When Gerdau Ameristeel, the fourth largest steel company and the second largest mini-steel producer in North America, needs rugged, high-performing piston pumps in a hurry, it turns to Eaton. For five years, Gerdau Ameristeel relied solely on competitive pumps at its electric arc furnace-based minimill in Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. The pumps were used on the hydraulic power unit for its natural gas-fired walking-beam furnace that reheats steel billets, enabling them to be formed into various shapes.

The furnace supports two rolling mills and is shutdown only once each month for routine maintenance. It enables 100 tons of steel billets per hour to travel inside the furnace and maneuver in a square pattern—24 hours a day, seven days a week. In the event of failure of one of the operating pumps, the unit automatically switches to the spare pump.

After numerous problems with premature and catastrophic bearing failures with an unresponsive competitor’s product, Gerdau Ameristeel turned to Eaton. Eaton’s product management and sales personnel recommended that Gerdau Ameristeel take a look at the Eaton Hydrokraft PVX 250-ccm pump for the steel mill application.

The company was impressed by the robust, heavy-duty pump that offers oversized shaft and shaft bearings—up to 30% larger than the competitive pump—resulting in reliable operation and long life, even in water glycol applications. Also of interest was the pump’s single-lip Teflon seal shaft, which runs cooler than a triplelip seal in low-lubricity conditions, and its cradle-type, swash-plate design that further ensures reliable operation and long life. Gerdau Ameristeel took delivery of its first custom Hydrokraft PVX 250 pump seven days later.

The Eaton pump has been working hard for over a year with no visible leakage from the shaft seal. Since this positive test trial, Gerdau Ameristeel has added another Eaton Hydrokraft pump to the furnace power unit and has plans to replace the two other competitive pumps within two years.