Standard Systems

The push-pull pickling technology developed by Nelson Steel’s Consulting & Technology Group offers the flexibility, capacity, and quality standards necessary to meet the needs of the constantly changing requirements of the steel market.

Push-pull pickling is a process by which hot rolled steel coils are pushed through the pickling line to the recoiler, and in turn are pulled by the recoiler to complete the process. Coils initially enter a flattener to remove coil set, then enter a series of pickling tanks where mill scale (iron oxide) is removed using hydrochloric acid (HCl). Once pickled, the strip is rinsed and dried. Various coatings and oils can then be applied along with in-line slitting and side trimming. Finally the strip is recoiled and packaged.

Standard systems include:

Acid System
The acid system is designed to provide a turbulent acid bath in a series of pickling tanks. It consists of acid-resistant equipment to store, recirculate, heat, feed, and transfer acid.

Rinse System
The rinse system consists of a series of tanks to remove carryover acid from the strip before it leaves the processing section. Our unique patented Stain-Free® rinse system allows the strip to remain completely submerged from roll bit to roll bite in all stages, thereby allowing extended line stops without rejectable staining.

Fume Exhaust System
The fume exhaust system collects, scrubs, and vents fumes from the pickling tanks, rinse tanks, storage tanks, and recirculation tanks. It is designed to exceed governing environmental regulations for scrubber efficiency, hydrochloric acid (HCl) emissions, and indoor air quality. Components of this system consist of the scrubber, fan, ductwork, controls, droplet eliminator, and testing/inspection ports to monitor emissions.