Field trip to voestalpine Stahl Donawitz GmbH in Leoben on 27 June 2025

The competence of voestalpine Stahl Donawitz GmbH as a steel producer is based on more than 140 years of technical experience, and it has today developed into a niche provider for demanding product segments.

Back in 1953, voestalpine developed the breakthrough technology Linz-Donawitz converter process, which enabled the large-scale and rapid conversion of pig iron into crude steel. This technology is still used and about 70% of the worldwide steel production is made by this technology. It is possible to process large quantities of pig iron and scrap economically, as well as to supply crude steel of special quality.

With a classic LD production line "sinter plant - blast furnace – hot metal desulfurization plant - LD converter vessel - secondary metallurgy - continuous casting plants" voestalpine Stahl Donawitz GmbH produces premium steel based on specific market needs.
The metallurgical processes in the blast furnace take place in several zones. The blast furnace is continuously charged with the raw materials coke and ore. Hot gas is blown from bottom to top in countercurrent. Direct reduction takes place at temperatures of 1200 to 1800 degrees Celsius. The iron oxides give off their oxygen atoms to the carbon and are reduced to liquid iron. Every two hours the pig iron and the slag that forms is discharged from the blast furnace. Samples of the pig iron are taken and analysed in the laboratory for further processing in the LD steelworks.

At the beginning of the BOF (LD) process, the converter vessel is charged with scrap by means of a scrap slide. Approximately 15 to 20 tons of steel scrap are required per melt. This serves as a cooling factor to adjust the heat balance in the LD converter. From the desulphurisation plant, 55 tonnes of molten pig iron are charged into the LD converter. A special dedusting system extracts the emissions produced. These exhaust gases are used to produce electricity for the Donawitz site. The special feature of the Linz-Donawitz process is the targeted blowing of pure oxygen.

This technology allows to reduce the carbon content of the iron to a very low level. High quality crude steel is produced from pig iron in a short time and with low energy consumption. The pure oxygen is blown onto the bath via a lance at supersonic speed. The temperature and analysis determination are carried out by our employees on site and in the laboratory and the required post-blowing time is determined. Once the correct phosphorus content and tapping temperature have been reached, the LD converter swings into tapping position. The liquid crude steel is filled into a steel casting ladle. During tapping, alloying elements are added to the steel to adjust the chemical composition.

Every year, voestalpine Stahl Donawitz GmbH produces more than 1.6 million tons of premium steel.

The tour will start with a introductory movie, safety guidelines and information on the safety gear which you are provided with during the tour.

During a tour taking pictures is absolutely prohibited.

Tours are offered in both German and English.

Please see the programme page for itinerary and timings.

Book your place on the field trip during registration, or by contact Mrs Amanda Crow, amanda.crow@propubs.com