Steel is a high-quality material. The raw materials used in its production are just as valuable. High-precision weighing and documentation of basic raw materials is therefore extremely important and is beneficial not only in terms of cost-effectiveness but also safety and environmental protection. Schenck Process has now successfully taken a major step towards even more precision with MULTIRAIL® HotMetalWeight rail vehicle scales.

The so-called blast furnace process plays a key role in steel production. Here large quantities of ore, sinter, coke and additives are processed into liquid pig iron. In terms of production control and balancing, knowing the weight of the produced pig iron is just as important as precise weighing of the ingredients. Until now, this production weight could only be estimated.

Now with MULTIRAIL HotMetalWeight, Schenck Process presents an innovative application, which can weigh a torpedo wagon carrying liquid pig iron as it travels from the blast furnace to the steel works. The specially developed dynamic train scales are made from standard concrete points sleepers, which are integrated into the special force sensor. This is a great example of how over 125 years of experience of Schenck Process building train scales and load cells results in perfect synergy.

Even from a technological standpoint, MULTIRAIL HotMetalWeight is a revolutionary solution in the dynamic weighing of heavy torpedo wagons. The weight of each individual wagon is easily measured when the train travels over the scales at normal speed.

This approach considerably increases the weighing output compared with static weighbridges – reducing error rates at the same time. This is because any interference to the dynamics of the train driving over the scales is eliminated. There are no weighbridges, no gaps and no variations in rigidity – the wagons simply drive over a perfectly normal track.

The new train scales provide yet another benefit to the maintenance department. Continuous monitoring of the empty and full weights of all wagons enables conclusions to be drawn about the condition of each wagon’s fireproof brick lining over time. On this basis, maintenance intervals can be optimised – with the added bonus of considerable cost savings.

Following the installation of many MULTIRAIL train scales for normal trains, the first MULTIRAIL HotMetalWeight was commissioned at Salzgitter Flachstahl in the summer of 2007. Since then every day, it has weighed up to 14,000t of pig iron from three blast furnaces without the need for any operating staff. It has a maximum dynamic error rate of ±0.5%.

You can learn more about this system on our MULTIRAIL® HotMetalWeight DVD, which we can make available to you free of charge and without obligation. Just send a short e-mail request to transport@schenckprocess.com.