEGASA Group, aimed to improve furnace performance and reduce natural gas consumption through enhanced combustion technology.
Fives, which had previously upgraded the furnace’s combustion system, was selected again to carry out the enhancement. The centerpiece of the project is PREMIX™, an innovative oxygen injection technology developed by Fives. This system injects additional oxygen into the combustion air duct upstream of the burners, resulting in increased combustion efficiency.
According to Fives, the oxygen content was raised to 25%, delivering fuel savings of approximately 6%—exceeding the project’s initial energy efficiency targets.
The successful deployment underscores Fives’ growing role in the decarbonization and energy optimization of steelmaking processes across Europe.
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