GREENCAL Heat treatment furnace facilities for the steel industry
Heat treatment of Ni-coated battery steels
Nickel-coated steel strip, manufactured from a low-carbon material and with a small proportion of alloying elements, is generally used to create battery steels. Depending on the thickness of the strip, the desired mechanical properties and the intended application, a number of different processing methods may be employed. The special heat treatment process used in the manufacture of such strip can be carried out either in a proven HICON/H2 bell annealer facility, with the strip in coil form, or in a continuous process in a continuous heat treatment facility.
For the continuous process, EBNER has developed an innovative new design: the horizontal GREENCAL continuous annealing line. This design allows every heat treatment technology used in the manufacture of Ni-coated steel strip to be incorporated into a single processing line.
The combination of extremely pure process atmosphere and high convection leads to an extremely precise temperature distribution across the width of the strip, even as it also provides a high throughput and reproducible material properties.
Typical strip dimensions and processing speeds
Max. strip width: 800 mm / 1000 mm / 1220 mm
Strip thickness : 0.1 to 1.0 mm
Line speeds: up to 100 m/min
Typical applications for Ni-coated strip
Cylindrical battery cell casings in electric vehicles
Standard household batteries
Button cell batteries for use in corrosive conditions
Steel strip for battery cell casings is distinguished by
Isotropic deep drawing characteristics due to special heat treatment process
High mechanical stability
High corrosion resistance
Long service life
Additional applications of horizontal GREENCAL continuous annealing lines
Deep-drawing steels
Multi-phase steels
Non-grain-oriented (NGO) electrical steel strip
Martensitic carbon steel strip
Martensitic stainless steels
Copper and copper alloys
Special alloy
Advantages of the EBNER design
Flexible facility design
A variety of heat treatment technologies can be incorporated into a single line
Different types of heating systems can be combined in a single line
Modular facility layout allows performance to increased at a later date
Flexible heating and cooling rates can be adapted to technological requirements
Processing temperatures up to 1,100 °C
Heating methods
Electric heating system with HICON high convection circulation system
Electric heating system with radiant tubes
Induction heating system
Gas-fired heating system with high-efficiency,
low-emission radiant tubes
Flexible temperature track
Extremely precise temperature control
Variable heating and cooling rates
Flexible soaking times
Gas-tight furnace design with variable atmosphere selection
Depending on application, process atmospheres with up to 100 % hydrogen can be selected
Specially-designed seals at inlet and outlet, as well as at roller leadthroughs
Exact atmosphere flow and furnace pressure regulation
Proven safety system design, even using 100 % hydrogen as process atmosphere
Lowest energy and utility consumption
Extremely efficient heating system design
Insulated with special fiber modules
Up to 80 % of process atmosphere can be recycled
Thermal energy can be directly recovered from the process
Damage-free strip transport
Driven sealing rolls in the furnace inlet and outlet seals
Special materials used for furnace rolls
Individual roller drives with precisely-operating servo drive units
Prevention of deposits on rolls / long hearth roller service life
Extremely high degree of availability
Facility design that is easy to operate and maintain
Easy access to interior of furnace
Easy roller removal (no overhead crane required)
Strip break detection, including protective devices for components in furnace interior
New strip can be easily strung
Rapid heating and cooling of the furnace facility when switching between processes