MPT International 2/2014 (Apr)

Metallurgical Plant and Technology G 25074

ISSN 0935-7254

New technology for surface Ć‚nishing on worM rolls for Ćƒat cold rolling mills

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April 2014

Form and function.

Visit us at 2014 h AISTec 1427 .

Booth No , 2014 8 May 5 to nvention Center o Indiana C , IN lis o p a n ia d In

Further applications of electro-slag remelting (ESR X-eed).

Tertiary metallurgy: Ultra-pure special alloys.

Today’s innovative engine development calls for the knowhow of casting technology experts. Why? Because it takes molds made from ultra-pure special alloys to attain smooth, flawless surfaces.

Equally outstanding properties are extreme resistance to corrosion and high temperatures.

This is just one of the fields where we excel. Using electroslag remelting (ESR X-eed), we achieve precise analysis tol-erances by melting under inert gas.

The resulting optimized slag composition impacts on the refining process, ensuring excellent block surfaces. Overall, that produces a super-fine block structure with very good macro/micro homogeneity.

SMS Siemag and SMS Mevac – adding value to your steel.

SMS MEVAC GMBH

Bamlerstrasse 3a 45141 Essen, Germany

Phone: +49 201 6323-0 Fax: +49 201 6323-200

E-mail: mail@sms-mevac.com Internet: www.sms-mevac.com

EDITORIAL

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It is the steel quality that counts In this issue of MPT International, we are one more time reporting about the concrete efforts steel companies undertake to improve the quality of their products and reduce the environmental footprint of their operations. Especially, the integrated iron and steelmaking sites are presented with major challenges in their endeavours to contain the environmental impact of dust, NOx, SOx and noise emissions. In a feature story, we report about ArcelorMittal Ostrava which – like many other steelmaking sites – has launched a major investment programme to implement additional environmental protection measures to further curb emissions.

Unsurprisingly, most of the technical articles in this issue deal with ways of how to further improve quality. Reports about new vacuum treatment plants at Ternium-Siderar, Argentina, and Taiyuan Iron & Steel, China, are examples of the efforts companies make to improve their competence in materials technology for both carbon and stainless steel grades. Generally, the main objective of a growing number of investment initiatives is to improve the product quality – hand in hand with high sustainability of production, i.e. high efficiency of material and energy use. Also the new slab production facilities at Salzgitter Flachstahl in Germany and Jindal Steel & Power in India meet these requirements, as the related articles in this issue show. The same trend can be observed in long production, for example at Evraz Novokuznetsk. After revamping a continuous bloom caster, the productivity of the plant has increased and, at the same time, the internal quality for a wide production mix, including rail steel, has been significantly improved. The authors describe in great detail which technological features have made these improvements possible.

Dipl.-Ing. Arnt Hannewald

Steel product quality together with metallurgical competences form the essential selling proposition. These two factors are among the keys to business success. They also give steel an advantage over other materials – a competition, which steel has been winning for more than two centuries.

MPT International 2 / 2014

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››› CONTENTS

International industry news 30

AISTech 2014 returns to Indianapolis The Iron & Steel Technology Conference and Exposition will take place on 4 – 8 May 2014

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Winners of the virtual steelmaking challenge The world finals of the 8th virtual steelmaking challenge took place in Brussels, Belgium, in February

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Changes on the managing board of SMS group Burkhard Dahmen was appointed new spokesman of the SMS group

Coverphoto: PDT™ – POMINI DIGITAL TEXTURING™ Pomini Tenova’s disruptive technology for roll texturing Contact: http://www.tenovagroup.com/roll_shops.php E-mail: pomini@tenova.com

Environmental protection 38

ArcelorMittal Ostrava invests in environmental improvements

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The company started a huge investment programme to reduce pollution at the integrated iron and steel works

Sound Ƃlter solutions applied to the treatment of fumes arising from ƃame cutting The off-gas arising in recycling operations are collected and filtered using a sophisticated technology

Steelmaking 50

New secondary steel treatment options implemented at Ternium-Siderar, Argentina

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A state-of-the-art vacuum steel degassing unit was recently commissioned and started operation in late 2013

Production of ferritic stainless steel in VOD plants An optimize process allows to achieve carbon and nitrogen levels lower than 150 ppm

Continuous casting 60

Meltshop and slab plant commissioned at JSPL Angul, India

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The DRI based EAF plant was successfully put into operation; also the slab caster commenced operation

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New strand supporting roll technology to provide astonishing beneƂts

Design and construction of the new slab caster at Salzgitter Flachstahl, Germany Designed as a bow-type machine, it is currently Europe’s largest non-vertical continuous slab caster

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The sophisticated solution will optimize the slab casting process and set new standards for efficient maintenance

High-end rail production at Evraz Novokuznetsk works, Siberia A mechanical soft reduction system was implemented at the bloom caster in the framework of a revamp project

Quality assurance

Cold rolling

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A common language for all data Gallatin Steel is using a quality execution system to make coil grading decisions by way of an automated process

MPT International 2 / 2014

New technology for surface Ƃnishing on work rolls for ƃat cold rolling mills The concept completely re-defines the technology in terms of methods, operational and maintenance costs

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Strip processing 88

Automation of a ƃying shear for cutting highstrength steel The lower the complexity of the system, the lower the lifecycle costs – this combination also applies to systems used in strip processing

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Sichuan Southwest Stainless Steel Company inaugurated new annealing and pickling line The new plant will increase the annual capacity by 700,000 t of hot rolled stainless steel strips ready for downstream operations

Columns 8

International industry news

112 Literature service

96

Technical innovations

114 In the next issue

111 Cartoon

114 Imprint

Advertisers’ index ABB AB 103 Associazione Italiana di Metallurgia 14 Automazioni Industriali Capitano srl 17 BEDA-Oxygentechnik Armaturen GmbH 85 Boldrocchi srl 43 Braun Maschinenfabrik Gesellschaft m.b.H. 42 C.M.P. Officine Meccaniche Srl 13 Castellini Officine Meccaniche S.p.A. 95 Dango & Dienenthal Maschinenbau GmbH 87 Danieli S.P.A. 6, 7 Danieli Automation Spa 91 Deutsche Edelstahlwerke GmbH 19 Fives DMS 81 Getriebebau NORD GmbH & Co. KG 29 GLAMA Maschinenbau GmbH 89 GSB Group GmbH 109 Guild International Inc. 73 Hannover Messe Ankiros Fuarcilik A. S. 101 Herzog Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG 15 Instituto Aco Brasil (IABr) 24 IMS Messsysteme GmbH 97, 98 INDUcoder Messtechnik GmbH 53

INTECO special melting technologies GmbH 35, 105 International Trade & Exhibition India Pvt. Ltd. 115 JATO-Düsenbau AG 10 Amandus Kahl GmbH & Co.KG 109 KELLER HCW 48 Maschinenfabrik Köppern GmbH & Co.KG 28 KSK Kuhlmann-System-Kühltechnik GmbH 32 Küttner GmbH & Co. KG 102 LAP GmbH 77 Lechler GmbH 69 LOI Thermprocess GmbH 47 M.A.T. Malmedie Antriebstechnik GmbH 37 MAPEKO GmbH 9 Medenus Gas-Druckregeltechnik GmbH 82 MICRO-EPSILON MESSTECHNIK GmbH & Co. KG 23 Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum 25 Pert srl 63 Pieper GmbH 18 Plakoma GmbH 59 REBS-Zentralschmiertechnik GmbH 42 RV Rheinbraun GmbH 21, 22

Saar-Metallwerke GmbH 26 Schenck Process GmbH 83 SGL CARBON GmbH O.B.C. Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH 41 Siempelkamp Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH & Co.KG 65 SMS Meer GmbH 93 SMS Mevac GmbH I.F.C. Stein Industrie-Anlagen 62 Stopinc AG 49 surcon GmbH 27 TES Transformer Electro Service srl 33 TML Technik GmbH 45 TMT Tapping Measuring Technology 57 ThyssenKrupp Uhde Engineering Services GmbH 75, 76 VELCO GmbH Ges. f. Förder-, Spritz- und Silo-Anlagen mbH 94 Ventilatorenfabrik Oelde GmbH 99 Verlag Stahleisen GmbH 100, 106, 113 PAUL WURTH S.A. 107, 108 Z & J Technologies GmbH 11, 12 Zumbach Electronic AG 16

MPT International 2 / 2014

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS News in brief

The Americas

Nippon Steel and ArcelorMittal, USA, have completed the acquisition of ThyssenKrupp Steel USA. The 50/50 joint venture is named AM/NS Calvert LLC.

Canada

ArcelorMittal Poland has officially opened its new long rail production facility in Dabrowa Górnicza. The mill is able to produce 120-m-long rails.

Hyundai Steel, South Korea, has successfully put on stream a 4.3 m heavy plate mill from SMS Siemag. The mill is designed for an annual production of 1.5 million t of heavy plate in thicknesses from 6 to 200 mm.

ArcelorMittal Ostrava, Czech Republic, has completed the modernization of its Stiefel mill, which makes seamless OCTG products, such as tubing, drill pipes and line pipes in diameters between 21.3 and 140 mm. Oil pipe capacity has been increased from 24,000 to 42,000 t.

Tubos Reunidos, Spain, has successfully commissioned its RH plant supplied by SMS Mevac.

The 400,000 t capacity plant produces steel with extremely low levels of inclusions and hydrogen content for seamless steel tubes.

Outokumpu has received the European Commission’s approval for the divestiture of the Terni and VDM business to ThyssenKrupp.

Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Tisco), China, has selected Broner to roll out their caster and steel plant scheduling solutions to cover new equipment in their steelmaking plants No. 1 and No. 2 in Taiyuan City.

ThyssenKrupp Ferroglobus, Hungary, has expanded its service centre for slitting, cuttingto-length and plasma cutting in Budapest and opened a new production shop.

MPT International 2 / 2014

Cliffs to curtail mining operations. Cliffs Natural Resources has announced to reduce overall capital spending in 2014. In the current pricing environment, Cliffs expects to produce and sell 5.5 to 6.5 million t from the Bloom Lake Mine’s first phase in 2014.

Cliffs indicated that it would idle phase one if pricing significantly decreased for an extended period of time. With the phase two expansion indefinitely suspended, Cliffs has made adjustments to various components of the mine plan.

Cliffs’ Wabush Scully Mine in Newfoundland and Labrador will be idled by the end of the first quarter of 2014. According to Cliffs, with costs unsustainably high, it is not economically viable to continue running this operation.

USA Fulton County Processing to build new pickling line. Butech Bliss will be installing a new hydrochloric push/ pull pickling line at Fulton County Processing (FCP), an Ohio-based, steel coil processing company. The new line, a four-tank Butech Bliss/Nelson engineered pickling line, will feature anti-coil break roll technology. It will increase the annual pickling capacity from 120,000 t to nearly 500,000 t.

The line will come with a Parsytec inline inspection system and a shape correction unit. The pickling line is set to be operational in late 2014.

USA Lehigh Heavy Forge to invest in ArcelorMittal Steelton. Lehigh Heavy Forge Corporation is investing a major sum in ArcelorMittal Steelton, a mini-mill operation from which the company procures vacuum poured ingots. Lehigh forms the ingots on its 10,000 t open die press, creating a wide variety of products. The first of three planned investments includes an expansion of the ingot facility, rail-

road track rerouting and utility relocation, along with associated engineering work. Phase one will allow Steelton to utilize existing steel capacity to increase its current vacuum pour capacity by approximately 25%. Phases two and three will include new equipment purchases and installations to better respond to the expected increase in market demand for vacuum poured ingots.

USA Mississippi Silicon to build two SAFs. Mississippi Silicon placed an order with SMS Siemag for the supply of two submerged arc furnaces (SAF) for the production of metallurgical silicon.

Apart from the two SAFs, SMS Siemag is supplying the electrode columns, the material handling system, the hydraulic systems and the X-Pact® electrical and automation systems. Also the cranes, the chemical laboratory and the stoking and charging machines are included in the scope of supply.

The annual capacity of the two furnaces will be 33,000 t. Interesting features are the rotating furnace shells which avoid cold areas in the melt and prevent carbide deposits on the furnace walls. The new silicon works is being built in Burnsville, Mississippi.

Asia China Yieh Phui to build hot-dip galvanizing plant. Andritz has received an order from Yieh Phui Technomaterial to supply a hot-dip galvanizing line with an annual capacity of 400,000 t. Andritz will supply the mechanical and electrical equipment as well as the entire process part. The new line will be designed to process high-strength steel grades for the automobile industry. Start-up is scheduled for the second quarter of 2016.

China Tisco puts three casters into operation. In the last quarter of 2013,

For more than 40 years MAPEKO is the precursor for all kind of preheating and drying equipment used in steel plants and foundries. MAPEKO has developed a Direct Thermal Combustion process to burn hazardous gases emitted during the lining heating process. With this technology all environmental protection requirements can be complied with and a better working environment can be created.

For further information or specific questions please do not hesitate to contact info@mapeko.com.

We will generate solutions together with you.

Vertical Ladle Preheaters and Dryers Horizontal Ladle Preheaters Tundish Heaters Direct Thermal Combustion with Exhaust System Scrap Drying Mapeko will participate the AISTech 2014 at the Indianapolis Convention Center USA. Booth number is: 2129

www.mapeko.com MAPEKO is a member of the INTOCAST Group MAPEKO Feuer GmbH & Co. KG Dierdorferstr. 500 · 56566 Neuwied · GERMANY Phone: +49 2631 9240 - 0

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS three continuous slab casters from Siemens Metals Technologies were put into operation at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Tisco). Two of the casters were installed in Tisco’s carbon and special-steel works and the third one in the stainless steel works. Both works are located in Taiyuan. Each of the continuous casters is designed to produce 1 million t/year of slabs. Siemens supplied the three casting plants complete with the basic (level 1) and process automation systems (level 2) and assisted Tisco with construction and commissioning.

finishing block in the existing bar mill downstream of the 2-high roughing and intermediate mill, which consists of 20 stands. The 3-roll block can roll any finished size of the whole product range as straight length onto the cooling bed out of a few entry cross-sections from the roughing and intermediate mill. Also included in the order are the LTR process with closed-loop control and corresponding equipment for the whole mill line as well as the quick automatic stand change system, the stand and roll workshop with quick roll change and computer-aided roll and guide adjustment.

Commissioning is planned for the end of 2014/beginning of 2015.

China Pangang orders continuous galvanizing line. The Pangang group has placed an order with Siemens Metals Technologies to supply a new continuous galvanizing line for its Chongqing plant. The project will be executed by a consortium led by Siemens together with Andritz Selas and Andritz China.

The galvanizing line will process 450,000 t/year of high-strength cold strip for use in the automotive industry. For the first time in a Chinese plant, strips will be able to be optionally hot-dip galvanized with GI and GA coatings or aluminized on a single line. The galvanizing line will coat deep-drawing steels, hot-formed and high-strength steels, as well as dual-phase steels with strip thicknesses ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 mm, and widths from 800 to 1,600 mm. The project is scheduled to be completed by the middle of 2015.

China Beiman to modernize bar mill.

Beiman Special Steel, part of the Dongbei Special Steel Group, located in Qiqihar concluded a contract with Friedrich Kocks for the delivery, assembly and commissioning of a reducing & sizing block (RSB) combined with the equipment and process for temperature-controlled rolling. After the modernization, the mill will produce 504,000 t/ year SBQ-grade bars within a diameter range from 16.0 to 100.0 mm. The new 370 mm RSB, equipped with four stand positions, will be designed for temperature controlled rolling at low temperatures (LTR). The RSB will be operated as MPT International 2 / 2014

China Wuhan to modernize coiler. Wuhan Iron & Steel has placed an order with SMS Siemag for the modernization of a coiler in its No. 2 hot strip mill. With this measure, Wuhan intends to expand the range of products in the area of highstrength steels and tube grades. The modernization by SMS Siemag will comprise the technological adaptation of coiler No. 3 to the new demands and the installation of new core components. These include a new coiler mandrel, a new mandrel gear unit, the pinch roll unit and new hydraulic valve stands. A hydraulically controlled hold-down roll will ensure reliable guiding of the strip head end to the coiler mandrel, enabling the build-up of strip tension for tightly wound coils. For reliable discharge and safe processing of the coils, the coiler will receive a new coil transfer car and a coil hold-down device.

SMS Siemag will also extend the existing automation system, install new control desks and HMI screens, and supply the complete drive package (converter and motor) for the coiler mandrel and for the pinch roll unit. The project is scheduled to be completed in spring 2015.

China Bharat Heavy Electricals commissions groove dressing machine. Bharat Heavy Electricals, based in New Delhi, has commissioned a new groove dressing machine of type KR I 30/38 CNC, supplied by SMS Meer.

Z&J Technologies GmbH D-52355 Düren

INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS With the new machine and the push bench plant upgraded by SMS Meer, the roll stands of the stretch reducing mill can in future be fitted with the latest roll pass technology. The roll diameters to be machined are 300 and 380 mm. The machine is equipped with an automatic stand and roll measurement system.

China Hangzhou and Ningbo place mill services contracts. Harsco has won two multi-year contracts in China. One contract is an expansion and renewal of an existing contract with Hangzhou Iron & Steel, addressing innovative approaches to waste stream management and energy reduction. Hangzhou’s steelmaking plant has a capacity of 3.8 million t/ year. Harsco began operations at Hangzhou in 2002, providing resource recovery services and environmental products through a superfines operation that produces cement substitute from slags.

In addition, Harsco has signed a new, 15year contract with Ningbo Iron & Steel for coke briquetting, involving the processing of coke fines, dust and carbon slurry that are generated during the steel production process. The contract adds to Harsco’s work at this site, having provided scrap management services since 2007 and waste oxide briquetting since 2011.

India JSPL to install walking beam furnace. Fives Stein has been awarded a contract from Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) for the supply of a walking beam furnace to the works in Raigarh. A special feature of this furnace is that it will be burning 100% blast furnace gas as fuel through regenerative burners. The furnace will also be equipped with a backup system using fuel oil to run the furnace when BF gas is not available. Commissioning of the furnace is scheduled for June 2015.

India SAIL places order for quench and temper line. Can-Eng Furnaces

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has been contracted by the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) to supply a wide-plate quench and temper line. The equipment will be installed in the special plate facility of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) in Orissa. The roller hearth furnace technology will incorporate a custom-designed restrained roller spray quench that will accommodate plates from 6 mm to 100 mm in thickness, and widths from 1,200 mm to 3,300 mm wide in a variety of HSLA and proprietary alloys. The complete turn-key installation includes a level 2 automation system and predictive modelling software based on CCT curves. The overall line includes a roller hearth load table, indirect-fired roller hearth austenitizing furnace, the restrained roller spray quench, transfer tables, roller hearth temper furnace and unload tables with cooling system and water filtration circuit. Start-up is planned for autumn 2014.

Machinery Construction and Engineering for steel industries.

A broad range of tecnologically advanced and reliable products and services.

Ladle inert gas coupling device - I.G.C.

India Tata Steel invests in beneficiation technology. Outotec will supply technology for the beneficiation of chromite tailings to Tata Steel. The technology will be used at the operations in Sukinda, Orissa. By enabling the use of a tailings deposit as a raw material source for the production of chromite concentrate, Outotec’s technology will support Tata Steel in its initiative to reduce the carbon footprint of its operations by at least 20% in the coming ten years. Outotec will provide basic and detail engineering, process equipment and services for plant erection, start-up, commissioning and operator training. The plant is scheduled to be operational by mid-2015 and will have an annual throughput of approximately 400,000 t.

India Bushan orders PCI mill. Bhushan Power & Steel has ordered a PCI (pulverized coal injection) mill from Loesche for its integrated plant at Rengali in the state of Orissa.The order includes the design engineering, supply and installation supervision for an LM 23.2 D coal MPT International 2 / 2014

E.A.F. scrap pusher and slag door cleaning car

Rolling mill equipment

C.M.P. Officine Meccaniche S.r.l.

Via dell’Industria, 55 33030 Coseano (UD) - Italy Tel. +39 0432 861164 Fax: +39 0432 861239 info@cmpofficinemeccaniche.it www.cmpofficinemeccaniche.it

IT – 75.13.8600 UNI EN ISO 3834-2 11/2006

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

mill, which will be installed in the PCI coal grinding and drying section for Bhushan’s No. 2 blast furnace. The order also includes a Loma® heater used to dry the pulverized coal during the grinding process. The equipment is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2014.

er shop supplied by SMS Siemag. With the third slab caster, Rourkela has doubled its slab production capacity to 3 million t/year.

Saudi Arabia India Rourkela brings new slab caster on stream. Rourkela Steel Plant, located in Orissa and belonging to the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), successfully cast the first slabs on the X-Cast® continuous caster supplied by SMS Siemag. The single-strand caster, designed as a vertical bending plant, is intended for slabs of 220, 250 and 300 mm thickness in widths ranging from 1,200 to 2,500 mm. It will mainly process sophisticated micro-alloyed steels and heavy-plate grades. Rourkela Steel Plant has already two single-strand slab casters from SMS Siemag in operation and will soon commission a convert-

Cristal concludes long-term service contract. Outotec has agreed with the National Titanium Dioxide Company (Cristal) on a four-year service contract. It complements the operation and maintenance services agreed in connection with the existing delivery contract for an ilmenite smelter. The new service contract covers the supply chain management activities and supply of spare and wear parts for Cristal’s ilmenite smelter designed by Outotec and currently under construction in Jazan Economic City. Among others, Outotec will establish a new distribution centre for spare and wear parts in the United Arab Emirates during 2014 to serve Cristal’s ilmenite smelter and other customers in the Middle East.

Malaysia Schmidt + Clemens to build new production facility. Schmidt + Clemens (S+C) will build a new production facility in Malaysia. More than twelve years ago, S+C established its subsidiary Schmidt + Clemens Asia in Shah Alam near Kuala Lumpur. Production capacities have been continuously extended ever since. The company is now building its new factory in the modern industrial park of “Bandar Sri Sendayan” near the city of Seremban, to the south of Kuala Lumpur near the international airport.

Oman Jindal Shadeed to add rolling mill to new meltshop. Jindal Shadeed Iron and Steel has awarded Danieli the order to supply equipment for a new steelmaking facility in Sohar. The supply agreement is part of a project by Jindal Shadeed to build a plant for steel melting and processing. Danieli will provide

2nd International Conference

2014 Milan · Italy, 7-9 May 2014 Following on from the 1st International Conference Hot Forming of Steels & Product Properties, in Grado (2009) and the 1st International Conference Ingot Casting, Rolling & Forging, in Aachen (2012), AIM launches the 2nd ICRF. ICRF2014 will provide a forum for researchers and manufacturers involved in the scientific and technical developments of ingot casting production, from the conventional ingot casting to the remelting processes for higher steel cleanness. The meeting is aimed at creating an opportunity for a technical exchange at an international level among the numerous experts involved in the specific and strategic hot forming production route: steelmakers and producers of semis (ingots, blooms, billets etc.), forge masters, forming operators, designers of plastically formed products, research centers and laboratories engaged in quality control and in innovation activities.

Conference chairmen: Jacopo Guzzoni - CEO - FOMAS Group Michael Manning - GE Power & Water, USA

www.aimnet.it/icrf2014.htm WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU TO ICRF 2014

Organised by

Patronized by

ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA DI METALLURGIA

ICRF 2014 Organizing Secretariat Associazione Italiana di Metallurgia P.le R. Morandi, 2 20121 Milan - Italy Tel. +39 02 76021132 - Fax +39 02 76020551 aim@aimnet.it www.aimnet.it/icrf2014.htm

INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS continuous casting machines and rolling mill equipment. The 1.4 million t/ year rolling mill will mainly produce rebars and wire rod. With the new steel melting shop, Jindal Shadeed expands its operations from being merely a supplier of hot briquetted iron (HBI) to an integrated steelmaker in the Gulf region.

South Korea Hyundai orders RH plant. Hyundai Steel has awarded SMS Mevac a contract for the supply of a fast vessel exchange RH (Ruhrstahl Heraeus) unit for the secondary-metallurgy facilities in the existing electric steelmaking shop in Dangjin. The RH plant will be designed to treat liquid steel in nominal heat sizes of 155 t and will include a hydraulically actuated ladle lifting system, a burner lance and a vacuum alloying system for the addition of ferroalloys under low pressure conditions.

Commissioning of the RH plant is scheduled for the second half of 2015.

South Korea

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News in brief

SeAH to install new descaling machines. SeAH Special Steel is upgrading its operations in Pohang with nine wire descaling machines from Wheelabrator. The single-strand shot blast machines will remove scale, rust and other contaminants from the wire or rod surface before processing. Guide plates focus the abrasive stream onto the wire surface, thereby boosting the descaling effect without increasing abrasive throughput. The new equipment will be delivered throughout 2014.

Deutsche Edelstahlwerke Witten, Germany, have produced the first heat in their new secondary metallurgy centre. The treatment line includes a ladle furnace and a VD/VOD plant.

ArcelorMittal Bremen, Germany, has chosen SKF to customize and supply 30 electromechanical actuators for its continuous casting operations.

Taiwan CSC to install new reducing & sizing block. China Steel Corporation (CSC) placed an order with Friedrich Kocks for the delivery of a 3-roll reducing & sizing block (RSB) and the process and equipment for temperature-controlled rolling (LTR).

Salzgitter Flachstahl, Germany, has successfully put into operation a new converter vessel supplied by SMS Siemag for converter A in Salzgitter.

The new sample preparation for steel and iron samples

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

The equipment will be installed in bar mill No. 2. The new heavy-duty RSB, used as finishing block, will be equipped with five stands with a nominal roll diameter of 300 mm for rolling at low temperatures. The 3-roll block will produce all SBQ grades in coils within the dimensional range of 17.0 to 55.0 mm diameters out of four entry cross-sections coming from the roughing and intermediate mill. Delivery of the equipment is planned for the third quarter 2014.

Australia NSSMC and Mitsui to invest in iron ore mine expansion. The Robe River joint venture, consisting of Rio Tinto, Mitsui and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal (NSSMC), will invest in the development of deposit B in the West Angelas mine and in the expansion of its production capacity in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Deposit B

is expected to start production in January 2015. Upon completion, total production capacity at West Angelas will be expanded from the current 29 million to 35 million t/year. Through the Robe River joint venture, NSSMC and Mitsui will continue their effort to enable a stable supply and procurement of iron ore.

Europe Belgium ArcelorMittal Gent orders new sea cranes. ArcelorMittal Gent has ordered two new harbour cranes.

One of the two cranes, ordered from Danieli, Italy, will be designed to unload Capesize vessels which, on arrival at the ArcelorMittal quay, will contain around 120,000 t of raw materials. ArcelorMittal Gent is currently able to unload vessels with a deadweight of 71,000 t at its unloading

quay. The lifting capacity of the new crane is 50 t. Commissioning of the crane is planned for the spring of 2016.

The second crane, which was ordered from ISIK, Turkey, has a lifting capacity of 20 t and is designed to unload barges. The crane will be able to unload 800 t/h of raw materials and will be commissioned in the spring of 2015.

With the new harbour cranes, which are replacing two existing ones, ArcelorMittal Gent will be able to unload the vessels more quickly. By 2020, the Belgian port of Terneuzen will have a new sea lock which will allow Capesize vessels to access ArcelorMittal’s quay in the Gent port.

Belgium Stainless steel production reaches 38.1 million t in 2013. The International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) has released preliminary figures for 2013 showing that stainless steel melt shop production increased by 7.8% to

Revolutionary, rotating hot and cold steel measurementt

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INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS 38.1 million t. With the exception of Western Europe and Africa, all regions achieved positive growth. Asia excluding China recorded a production of 8.8 million t during 2013 (+ 0.8%), but growth varied throughout the region.

Stainless steel production in China increased by + 18% to 19 million t in comparison to 2012. In Western Europe and Africa, production decreased by - 4.3% to 7.5 million t. Stainless steel production increased by 3.6% to 2.5 million t in the Americas and by 13.6% to 0.4 million t in Central and Eastern Europe.

coke and anthracite. These raw materials are mixed and used in the production of sinter and hot metal. The new dedusting equipment will extract the dust generated during unloading (i.e. non-ducted emissions) and drive it to a new bag filter, which is able to separate particles of sizes as small as PM 1. The dedusting of wagon tipplers is a supplementary measure, as in the sinter plant area all national and EU emission limits are already complied with, even without the new dedusters.

Finland Czech Republic ArcelorMittal Ostrava to implement additional dedusting solutions. ArcelorMittal Ostrava is investing in dedusting equipment for the iron ore and coal tipplers at its two sinter plants. The sinter plants receive regular railway wagon deliveries of raw materials such as iron ore, pellets,

Outokumpu and Rautaruukki commit themselves to Fennovoima project. Outokumpu and Rautaruukki have confirmed their binding commitment to participate in Fennovoima’s Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant project. Outokumpu will increase its share in Fennovoima to 12.5%, resulting in a capacity reservation increase from 119 MW to 150

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MW. Rautaruukki’s share of the output of the plant’s nominal capacity is estimated to be around 40 MW. In total, Outokumpu’s estimated investment is EUR 210 million, that of Rautaruukki around EUR 60 million. The Fennovoima nuclear power plant is expected to be in commercial use in 2024.

Germany ArcelorMittal Bremen orders sampling and packaging line. ArcelorMittal Bremen has placed an order with SMS Logistiksysteme for the supply of a fully automated sampling station for X-grade line pipe steels, including a connected packaging line.

The new line will be the first to incorporate several new developments by SMS Logistiksysteme. The key component will be the high-performance sampling shear for high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel grades. It is able to cut strip thicknesses from 1.5 to 28.3 mm. Commissioning is

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

scheduled for the autumn of 2014.

The strapping machine for highstrength steel strip commenced operation in the hot-strip dispatch area at ArcelorMittal Bremen as early as in April 2013. Now, strapping by two to three bands replaces the common practice of wrapping up to 20 circumferential bands around each coil and of manually welding together the outer coil windings to prevent the highstrength steel strip coils from springing open. The integrated line concept developed by SMS Logistiksysteme allows steelmakers to take samples and strap their whole product portfolio from standard to ultra-high-strength steel grades in a single facility.

Germany HKM to modernize continuous slab caster. Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann (HKM) has awarded Siemens Metals Technologies an order to modernize slab caster No. 3 in its Duisburg-

Huckingen plant. The project is intended to enhance the quality and product tolerances of the slabs produced, to widen the range of products, and to improve process stability, availability and safety at work. The casting plant will also be equipped with new basic and process automation, technology packages, such as DynaGap Soft Reduction, LevCon, DynaWidth, DynaFlex and new safety equipment. The air mist secondary cooling system will also be renewed to optimize the temperature control in order to produce high quality slabs. Modernization is scheduled to take place at the end of 2014 during a temporary plant shutdown.

Germany ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe to conclude supply contract for industrial gases. ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe and Air Liquide have agreed a long-term gas supply contract. Deliveries under the agreement include 4,600

t/day of oxygen, nitrogen and argon, which will be supplied to the Duisburg site by pipeline and used among other things for air enrichment in the blast furnaces. The use of these gases helps to improve the productivity and energy performance of the facilities whilst reducing atmospheric emissions. The gases will be supplied via a 500 km pipeline network, which already serves companies in the steel, chemical and petrochemical industries in the RhineRuhr area.

Germany Outokumpu VDM orders cold plate leveller. Outokumpu VDM has entrusted SMS Siemag with the supply of a new cold plate leveller for its Altena location. The unit will be specifically designed for the high-performance materials made by Outokumpu VDM and equipped with eleven leveller rolls. It will be able to process plates between 3 and 30 mm in thickness and

INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS from 200 to 3,200 mm in width, made of nickel-based alloys, titanium alloys or special stainless steels. SMS Siemag’s scope of supply comprises the mechanical equipment, including the roller tables, and the X-Pact® electrical and automation systems. The cold plate leveller will be equipped with a separate hydraulic individual-roll adjustment system and an individual-roll drive system to achieve optimum levelling results.

Italy SGL to close graphite electrodes plant. SGL Group will close its graphite electrodes plant in Narni (Umbria) and the related administration office in Lainate. The closure is a component of the company’s global realignment strategy and the SGL2015 cost savings programme. The market for graphite electrodes has come under pressure due to unfavourable price developments and weak demand.

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Italy

Netherlands

Ilva to install cleaning systems for sinter off-gas. Ilva has awarded Siemens Metals Technologies an order to supply four turnkey off-gas cleaning plants for the two sinter plants in its Taranto steel mill. The Meros process developed by Siemens will reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide, fine dust, organic compounds, heavy metals and acidic gases.

The first two Meros plants are scheduled to go on stream in April 2015 and the other two will follow in September 2016. The new plants will replace the existing outdated electrostatic precipitators, which can only remove dust. The Meros process involves injecting and finely distributing adsorption and desulphurizing agents into the flow of off-gas. The process is water-free. The dust particles are deposited in a specially developed, energy-efficient bag filter, which is suitable for temperatures of up to 250°C and very low cleaning pressures. The process automation system ensures stable operation, even when there are considerable fluctuations in the volume and composition of the off-gas.

Alba opens new export terminal. The Alba group, provider of environmental services and raw materials, has opened a new export terminal in the port of Amsterdam which will enable the group to market scrap steel and non-iron metals as well as plastics and paper all over the world. The modern terminal is one of the key investments by the group in the business area of commodities in recent years and another key step forward in the company’s stronger international alignment.

The terminal is operated by Alba Scrap Trading (AST). In the future, ships with a loading capacity of up to 50,000 t and a draught of 12.5 m will be dispatched at the new terminal.

Steel for wind power plants.

15 billion rotations into the future.

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Deutsche Edelstahlwerke produces steels to meet these highly interdependent requirements. The surfaces of the gearing mechanism must exhibit an extreme level of wear resistance and fatigue strength, while the core needs to be exceptionally tough to cope with the sudden loads of

‹‹‹

wind gusts. Rotor blades turn 20 times per minute, which is translated into 2000 rpm in the generator. A generator shaft will handle approximately 15 billion rotations. This enables clean, future-proof energy to be obtained from the wind on a sustainable, long-term basis.

S+BI GROUP www.dew-stahl.com

Russia Severstal announces capital investment programme. Severstal plans to invest US$ 976 million across

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the company in 2014. At Severstal Russian Steel investments will be made in central IT capabilities and the development of projects including completion of constructing a long product mini-mill in Balakovo (Saratov region), revamping of a four-stand continuous tandem cold rolling mill in Cherepovets, the completion of the development of a specialized steel service centre in Saint Petersburg and the continuing reconstruction and modernization of the Orel Plant (Severstal Steel Solutions). Investments at resources operations will go into development projects, in the maintenance of coal and iron ore operations and health and safety improvement projects.

Russia VSMPO orders ring rolling equipment. VSMPO-AVISMA, based in Yekaterinburg, has placed an order with SMS Meer for the supply of a ring rolling line for the production of large OD jet engine rings from titanium alloys. On the new line, a combined forging/ring rolling process will be employed. This SMS Meer technology will enable VSMPO to produce rings with extremely complex inside and outside profiles. Material consumption is far lower than with the conventional forging process that the company has employed to date. Commissioning is scheduled for the first quarter of 2015.

Sweden and Germany Outokumpu reviews thin strip operations. As a result of a strategic review of its thin and precision strip operations, Outokumpu plans to discontinue its operations in Kloster, Sweden, while continuing the operations in Nyby, Sweden, and in Dahlerbrück, Germany. During the review, Outokumpu conducted extensive production tests to evaluate whether it would be technically and financially feasible to move the production of the Nyby product portfolio to the company’s other mills in Europe.

Conclusion from the testing was that production shifts would not be feasible given the special production requirements of the Nyby product portfolio.

Outokumpu also evaluated options for achieving increased efficiency in its thin MPT International 2 / 2014

and precision strip operations in Kloster and Dahlerbrück. The Kloster unit has been implementing a restructuring programme since June 2011 to turn the unit back to profitability. Despite increased efficiencies, the unit continues to be loss making and therefore Outokumpu plans to close down the Kloster unit by the end of 2014. Outokumpu will continue the precision strip operations in Dahlerbrück as before. Dahlerbrück serves a demanding customer base with high value added, tailored special materials.

Turkey Çemtas to modernize bar rolling mill. Çelik Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Çemtas) has awarded Siemens Metals Technologies an order to modernize its bar rolling mill in Bursa. The rolling mill will be equipped with a new reversing sliding roughing stand and a new intermediate train. The existing finishing mill will also be brought up to the state of the art. The new equipment will enable Çemtas to further improve its product quality, especially in respect of mechanical properties, metallurgical structure and the surface quality of the rolled bars. The plant will have a new automation system, including process models and mechatronic packages. For the bar rolling mill, Siemens will supply a reversing sliding roughing stand, which will be able to roll billets up to a size of 200 mm, and the continuous intermediate mill, comprising six Red-Ring rolling stands in an HV arrangement. As part of the project, Siemens will also modernize the existing finishing mill by installing new automation and process equipment. The scope of delivery from Siemens will also include the basic automation (level 1), the process automation (level 2) based on the Siroll concept, special mechatronic packages, as well as the complete electrical equipment. The modernized rolling mill is scheduled to come into operation at the beginning of 2015.

A.S. (Kardemir) to supply key components to clean the off-gases from its new sinter plant No. 3. The order comprises the engineering for the entire off-gas cleaning system and supply of the first and final cleaning stages. The system will be able to clean some 400,000 m3/h (stp) of off-gas and is scheduled to come into operation at the end of 2014. Kardemir is currently implementing a comprehensive expansion programme at its Karabük production location, which also includes the construction of the new sinter plant No. 3. Siemens will handle the basic engineering of the entire plant as well as the detail engineering and supply of key components for the first and final cleaning stages.

United Kingdom Tata Steel opens plate service centre. Tata Steel has opened a new profiling centre for steel plate at Steelpark in Wednesfield in the West Midlands. The new centre transforms steel plate into a multitude of shaped and machined components, from high-volume production runs for off-road vehicle wheels and booms for earth-moving equipment, to large one-off components for construction projects and specialist engineering applications. The new facility will house high-definition plasma, laser and gas profiling machines as well as machining centres and flattening presses.

United Kingdom SSI reaches milestones at Teesside plant. SSI UK has produced 5 million t of steel slabs since its steelmaking facility at Teesside was restarted in April 2012.

Another milestone was recently reached when the 50th shipment of steel slabs bound for SSI in Thailand left Teesport.

The total tonnage dispatched to Thailand to date is in excess of 3.2 million t.

Turkey

Companies

Kardemir orders cleaning system for sinter off-gases. Siemens Metals Technologies has received an order from Karabük Demir Celik Sanayi ve Ticaret

Tata Steel Group reports improved operations. Tata Steel Group reported a continuing positive earn-

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INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS ings momentum for the quarter ended December 31, 2013, and an improved and steady performance of operations across geographies. The Indian operations maintained the steady performance despite weak macroeconomic environment and maintenance shutdowns at Jamshedpur. The rolling facilities of the brownfield expansion at Jamshedpur reached their full capacity and, as a result, the flat products production was the highest ever. Deliveries increased by 17% with the ramp-up of the expansion in Jamshedpur. The pellet plant also reached its rated capacity.

The operational improvement continued in Europe as the upgraded asset base produced the largest volume of liquid steel on a like-for-like basis for more than five years. Liquid steel production increased to 3.91 million t from 3.86 million t in the previous quarter.

The South East Asian operations were partly affected by the political instability in Thailand. However, the operations stabilized in Singapore while the facilities in China were ramped up.

S2C Global to acquire San Cristobal iron ore mine. S2C Global Systems and its wholly owned subsidiary S2C Global Resources signed an agreement to acquire 100% ownership of the Mexican San Cristobal mine from Mineria Coliman S.A. The mine is situated with strategic access to the Port of Lazaro Cardenas.

SeAH steel buys Inox Tech. SeAH Steel Corp. has acquired the Italian specialty steel maker Inox Tech. Inox Tech produces corrosion-resistant alloywelded pipes, especially large-diameter steel pipes for the natural gas pipeline industry. SeAH hopes to enter the high value-added corrosion-resistant clad pipe market with the technology held by Inox and may use Inox Tech as an R&D base.

NLMK launches growth strategy. “Strategy 2017”, launched by NLMK, focuses on unlocking significant internal potential of the group’s businesses by boosting operational

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and process efficiency across the entire production chain, enhancing vertical integration into key raw materials, increasing sales of high value-added products, and pursuing environmental, safety and human capital development programmes. In implementing “Strategy 2017”, the group will maintain its commitment to a conservative financial policy aimed at further debt reduction and financing investments through internal cashflow.

EU action plan for a competitive and sustainable steel industry. The European Parliament adopted with a huge majority a resolution on the EU’s Action Plan for a Competitive and Sustainable Steel Industry in Europe. Gordon Moffat, Eurofer director general, welcomed the strong message that has been sent by the European Parliament to the commission and the heads of state and governments.

The parliament’s resolution acknowledges that the steel sector forms the basis for the generation of European industrial value added and has a strategic importance for several major European industries. The resolution urges the commission to adopt a holistic approach to climate change, environment, energy and competitiveness policy taking into account sectoral specificities. The commission should address more concretely and in detail the issue of carbon leakage: The 2030 climate and energy policy targets must be technically and economically feasible for EU industries; best performers should have no direct or indirect additional costs resulting from climate policies; the provisions for carbon leakage should provide 100% free allocation of technically achievable benchmarks, with no reduction factor for carbon leakage sectors; and the commission is encouraged to develop strategies for the deployment of low-carbon energies in a cost-effective way and gradually phase out subsidies, so as to foster the rapid integration of such forms of energy into the electricity market.

Sale of ThyssenKrupp Steel USA. ThyssenKrupp has received approval in the USA for the sale of the ThyssenMPT International 2 / 2014

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Krupp Steel USA rolling and coating plant in Calvert/Alabama. The expiry on 29 January 2014 of the premerger waiting period, during which the proposed combination was reviewed, signals the conclusion of the approval process by the US antitrust authorities. This represents an important step towards completion of the transaction. The closing is still subject to the approval of further regulatory authorities in other countries.

The ThyssenKrupp Steel USA rolling and coating plant in Calvert/Alabama was sold to a consortium of ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal in December 2013. At the same time a long-term slab supply contract was agreed securing the value of ThyssenKrupp CSA in Brazil.

SSAB and Rautaruukki to combine. It is planned to combine the two companies SSAB and Rautaruukki through SSAB making a recommended public share exchange offer to Rautaruukki’s shareholders with a premium on

the last three-month volume-weighted average share prices of both SSAB and Rautaruukki. The combined company will be a Nordic and US-based steel company with a global reach and cost-efficient and flexible production.

The combined company will continue to serve customers with a broad offering within high strength steels, standard strip and plate products as well as tubular products. The combined company will have a global position and product offering within high-strength steels, standard strip and plate products as well as tubular products. It will enhance the ability to invest in product development, R&D and close collaboration with customers. The domicile and headquarters will be in Stockholm.

ThyssenKrupp project to convert steel mill gases into chemicals. ThyssenKrupp has initiated a cross-sector technology transfer project focusing on converting process gas-

2014

Panel 1: World

es from steel production into valuable chemicals. In addition to the Fraunhofer and Max Planck societies, partners include Ruhr University Bochum, the University of Duisburg-Essen, and the Duisburg-based Fuel Cell Research Center ZBT. Alongside ThyssenKrupp, the industrial partners involved from the start are BASF, Bayer, RWE and Siemens. The group is open to further members. The philosophy behind the project is a broad-based, cross-industry approach, which is expected to deliver better results than today’s already optimized sector-specific solutions. The intention is for the collaboration between the steel and chemical industries to permit cost-effective carbon recycling into fertilizers or fuel. So potentially the project could reduce CO2 emissions from steel mills to virtually zero.

Vanitec launches online education modules. Vanitec, a technical and scientific committee comprised

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INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS of representatives of companies and organizations involved in the mining, processing, manufacture, research and use of vanadium and vanadiumcontaining products, has launched two new education modules for those with the desire to further their knowledge on vanadium benefits and applications. Vanitec’s site is scholastic at its core, addressing the properties, sources, advantages, applications and sustainability of vanadium. The first module provides information on the benefits of high-strength low-alloy steels micro-alloyed with vanadium versus standard low C-Mn steels. The second module highlights how highstrength vanadium-alloy steel (HSLAV) can significantly reduce the weight, cost and environmental impact of long-span steel structures.

Ore reserves of the Kemi mine larger than estimated. Outokumpu has updated its estimates on the

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proved ore reserves and mineral resources of the Kemi mine in Finland.

The proved ore reserves have significantly increased compared to earlier estimates, and are now altogether 50.1 million t instead of the earlier estimated some 33 million t. The 50% increase in the proved ore reserves is based on new underground drillings made below the old Surmaoja open pit. The target is to begin the ore excavation in 2015.

Resource Technologies offers a comprehensive product portfolio and a wide sales and service network to customers in the mining, cement, mineral processing and materials handling industries. The traditional brands Uhde and Polysius will be retained as product names. Besides Essen, the future headquarters of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions, the company will have 40 branch offices in 25 countries around the world.

ThyssenKrupp combines capabilities in plant technology. Uhde, Polysius and Fördertechnik have been combined under the roof of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions. Plant technology operations worldwide will be managed by the two business units Process Technologies and Resource Technologies. Process Technologies is focused on engineering, procurement and construction for chemical, refinery and other industrial plants, while

New common name for Ruukki’s steel façade coatings. Ruukki Hiarc is the new common name for all façade coatings offered by the company. Steel façade coatings which were earlier known as PVDF, PVDF matt and PVDF HB will henceforth be renamed Hiarc, Hiarc matt and Hiarc max. The Hiarc product family also includes Hiarc reflect, a coating that reflects the sun’s heat radiation. Hiarc stands for high-architectural colour coatings.

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MPT International 2 / 2014

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Calderys acquires Termorak. Calderys has acquired the Termorak group, a company specialized in refractory services. Termorak is based in Finland, Sweden and Thailand. Through this acquisition, Calderys will be able to offer a wider range of refractory solutions to its customers.

BlueScope to acquire Pacific Steel Group. BlueScope has agreed to acquire the downstream long-products rolling and marketing operations of Fletcher Building’s Pacific Steel Group (PSG), based in Auckland, New Zealand. PSG is a producer and marketer of long products such as reinforcing steel, rod and wire. BlueScope will be acquiring the rolling mill and wire drawing facilities located at Otahuhu in Auckland as well as the rolling mill in Fiji, currently operated by PSG. BlueScope’s wholly owned subsidiary, New Zealand Steel, will invest in the construction of a billet caster and associated plant at the Glenbrook steelworks. The new caster will supply steel billet as feed to the rolling mills in New Zealand and Fiji.

Personalities New president and CEO at Cliffs.

Cliffs Natural Resources has appointed Gary B. Halverson, formerly president and chief operating officer, to president and chief executive officer. He also serves as a director on Cliffs’ board.

Schaeffler appoints new CEO. Klaus Deller has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of Schaeffler AG. Klaus Deller will assume his new position on 1 July 2014. Schaeffler will continue to be led by Klaus Rosenfeld as chief executive officer until Klaus Deller’s arrival. Klaus Rosenfeld will then become deputy CEO and will focus once more on his responsibilities as chief financial officer. In addition, Klaus Rosenfeld will become the only non-family member to join the board of INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co KG, which holds the Schaeffler family’s participations in Continental AG and Schaeffler Group.

Resignation of director and CFO at Alloy Steel International.

Barry Woodhouse has resigned as director and chief financial officer of Alloy Steel International to pursue other interests. At this stage his director position will remain vacant.

Personnel changes at Electralloy. Electralloy has announced the retirement of Kathy Shumsky from her position as manager of forged products. Stepping in to fill her position will be Deborah Craig, current inside sales supervisor.

U. S. Steel Canada announces management appointments. Anton Jura, who currently serves as president and general manager of U. S. Steel Canada, will assume a position within the company’s North American flat-rolled operations in the United States as it continues its business transformation efforts. Michael A. McQuade, who currently serves as vice

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MPT International 2 / 2014

INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS president and chief financial officer, will advance to the role of president and general manager of U. S. Steel Canada.

Executive changes at SKW StahlMetallurgie Holding. Dr. Kay Michel is the new chairperson of the executive board (CEO) of SKW Stahl-Metallurgie Holding. Dr. Kay Michel takes over the chairperson function from Ines Kolmsee, who left the company with the expiration of her contract and after transferring the business affairs. Simultaneously, SKW Metallurgie optimized the structure of its boards. The supervisory board of SKW Stahl-Metallurgie Holding had two vacancies on short notice. Besides the change of Sabine Kauper into the executive board as CFO, the long-standing member of the supervisory board, Dr. Christoph Schlünken, resigned due to business reasons. These two vacancies were filled with Jutta Schull and Dr. Hans Liebler.

Reiner Bunnenberg, chief operating officer of SKW Stahl-Metallurgie Holding, left the company on his own request.

The company and Reiner Bunnenberg therefore agreed not to prolong his executive board mandate. In this context it was decided that the leadership of the company would henceforth be continued with two executive board members.

ThyssenKrupp creates directorate legal affairs and compliance.

The supervisory board of ThyssenKrupp AG appointed Dr. Donatus Kaufmann as a member of the executive board. He will head the newly created legal affairs and compliance directorate. ThyssenKrupp has made a clear commitment to compliance with laws and internal policies: Any violations, in particular antitrust or corruption violations, will be met with zero tolerance. Dr. Donatus Kaufmann most recently was head of corporate special projects and executive advisor to the management board of Metro AG.

Ovako recruits new human resource director. Karin Lagerstedt

The next dimension in surface inspection

2D

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27

Woolford has been appointed director of human resources for the Ovako Group and member of the group management. She will have a significant role in Ovako’s change process and focus on issues of organization and skills.

Timken appoints new chief financial officer. The Timken Company has appointed Philip D. Fracassa as chief financial officer. In this role, Fracassa will be responsible for global finance activities for Timken, including external reporting, treasury, tax, financial planning and analysis, internal audit, risk management and investor relations. In addition, he will oversee information technology and enterprise services, and maintain leadership of the project to spin off the steel business from Timken, an initiative that is expected to be completed later this year. Fracassa replaces Glenn A. Eisenberg, executive vice president, finance and administration, who left the company after 12 years of service.

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MPT International 2 / 2014

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS SSI UK with new management team organization. Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK (SSI UK) has established a new core management team structure designed to further improve decision making processes and support the closer integration of the business with the rest of the SSI Group. Within the framework of the restructuring, Win Viriyaprapaikit will assume the position of managing director for SSI UK in addition to his current positions of SSI Group CEO and president, and Cornelius Louwrens has been appointed UK business director and chief operating officer, reporting to Win Viriyaprapaikit.

New member on Nucor board of directors. Gregory J. Hayes has been elected to the Nucor board of directors.

Gregory J. Hayes has served as senior vice president and chief financial officer of United Technologies Corporation, a diversified company providing high-technology products and services to the global aerospace and building systems industries.

Events ›

We agglomerate your valuable dusts and fines

Eurocoke Summit 2014. This conference and exhibition – and its companion event, Met Coke World Summit – brings key decision makers from the coke, coal and steel industries to network and get up-to-speed on the latest technologies, processes and global market forecasts.

› In the metallurgical industry we briquette e. g. steel mill residues, sponge iron (hot and cold), chrome ore, nickel powder, copper concentrate, and other ďŹ nes.

Briquettes are used for feeding shaft furnaces, BOFs, RHFs, EAFs, and other reduction or melting units.

KÜppern – Quality made in Germany.

28 – 30 April 2014 Edinburgh, UK Organizers: Smithers Apex www.eurocokesummit.com

7 – 9 May 2014 Milan, Italy Organizers: AIM www.aimnet.it

ICRF 2014. The international conference on ingot casting, rolling and forging will focus on rolling and forging technologies. The event is aimed at creating an opportunity for an exchange of technical expertise in conventional ingot casting through to remelting processes for high steel cleanness.

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MPT International 2 / 2014

26 – 29 May 2014 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Organizers: SEAISI www.seaisi.org

SEAISI Conference & Exhibition. “Strengthening the ASEAN iron and steel industry for the next decade� is the motto of this year’s SEAISI Conference & Exhibition.

NORD DRIVESYSTEMS Intelligent Drivesystems, Worldwide Services

During the event, a training course on international quality standards will be offered, designed to promote awareness of the standardization within the steel industry.

›

21 – 25 July 2014 São Paulo, Brazil Organizers: ABM www.abmbrasil.com.br

69th ABM International Annual Congress. This annual congress will again draw representatives of the Latin American mining and metallurgy sector. The programme will provide guests plenty of opportunities to participate in technical sessions, panels, round tables and to visit the exhibition area.

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Robust, long-life geared motors Gear Unit Q Special Unicase housings Q Robust housing material GG20, optionally GGG40 Q Quadralip sealing with material VITON to suit high ambient temperatures Q Optional labyrinth seal for increased protection

12 – 13 August 2014 São Paulo, Brazil Organizers: Brazil Steel Institute www.acobrasil.org.br

25th Brazilian Steel Conference. This year’s conference will cover the following topics in four panels: how to solve overcapacity and current geopolitical scenario of steel; systemic competitiveness of the domestic industry; steel industry challenges; and the global economy.

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4 – 7 September 2014 New Delhi, India Organizers: The Indian Institute of Metals www.mmmm-expo.com

MMMM 2014. The 10th International Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy & Materials exhibition will provide a wide range of information on technology and processes in these industrial sectors. The conference will cover topics dealing with different aspects of emerging trends in the metals and minerals sector.

Motors Q Suitable for high ambient temperatures Q Roller table steel mill duty motors with

duty cycles up to S9 Q Cast iron housing material, absorbing

vibration and shocks Q IC411 or IC410 cooling

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16 – 20 June 2015 Düsseldorf, Germany Organizers: Messe Düsseldorf www.metec.de; www.thermprocess.de; www.gifa.de; www.newcast.de

Metec, Gifa, Thermprocess, Newcast 2015. Under the motto “The bright world of metals”, this trade fair quartet will be opening its doors again in 2015 to visitors from the iron, steel and non-ferrous metals production and processing industries as well as the foundry sector. Latest equipment and developments in all related industrial sectors will be presented to a large international audience.

metals.nord.com Getriebebau NORD GmbH & Co. KG Tel: +49 (0) 45 32 / 289 - 0 info@nord.com Member of the NORD DRIVESYSTEMS Group

Monument Circle in the center of Indianapolis (Courtesy: Indianapolis Downtown, Inc.)

AISTech 2014 returns to Indianapolis, IN/USA AISTech 2014 – the Iron & Steel Technology Conference and Exposition – will take place at the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana/USA on 4 – 8 May 2014. The town hall forum and the President’s award breakfast are the two exciting events planned for AISTech 2014. Key industry leaders will be featured, including Mark '. Millett, president and chief executive ofƂcer, Steel 'ynamics, Inc. AISTech 2014 – the Iron & Steel Technology Conference and Exposition – will incorporate North America’s biggest steel event of the year to be held in Indianapolis (IN), USA, on 4 – 8 May. AISTech attendees meet with other steel industry professionals to ex-

Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST); Warrendale; PA, USA Contact: www.aistech.org Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. Contact: www.indydt.com

MPT International 2 / 2014

change technical knowledge and learn about the latest products and services in the industry. From foreman to president and from engineer to operator, they come to the exposition to find out what’s new in technology, methods and equipment.

At the conferences more than 450 technical presentations will provide a very comprehensive technical program for the steel industry. In the exhibition hall exhibitors will display their products and services. As proven in the year before, the conference and exhibition will be held on three days.

A young professionals program is to attract young talents to start a career as a member of the steel community.

AIST foundation golf classic As a preliminary, AIST foundation golf classic 2014 has been arranged for Sunday, 4 May (sold out already). With 4 holes inside the oval and 14 holes adjacent to the backstretch of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Brickyard Crossing was voted one of America’s top 100 public golf courses by leading US golf magazines.

EVENTS Iron and steel technology exposition The exposition offers individuals a chance to meet face-to-face with key individuals who specify, purchase, design and operate a variety of plants and facilities associated with the production and processing of iron and steel.

The 2014 exposition is already the largest yet, with a total area of 26,300 square meters, and will feature more than 500 domestic and international companies for an unrivaled display of global steel technology.

The Wire Association (WAI) will hold its Operation Summit and Wire Expo 2014 in the Indiana Convention Center on 6 – 7 May 2014. The exhibit halls of AISTech 2014 and the Wire Expo 2014 will be open to registered attendees of both conferences, giving exhibitors valuable additional exposure.

Nucor Corp. for 12 years, serving in key technical and management roles, including the design, construction and operation of the melting and casting facility at the world’s first thin-slab flat roll mini mill at Crawfordsville, Ind.

Technical sessions The technology conference will showcase more than 450 presentations on aspects of iron and steel manufacturing technology. Highlights include the latest environmental technologies throughout the iron- and steelmaking process; advancements in rolling and coating technologies; safe work practices and procedures for projects, production and maintenance; cuttingedge research and advancements in the processing, product development and application of steel; the latest in

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31

automation and control systems; and discussions on efficient material movement both within the facility and to the customer.

The conferences have been organized in parallel sessions. Usually, the formal presentation takes approximately 20 minutes, allowing 10 minutes for questions and discussion. Although there will not be a separate student session, student papers will be included in the most appropriate technical session. Papers presented during the technical program will be made available to the conference registrants via CD-ROM.

Town hall forum Once again, a major highlight of the event will be the town hall forum, which will be held on Wednes-

Brimacombe memorial lecture This year the Brimacombe memorial lecture will take place on Monday, 5 May. This lecture was established in 1999 to honour Dr. J. Keith Brimacombe’s outstanding accomplishments in the area of process metallurgy, his dedication to the steel industry and his profound effect on people in the industry. This year’s lecturer is David K. Matlock, University Emeritus Professor, Colorado School of Mines.

His lecture is titled “Perspectives on industry/university partnerships to support innovations in the steel industry.”

President’s award breakfast The President’s award breakfast is one of the signature events of AISTech 2014. The AIST president, Terry G. Fedor II., will host the President’s award breakfast on Tuesday, 6 May. Recognizing steel industry excellence, the President’s award breakfast program will consist of the presentation of the AIST board of directors’ awards, including AIST’s steelmaker of the year, followed by a keynote presentation by Mark D. Millett, president and chief executive officer, Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI). One of the co-founders of SDI, Millett has held a variety of senior management positions and has served on the board of directors since the inception of the company in 1993. Prior to the formation of SDI, Millett was employed by

Sunday, 4 May Golf classic (morning)

8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Student plant tour

Noon – 4 p.m.

Young professionals plant tour

1 – 5 p.m.

Golf classic (afternoon)

1 – 7 p.m.

Young professionals reception

5 – 6 p.m.

Monday, 5 May Brimacombe memorial lecture

8 – 9 a.m.

International alliance lecture

9 – 9:30 a.m.

Student project presentation contest

9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

University-industry relations roundtable

Noon – 1:45 p.m.

Exhibit hall open

9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Technical sessions

9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Exhibit hall welcome reception

5 – 6 p.m.

Tuesday, 6 May President’s award breakfast

8 – 9:45 a.m.

ASM materials camp

9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Technical sessions

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Exhibit hall open

9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Exhibit hall reception

5 – 6 p.m.

Wednesday, 7 May Town hall forum

8:30 – 11:15 a.m.

Technical sessions

2 – 5 p.m.

Exhibit hall open

11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Thursday, 8 May Plant tours

start at 7:30 a.m.

AISTech 2014 events at a glance (This schedule may be subject to change.)

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32

››› EVENTS

day morning, 7 May, at the Convention Center. AIST will gather a panel of leading industry executives to participate in a moderated panel discussion for an extensive dialogue of global steel industry issues, concerns and opportunities. This exchange will include an open discussion intended to stimulate ideas and debate. The town hall forum will explore numerous topics necessary for the creation of a sustainable steel industry, including: deploying new technology to leverage the natural gas renaissance, the impact of new DRI supply on scrap and other metallics, confronting global and regional overcapacity, taking on aluminum in the auto markets, market development for steel applications, recent safety initiatives that are making an impact, attracting a skilled workforce.

Among the panelists are John C. Farris (Nucor), Dieter Hoeppli (Deutsche Bank), Douglas R. Matthews (US Steel), S. S. Mohanti (SAIL), Tracy L. Porter (CMC), Michael Rippley (ArcelorMittal), P. Kelly Tompkins (Cliffs). As in the previous years, George J. Koenig, president of Ber-

ry Metal Co., will be session chair. Jon Delano will moderate the event. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to submit questions at the event.

Young professionals program The AIST foundation has organized a pilot program designed to get more young professionals, ages 30 and younger, actively involved in the steel industry. The program aims to attract these young professionals to the annual technology forum for steel manufacturing, with the objective to enhance their professional network and improve their problem-solving skills. The AIST foundation has sponsored the following program benefits for roll-out at AISTech 2014: complimentary first-year AIST young professional membership, 50% discount for AISTech 2014 conference registration, plant tour of Steel Dynamics Inc., young professional reception following the plant tour on 4 May 2014.

Plant tours Three plant tours will be held in conjunction with AISTech 2014. The Nu-

cor Steel-Indiana, Crawfordsville, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor and Steel Dynamics Inc., Pittsboro, will host the tours.

Nucor Steel-Indiana is the site of the world’s first commercial compact strip plant (CSP), built in 1989, as well as the site of the world’s first commercial Castrip® twin-roll carbon steel caster. The plant consists of a 6-stand hot mill, two downcoilers, a 1 million t/a cold mill and a hot-dip galvanizing line.

Burns Harbor is one of ArcelorMittal’s largest facilities in the United States. This fully integrated steelmaking facility is located on Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana. The plant operates two blast furnaces and is capable of producing 5.0 million tons of raw steel annually. Principal products made at this location are hot rolled, cold rolled, coated sheet products and steel plate.

SDI Pittsboro, Ind. minimill encompasses the SDI engineered bar products division supplying carbon, resulfurized, alloy, microalloy and specialty steel grades in rounds and round corner squares. SDI is in the commissioning stages of a second, small-diameter hot rolling mill. The new rolling mill increases the rolled capacity at Pittsboro to 950,000 tons/year.

Water-cooled components for the steel industry Electric arc furnaces Ladle refining stands Converters Waste-gas cooling systems Cooled equipment

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

World champions 2014 of the 8th virtual steelmaking challenge The world Ƃnals of the 8th virtual steelmaking challenge took place in %russels, %elgium, in )ebruary. As in the previous year, a team from Tata Steel in India won in the category for young steel industry employees. A team from Universidad 1acional del Sur in Argentina won in the student category.

World champions of the 8th virtual steelmaking challenge 2014 (from left): Animesh Kumar Singh and Kausik Tamuli from India, Francisco Brañas and Ezio Agustín Casalini from Argentina

The world championship of the 8th virtual steelmaking challenge took place in Brussels, Belgium, on 19 February 2014. The contestants were the regional champions of North America, Latin America, Europe-CIS, East AsiaOceania and Middle East- India-Africa who made it through from 2,024 teams taking part in round 1 held in November 2013. The task was to refine an order

World Steel Association, Brussels, Belgium Contact: www.steeluniversity.org E-mail: info@worldsteel.org

MPT International 2 / 2014

of high strength steel billets (suitable for the suspension bridge cable) at the lowest total cost using the simulation tool for secondary steelmaking at steeluniversity.org. They had two and a half hours to produce the steel at the minimum cost while maintaining the levels of impurities and inclusions within specification.

At the end of the highly charged and intense contest, the team consisting of Kausik Tamuli and Animesh Kumar Singh from Tata Steel Ltd. India had the best result in the ‘Industry’ category. In the ‘Student’ category the best result was submitted by the team consisting of Ezio Agustín Casalini and Francis-

co Brañas of Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina. The two teams were declared world champion in their respective categories.

The contest was watched by the steel industry leaders with great interest. Dr Karl-Ulrich Köhler, chairman of worldsteel Education and Training Committee and CEO Tata Steel Europe, said: “The steelChallenge is a key annual event organized by worldsteel.

This global competition, simulating the manufacturing of steel, provides a unique opportunity to young professionals from steel companies and universities to test their skills. I am very pleased to meet these brilliant young

THE

men and women who will drive the steel industry to become even more competitive.”

At the end of the contest, the regional champions received certificates and the world champions in the ‘Industry’ and ‘Student’ categories were awarded trophies, cash prizes and certificates by Mr Joon-Yang Chung, chairman of worldsteel and CEO and chairman, Posco. He said: “This is a fine assembly of talented young men and women from all around the world. It is a matter of great satisfaction that our industry hosts a brilliant pool of talent. The steel industry requires continuous innovation and creativity and, in exchange, offers a rewarding and challenging career. This industry boasts continuous technological innovations making a vital contribution towards the sustainable growth of society.”

Dr Edwin Basson, director general of World Steel Association, commented: “In the successful first round in November 2013, over 2,000 entrants from 41 countries worldwide competed for the title of regional champion within five geographic areas. It is an impressive 76% growth in entries to this competition. I am particurlarly proud to provide this platform where young engineers and students meet industry leaders and experts and share knowledge and experience.”

The steeluniversity.org website is an innovative e-learning resource focused on all aspects of steel, including steelmaking technology and the multitude of steel applications. It provides highly interactive, game-like simulations of the major steelmaking processes in real-time. This awardwinning, online initiative is developed and sponsored by the World Steel Association. Steeluniversity.org resources are used by more than 100 steel companies and 200 universities worldwide. Many of its modules have been translated into other languages, including Chinese (simplified and traditional as well), Korean, Spanish, Russian, German and Japanese.

Steeluniversity.org won the European Academic Software Awards (EASA) in 2004 and the steeluniversity.org project team was recognized with the AIST’s Benjamin F. Fairless Award in 2008.

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››› COMPANY PROFILE

Changes on the managing board of SMS group Burkhard Dahmen was appointed spokesman of the SMS group, the Germany based global suppliers of machinery and plant construction in steel and nonferrous metals processing. His predecessor, Joachim Schönbeck, left the group while markets remaining in recession.

Joachim Schönbeck, longstanding CEO of SMS Meer and since 1 July 2013 spokesman of the managing board of SMS Holding, left the group on 31 March 2014. His successor as spokesman of the managing board of SMS Holding is Burkhard Dahmen, who is also chairman of SMS Siemag AG. Dr. Heinrich Weiss, president of the supervisory board of SMS Holding GmbH, said: “I wish to thank Joachim Schönbeck for his successful work and commitment to the SMS group and for his many years of loyal cooperation. I am sorry to see him go.”

Marcel Fasswald has been appointed a further member of the managing board of SMS Meer. He has served as longstanding managing director of SMS India.

at EUR 3.3 billion (incl. Paul Wurth) – was below target. The net result was significantly lower than that of 2012.

The SMS group will present the audited figures together with the 2013 annual report in the usual detail in early June.

being processed in both countries can also not be ruled out.

These political events and the general uncertainty about future economic development are impacting on the purchasing behavior of SMS group’s

Burkhard Dahmen is the new spokesperson of the SMS group

Challenging market situation The selling conditions for metallurgical plants have not changed for the better over the last year. In contrast to earlier crises, there has been no separate development of individual growth markets or special product fields which could have balanced out the downturn. The recovery expected for 2013 failed to materialize. Positive impulses came mainly from Asian developing countries and above all related to plants for the production of nonferrous products. Once again in 2013, China was the largest market for metallurgical plants. Market activity in Europe and South America remained subdued apart from a few projects.

As in the previous business year, order intake by the SMS group in 2013 –

SMS group, Düsseldorf, Germany Contact: www.sms-group.com E-mail: communications@sms-group.com

MPT International 2 / 2014

The unstable situation in Ukraine is having a detrimental effect on business relations between the western countries and Russia. This puts a strain on the traditionally close relationship between the SMS group and Russia as well as putting at risk the conclusion of major projects in Ukraine.

Similarly, the situation in Venezuela, where the SMS group expects a followup order in the three-digit millions, has deteriorated due to unrest in the country. Against this background, negative effects on the major orders currently

customers. The trend observed is that initially orders are issued only for the engineering of projects. Then customers cautiously await further market developments before placing the subsequent order for the equipment. This makes it difficult to plan the utilization of capacities in the group. Although the engineering and production capacities in the main business areas of the SMS group are still fully booked into the second quarter of 2014, management anticipates underutilization of capacity in some areas over the current business year.

COMPANY PROFILE Below-capacity operation expected in various areas For the next few years, the business area SMS Siemag expects a much lower business volume than in recent years. For this reason, the company is examining how to adjust its administration, engineering, and production capacities by shedding jobs in a socially acceptable way.

In business area SMS Meer, demand remains stable, with orders at the same level as in the previous year. However, competition for orders has also sharpened significantly in this area. This puts pressure on profits. That is why further steps to cut costs must be taken here as well.

To ensure high quality, SMS remains committed to producing selected components of its machinery and plants in Germany. The group invested heavily over recent years in upgrading its workshops in Germany. Yet, parallel to these measures, it also expanded its produc-

tion capacity in China. The focus here is on the provision of better customer services locally and the construction of machines specifically designed for the Chinese market. It is a similar picture on the Indian market, where another workshop is currently under construction and scheduled to start operations in 2014.

Overall, the company is working on reducing costs across the board. The SMS group is relying here on designs that optimize manufacturing as well as on higher efficiency in engineering, production, and logistics, along with savings in administrative costs.

The successful incorporation of Paul Wurth into business area SMS Siemag involved the identification of common technological and sales synergies. This further rounds off its range as a supplier of equipment for the entire process chain in metallurgical plant and ma-

‹‹‹

37

chinery construction. One example is the recent conclusion of a licensing contract with Kobe Steel Ltd of Japan for the construction of Midrex direct reduction plants (DRI).

Opportunities in service, modernization, green technology The SMS group sees the greatest growth opportunities in customer services. It is focusing here on establishing more long-term service partnerships with customers for overall improved efficiency of their production plants. The same goes for small revamps with short return-on-investment periods. There is a vast potential for future growth here.

The SMS group has identified an increasing demand for green technology solutions, meanwhile also a big issue on the Chinese market.

MPT International 2 / 2014

38

››› ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

A hydrogen sulphide scrubber and a mechanical cooling system were erected and put into operation at the coke plant

ArcelorMittal Ostrava invests in environmental improvements In spring 2013, ArcelorMittal Ostrava started a US$ 131 million investment programme to further improve environmental protection at the Czech integrated iron and steelmaking site. Since, some important milestones have been reached.

ArcelorMittal Ostrava a.s. is the largest steelmaker in the Czech Republic. It has a production capacity of 3 million tonnes of steel annually. Over a period of ten years, the company invested more than four billion Czech crowns (US$ 203 million) from its own budget in the programme of environmental

ArcelorMittal Ostrava a.s., Ostrava, Czech Republic Contact: www.arcelormittal.com/ostrava

MPT International 2 / 2014

measures. This has helped the company to meet the emission limits required by the Czech laws and the even stricter emission ceilings stipulated by the regional authority of Moravia-Silesia.

In 2013 ArcelorMittal Ostrava pushed ahead an investment plan to draw on EU subsidies destined to reduce the impact of industry on the environment to fund its future investments in this field.

The environment related investments, which were planned for over CZK 2.6 billion (US$ 131 million), would reduce dust and NOx emissions and help improve the workplace conditions. The

largest portion of investments would go into high-emission operations, sinter plant and blast furnaces. In addition to that, the steelmaker planned to use the European subsidies to de-nitrify three boilers in its power plant. This project would help cut NOx emissions by 808 tonnes annually. In particular, the planned investments comprised the following various measures: lime route dedusting to reduce the fugitive dust emissions by 100 tonnes/ year in the steel plant, dedusting of wagon tipplers to reduce the fugitive dust emissions by

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION a total of 6.4 tonnes/year at both tipplers, cooling belts for both sinter plants (north and south) to reduce the fugitive dust emissions by 198 tonnes/ year in the sinter plants, sinter plant south dedusting to reduce the dust emissions from the sinter plant by 94 tonnes/year, dedusting of the cast houses at two blast furnaces to reduce the fugitive dust emissions by 74 tonnes/year, de-nitrifying of three boilers of the power plant.

During the past year some of the milestones were already commissioned.

Fabric Ƃlters to lower lime dust emissions In early 2013, ArcelorMittal completed the installation and put into operation equipment for dedusting of lime routes. A new fabric filter traps dust generated from handling with lime.

Thanks to that, indirect (fugitive) dust emissions are reduced by an average of 100 tons per year. Dust is trapped at lime unloading site, which is subject to highest dust emissions during the transportation of lime from wagons to the underground bunkers. The trapped dust will be transported to the fabric filter, which captures 99% of particles of all sizes. “Thanks to the fabric filter we are able to reduce emissions well below the European Union limit, which ArcelorMittal Ostrava will meet three years ahead of time,” commented Petr Baranek, chief green officer at ArcelorMittal Ostrava, in February 2013. Dust concentrations behind the filter will be significantly below the limit given by the BAT (best available technique: 10 mg/m³). The limit will become effective in the European Union in 2016.

New strategy in the Ƃght against unpleasant sounds ArcelorMittal Ostrava has installed special silencers to four stacks of sinter plant south, around which it builds acoustic panels. It thus dampens the noise from the stacks by 18 decibels while at the same time removing the unpleasant audio frequency. “Fighting with sound is much more difficult than reducing emissions. All the operations and equipment emit some noise and with the increasing environmen-

tal investments in the plant the sounds accumulate every year. In order to be able to correctly select appropriate noise abatement measures, we needed to learn how the mix of sounds is perceived by a human ear a few kilometres from the plant and where the unpleasant sound comes from,” explains Petr Baranek. The identification of unpleasant sounds was performed by a specialist company whose study recommended reducing noise of the fans on the material routes at the sinter plant south and identified four stacks for which the company has had special silencers tailored. Suppression is focused on the tone at a frequency of 315 Hz, which the study identified as the most annoying. In addition to that, the steelmaker built acoustic panels around the individual stacks. The plant complies with noise limits under the law or a valid decision of the regional Public Health Authority.

DenitriƂcation of the power plant In September 2013, ArcelorMittal Ostrava launched the investment to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions at its power plant. The main supplier of the environmental project worth a ˇ KD Praha DIZ, coopbillion crowns, C erates with a number of local companies. The denitrification is part of the overall power plant greening project, which also includes the desulphurization launched the year before, and will bring about a significant reduction of gaseous emissions. The investment has been granted a subsidy of 40% from the State Environmental Fund. The fund approved the subsidy at the end of August, by which the supply contract came into force and the first preparatory phase of the project could begin.

After the completion of the project, the NOx emissions from three boilers (boiler 8, 9 and 10) will have been reduced by more than half. The ongoing desulphurization in the amount of half a billion Czech crowns will bring about more than four-fold reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions from the same boilers. The greening project at the power plant will at the same time reduce the emissions of dust particles, and all three boilers will meet the stringent emission limits which will come into force in 2016.

‹‹‹

39

ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava is a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal Ostrava. It is a large industrial power plant complex with a special focus on the needs of the metallurgical industry. It has a total designed capacity of the boiler house of 1,435 tonnes per hour, the designed capacity of the power plant is 254 MW. All the generated energy together with compressed and blown air or steam which are also produced by the power plant, is used directly by the stelmaker. During the heating season, the power plant also supplies heat to 25,000 inhabitants of Ostrava-Jih district.

Desulphurization of the coke plant ArcelorMittal Ostrava operates two types of coke oven batteries: two stampcharged batteries and one large-capacity top-charged battery. The plant’s annual coke output is about 1.2 million tonnes making ArcelorMittal Ostrava the biggest coke producer in the Czech Republic.

In November 2013, ArcelorMittal Ostrava has completed the optimization of the coke oven gas desulphurization process. A hydrogen sulphide scrubber and a mechanical cooling system at the total cost of CZK 226 million (US$ 11 million) were put into operation at its coke plant. During a two weeks’ guarantee test the equipment showed a reduction of sulphane contents in the treated coke oven gas to a level below the range of the future European limit of 300 to 1,000 mg/m³. Thanks to the cleaner gas, which is used as a fuel for the plant, the company will reduce its yearly SO2 emissions by more than 200 tonnes, i.e. 40% The construction took two years without ArcelorMittal Ostrava limiting coke production or increasing its environmental impact. The project was divided into two stages in order to maintain the production volume. At first, the cooling capacity of coke oven gas treatment was increased, and subsequently the hydrogen sulphide scrubber was replaced by a more powerful and efficient one. This was followed by the installation of a mechanical cleaning. The second stage was completed as fast as within seven months.

The project was completed in August 2013 and was followed by trial operaMPT International 2 / 2014

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tion including the final guarantee test, which has confirmed the high efficiency of the coke oven gas cleaning and cooling. “The test was conducted by an authorized agency at the supervision of our experts. It confirmed the expected performance and efficiency of the new coke oven gas desulphurization system,” says Václav Habura, ArcelorMittal Ostrava coke oven plant director. “The measured sulphane content values are below 300 mg/m3, which is the lower limit of the range based on the best available techniques to be introduced in the EU in 2016,” adds Petr Baranek, chief green officer of ArcelorMittal Ostrava, explaining the positive effect on environment.

Coke oven gas is used by the company as a fuel for most of its plants. It is used, for example, for coke oven battery heating, heating of air flow on blast furnaces, in boilers of the power plant or at the rolling mills. All of these processes include combustion of the cleaned coke oven gas, the reduced MPT International 2 / 2014

sulphur content of which will result in considerably lower sulphur dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

Revamped billet production went on stream On 9 December 2013 ArcelorMittal Ostrava commissioned the continuous casting facility that went through an extensive revamp. The modernization enables the company to cast round billets with diameter of up to 400 mm compared to the current diameter of 210 mm. The billion-worth investment will not only improve the quality of steel and newly produce billets with high added value. What is more, part of the new technology is a vacuum degassing (VD) station to reduce the contents of undesirable gases and elements in liquid steel. The vacuum station is equipped with a bag filter with 99% efficiency. All newly built production facilities meet the requirements for the best available techniques (BAT).

Dedusting unit for iron ore and coal tipplers In February 2014, ArcelorMittal Ostrava has signed a contract for dedusting iron ore and coal tipplers for both sinter plants. The project worth CZK 125 million (US$ 6.35 million) will capture the dust generated during unloading of various types of materials.

Railway wagons deliver iron ore, pellets, coke, anthracite, and other types of loose materials. Within a single hour either sinter plant will unload approximately ten wagons which allows transfer of up to 24,000 tonnes of raw materials per day. Iron ore and coal tipplers must lift and tip the entire wagon. The mill uses both, the rotor-type tipplers that tilt the wagon and the tipping tipplers that enable to dump the material from the face of the wagon by simple tipping of the wagon. Both types of wagon tipplers will be dedusted – in both cases they will be covered and the captured dust will be extracted to the bag filter.

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42

››› ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The company wants to completely cover the area of wagon tipplers and to extract the dust to new bag filters. In accordance with the best available techniques these filters will capture more than 99% of extracted dust particles.

The project will be implemented mainly by three Czech contractors: HutnĂ­ Projekt FrĂ˝dek-MĂ­stek, Air Cleaning Technologies, and STAMONT-PozemnĂ­ stavitelstvĂ­. The new bag filter is able to separate even the smallest particles of particulate emissions with a size of PM 2.5 and even PM 1. “In the sinter plant area we are already complying with all emission limits, including the European ones that are based on the best available techniques.

Dedusting of wagon tipplers can be considered an above standard measure. And that is one of the reasons why the project is implemented with a contribution from the European Union,� explains Petr Baranek. The dedusting of wagon tipplers will be implemented with the help of European funds by the end of 2015. The subsidy for this project constitutes 85% of the price.

Co-funding has been approved by the EU The European Commission has approved ArcelorMittal Ostrava’s biggest grant application for an environmental investment project – in the regime of notification it has accepted projects for the installation of fabric filters for the last two sinter belts, the so-called sinter plant south. The steelmaker will, for the first time in history, co-fund its environmental projects from public funds, respectively from the European funds. The projects are eligible as the company operations to reduce emissions beyond the requirements of the new European Union (EU) environmental legislation. ArcelorMittal Ostrava already complied with the EU future limits two years ago – thanks to its own environmental investment projects. By 2016, the company will have commissioned the new environmental technologies, which will further reduce emissions of particulate matter from the company as well as emissions of nitrogen oxide from its power plant.

“We see the EU funding as an extension of the environmental improvements we have undertaken to date.

We want to continue with the initiative to improve the environment, and we want to bring our emissions further down�, explains Petr Baranek, chief green officer of ArcelorMittal Ostrava.

The financial amount of investment involved required that the European Commission had to give its approval for majority of investments – which it did as it has approved all three projects and agreed with the co-funding.

Together with the sinter plant project, which was approved in September 2013, earlier the commission had also approved the project for dedusting of cooling belts of sinter plant and capacity increase in the dedusting of the cast house in the blast furnaces. By 2016 at the latest, with the help of the European funding, ArcelorMittal Ostrava wants to implement the projects to reduce dust emissions in three facilities, sinter plant and the two blast furnaces.

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››› ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Sound Ć‚lter solutions applied to the treatment of fumes arising from Ćƒame cutting EfĆ‚cient and environmentally compatible Ć‚lter solutions have been developed to handle fumes arising during Ćƒame cutting in scrap and slag recycling operations. The off gas is collected and Ć‚ltered using a sophisticated technology which retains the dust and Ć‚lters out the Ć‚ne airborne particles. The cleaned air complies with the applicable regulatory reTuirements.

Rohstoff Recycling Dortmund GmbH (RRD) – a German company belonging to the GMH group – reprocesses bulky scrap and other by-products from ironmaking (skulls etc.). RRD supplies

Ventilatorenfabrik Oelde GmbH, Oelde, Germany Contact: www.venti-oelde.de E-mail: info@venti-oelde.de

about 48,000 t per month of treated, recycled scrap to steelworks and foundries, mainly to German and European sites.

To start with, the bulky scrap is processed into smaller pieces. This is usually accomplished by flame cutting or, if a “blasting pit� is used, by burning blast holes into the scrap, which are filled with a blasting agent to blast the skull into smaller pieces.

There are basically two different flame-cutting technologies: either oxy-

fuel cutting or oxygen burning. Depending on the material being flamecut, yellow and grey-black smoke arises from the process and a considerable amount of oxides containing fine dust is generated. This dust-laden offgas must be collected and filtered so as to prevent hazardous emissions from polluting the environment. To ensure compliance with environmental regulations, in 2005 Venti Oelde developed and installed a dedicated exhaust plant with three mobile hoods for RRD.

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Expertise without compromise We plan, develop and manufacture exactly the purpose built machines that you need for your toughest applications: - Telescopic de-bricking machines - Converter tap hole drilling and setting machines - Gunning manipulators for converter hot repairs - EAF Charging machines - Slag raking machines - Hot slag crawler loaders - Converter relining machines - Special attachments and tools

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46

››› ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Ventilatorenfabrik Oelde GmbH (Venti Oelde) is a reputed manufacturer of industrial filters and a specialist for air handling systems. The versatile industrial filters from Venti Oelde prove themselves in daily use in many different industries.

Mobile exhaust hoods ensure ƃexibility The mobile exhaust hoods – which are actually big movable cabins – travel along a track to the place where the material has been dumped. There, the mobile exhaust hood covers the flamecutting area during operation.

During travelling, the doors at both ends are open. They close when the hood has reached its position; the hood is automatically connected to the duct line. The hood is now ready for extracting the fumes arising during the flame-cutting process.

Staff may access the material via sliding doors. The worker stands in front of the enclosure when cutting the material with the flame-cutting torch. Thanks to the sliding doors, their working position is variable,

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with the material being covered at all times.

After finishing the flame-cutting operation, the hood can be moved to the next docking point, where other material has already been dumped. Meanwhile the previously broken material can be removed from the dumping area and replaced by new bulky scrap, skulls etc.

Off-gas treatment Extracting. The hazardous, dustladen gases from the flame-cutting process are continuously extracted and conveyed to a bag filter plant via a duct system. A fan installed downstream of the bag filter unit creates negative pressure inside the hood and duct.

The off-gas duct features several docking points. The mobile exhaust hood is moved to one of the docking points where it automatically connects to the duct line.

Each of the three hoods is linked to the bag filter unit by an individual duct line. This is a critical item, because it is essential that a certain minimum air velocity is being upheld in the duct sys-

tem. Shutoff devices are installed at the filter inlet of each duct line. By means of a frequency converter, different operating states can be set depending on the number of hoods in operation.

Filtering. The exhaust fan is situated downstream of the filter. The dustladen air enters the filter via an integrated pre-separator plenum where the large particles are separated (from the dust and air) by gravity. The dust-laden air is passed on to the filter chambers. The filter medium, which is heatresistant up to 120°C, retains the dust and filters out the fine air-borne dust particles. The dust deposits on the exterior of the filter bags.

Sophisticated filter cleaning, actuated on the basis of differential pressure control, provides for long service lives of the filter bags, while reducing costs for compressed air. The eight-year-old filter plant still uses the very first set of filter bags (as of end of August 2013).

The residues are discharged using a screw conveyor and a rotary gate and stored in a container or a big bag. The clean air is released via the exit gas stack, passing a silencer. The total ex-

48

››› ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

hausted gas volume is approx. 140,000 mÂł/h (stp). The highly purified air exiting the stack complies with the applicable regulatory requirements.

existing duct supports, the dust discharge system and the stack, saving space and costs.

After five months of planning, construction and installation, the upgraded plant was ready to start operation at

RRD. “Cooperation with Venti Oelde has been excellent over the years. Response times are short and we get all the assistance we need. Only Venti Oelde was contemplated as supplier for the plant upgrade,� stated Ralf Willam.

Keeping pace with demand Since the installation of the plant

by Venti Oelde in 2005, the capacity requirements at RRD regarding the amount of material to be flame-cut has constantly increased. Each month, about 1,000 t of material are cut in each hood. Already with the three hoods, the filter plant had been operating at full capacity. Due to the increased demand, Venti Oelde designed a completely new hood for RRD in 2012 after a detailed analysis. The new design is based on Venti Oelde’s many years of experience in the area of flame cutting. “The new hood is a customized design perfectly in line with our specifications and requirements,� commented Ralf Willam, plant manager at RRD. “The result has completely fulfilled our expectations.�

The newly designed mobile hood was added to the plant, an additional fan was installed and another filter integrated into the system. The exhaust capacity of the additional hood is 66,000 mÂł/h (stp). Being integrated into the existing plant environment, the new exhaust plant uses part of the

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50

››› STEELMAKING

New RH-TOP vacuum degassing plant at Ternium-Siderar during construction

New secondary steel treatment options implemented at TerniumSiderar, Argentina In order to produce locally high-quality steel grades that previously had to be imported, Ternium-Siderar decided to broaden its secondary metallurgy treatment capabilities. A state-of-the-art vacuum steel degassing unit of RH-TOP type, supplied by SMS Mevac, was recently commissioned. The new plant started operation in late 2013. Using the new facilities, low-carbon steels for deep-drawing and interstitial-free (IF) steel grades can be added to the range of produced steels.

Ternium-Siderar is the largest steelmaker in Argentina, producing hot and cold-rolled strip as well as galvanized, Raúl Daniel López, Mariano Aguirre; Ternium-Siderar, Gral. Savio Plant, San Nicolás, Buenos Aires, Argentina rlopez@ternium.com.ar Thomas Eichert, SMS Mevac GmbH, Essen, Germany thomas.eichert@sms-mevac.com

MPT International 2 / 2014

painted and tin steel products. More than five thousand people are employed at production sites in Ramallo, San Nicolás, Ensenada, Haedo, Florencio Varela, Canning and Rosario. The integrated iron and steel works, Planta General Savio is situated in San Nicolás.

Here, until recently the steel plant consisted mainly of the following equipment: a desulphurization station for hot metal,

three LD converters (basic oxygen furnaces) with the option of combined N2/Ar bottom blowing (LBE), a conventional ladle furnace (35 MVA), a ladle treatment station.

Using this equipment, Ternium-Siderar successfully supplied to the markets a variety of flat steel products, including low-carbon commercial steels, structural steels, grades for piping and micro-alloyed steels – complying with

STEELMAKING standard quality demands and with a high cleanliness level, i.e. low level of macro-inclusions (which are deposited in grain boundaries in the steel crystal structure).

Within the framework of the 4 million t/year expansion plan, TerniumSiderar decided to enhance its secondary metallurgy capabilities, venturing into more quality demanding markets (deep-drawing grades, interstitialfree steels, degassed steels, etc). Consequently, a vacuum degassing plant was needed to reach a new level of metallurgical cleanliness. Ternium-Siderar decided to implement an RH-TOPtype plant which recirculates the liquid steel under vacuum while applying supersonic oxygen blowing with a water-cooled lance (TOP unit).

SMS Mevac was selected as the supplier of the new equipment. After implementation and commissioning, operation started in late 2013. This new plant now produces liquid steel feeding the continuous slab caster No. 1 and in future also the new caster No. 2 which is scheduled to start operation by summer 2014. In future, it will be linked to and operate in correlation with a new ladle furnace and a new ladle treatment station.

Finding the optimal vessel geometry As a preliminary consideration, it was first necessary to study and theoretically compare two alternatives for the design of the vacuum treatment vessel: the conventional cylindrical (round) design or a modified design by copying the actual ladle geometry at Siderar, which would result in an oblong (elliptic) vessel cross section.

A numerical simulation was carried out in order to assess both alternatives, allowing the fluid-dynamic behaviour of the liquid steel inside the ladle to be estimated in advance. For this study, Ternium-Siderar worked with Instituto Argentino de Siderurgia (IAS – Argentine Steelmaking Institute) [1]. The IAS had already developed a numerical fluid-dynamic liquid steel stirring model for the study of the various positions of porous plugs in the bottom of the ladle and regarding the different levels of the stirring flow. Important results were obtained within only two weeks.

‹‹‹

51

Functional principle of the RH-TOP technology

The result was that the option of designing a vessel with an unconventional shape, as proposed by Ternium-Siderar (oblong vessel), did not provide any substantial improvements. Although the oblong design provides certain advantages compared to a traditional cylindrical design, i.e. less dead zones, longer vacuum contact of liquid steel inside the vessel and less stirring in the free surface of the ladle, these benefits are outweighed by the disadvantage of very high shear stress in the refractory lining due to the action of the rising steel flow from the snorkel of the RH vessel bouncing back from the ladle bottom.

This would result in a considerably reduced life time of the refractory lining and the consequent increase in operative costs.

For this reason, Ternium-Siderar engineers rejected this alternative since it would be an unprecedented prototype instead of the practice-proven round vessel design. Nevertheless, the investigation of the various numerical modelling results provided profound knowledge conerning the fluid flows in an RH unit. This know-how is important for future developments with the unit in operation.

Decision between vessel lift and ladle lift A critical objective was to select equipment that would provide operational flexibility and reliability, while causing as little impact as possible on the existing facilities and the building.

A study was conducted regarding the system that would handle the relative movement between the ladle (containing the liquid steel) and the vessel (container where the vacuum treatment occurs), while fitting best the characteristics of the existing building and providing the best safety conditions.

As the new RH plant was to be installed inside the existing steel plant building, the specific layout situation had to be taken into account when it came to deciding which lifting method was to be used. Apart from the operating and process requirements, all aspects related to the maximum allowable lever action on the structures, the components of the existing building and safety aspects had to be taken into account.

Every possible alternative in the RH design was analyzed [2]. A basic decision had to be taken as to whether the steel ladle or the vessel was to be in charge of the lifting and lowering MPT International 2 / 2014

52

››› STEELMAKING

movements relative to the liquid steel column inside the snorkel for the recirculation of the steel between the vacuum vessel and the ladle. For this decision, information was gathered from 60 of the most recent global projects.

From an economic point of view, the most convenient alternative was ladle lifting and lowering, as it would have been advantageous for the existing building and operative layout, in both the present situation and in view of the next planned investment, which considers the installation of a second continuous casting machine. Ternium-Siderar and SMS Mevac discussed how to implement the advantages of the proven safe and reliable “rocker type” vessel lifting system in a ladle lifting system. This implied a simple connection from the vacuum vessel to the vacuum pump system, thus avoiding a complex rotating joint as in case of vessel lifting. Finally, this ladle lifting system known as “ladle rocker” safely prevents the ladle car from interfering with the ladle and the vacuum system during the entire process [3].

This thoroughly studied fact is an innovation compared to other designs in RH facilities. Besides the benefits of operative flexibility and low maintenance effort,

Ternium-Siderar guarantees maximum safety for people and facilities in case of liquid steel spilling in the event of a ladle breakout. From the very beginning of the project, both Ternium-Siderar and SMS Mevac engineers weighed highly the additional benefits provided by this solution.

Optimal use of the existing building. For implementing the ladle rocker, the only thing necessary was to raise the roof twelve meters up, while keeping all the horizontal structures.

Simulation of speeds in the middle plane for both vessel geometries

Control pulpit during start up of the plant on Sep. 9th, 2013 MPT International 2 / 2014

BeneƂts obtained from using the ladle rocker

STEELMAKING Car operation flexibility. The design of the ladle rocker eliminates all interference between the ladle and the ladle car during vacuum operation.

The optimum position of the RH unit between the melting and the casting bay allows using a second ladle transfer car which may move under the ladle while the vacuum treatment is in process. After completion of the treatment, this second car will take the ladle to the take-over position for casting, while the first car has already moved back to the take-over position in the melting bay to receive the next heat.

This is an important aspect under an operational point of view, as it optimizes the manoeuvring times for loading and unloading the ladles filled with liquid steel and does not require any modification to the existing installation. In this way, using one car in the station loading area and a second one in the unloading area increases both flexibility and productivity while reducing the tap-to-tap times.

It is worth emphasizing that adding a second ladle transfer car did not imply any modification to the existing installation. Actually, the future layout providing for the use of two cars will be similar and compatible with the initial version. With a view to a possible upgrade of the plant to operate with higher productivity it was considered that just by adding a second ladle transfer

car feeding of two continuous casting machines would be possible.

Conclusions From the very beginning, engineers from Ternium-Siderar participated actively in the project to find the optimal technological solution. This started with the study of fluid physics in vacuum treatment by modelling the actual fluid dynamic behaviour using resources available in Argentina.

‚‚‚

53

The employed “ladle rocker� technology represents minimum investment versus alternative current best practices in implementing the relative movement between the vessel and the steel ladle. It provides best safety conditions, minimizing the risks for people and equipment. It also achieves high operative flexibility, both for the current project and for a future expansion project providing the preconditions for feeding a second continuous slab caster.

Lifted ladle while vacuum treatment is in process on Sep. 9th, 2013

References [1] ModelizaciĂłn numĂŠrica de Vessel del futuro horno RH de Ternium Siderar - RaĂşl Daniel LĂłpez - Mariano Aguirre - SebastiĂĄn Sylvestre Begnis - Daniel Dalmaso - 17ÂŞ Conferencia de AcerĂ­a / Metalurgia de Cuchara | IAS 2009, Campana, Pcia. Bs. As., Argentina [2] R. Beermann, R. R. Eggert: Lifting systems for RH-type vacuum degassing plant. MPT International 1/2014, 36 - 46 [3] Ladle Rocker for the new “RHâ€? at Ternium Siderar - RaĂşl Daniel LĂłpez - Mariano Aguirre - Dominik Lemken - Rainer Teworte -

18ÂŞ Conferencia del AcerĂ­a / Metalurgia de Cuchara | IAS, 2011, Rosario, Pcia. Santa Fe, Argentina [4] Nuevo Horno RH-TOP para la fabricaciĂłn de aceros desgasificados y de muy bajo carbono en Ternium Siderar -RaĂşl Daniel LĂłpez - Mariano Aguirre - 3er Congreso Argentino de IngenierĂ­a MecĂĄnica, CAIM 2012 | UTN-FRBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina [5] Raul D. LĂłpez et. al.: New RH-TOP at Ternium-Siderar. 19ÂŞ Conferencia del AcerĂ­a / Metalurgia de Cuchara | IAS, 2013, Rosario, Pcia. Santa Fe, Argentina

54

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Production of ferritic stainless steel in VOD plants High plant productivity and long continuous casting machine sequences combined with very strict quality requirements in terms of carbon and nitrogen levels are the main objectives of the VOD plant recently started up at Taiyuan Iron & Steel in China. An optimized process allows the achievement of carbon and nitrogen levels lower than 150 ppm.

Vacuum oxygen decarburization (VOD) applied to the production of ferritic stainless steel, e.g. grades AISI 409 and 443, has been a key challenge for Siemens VAI in the latest VOD plant start-ups. Increasing costs of expensive ferro-alloy materials, like nickel and chromium, decreasing availability of pure virgin material or high cost of virgin scrap have called for an optimized steelmaking process. Steel treatment facilities like VOD plants added to duplex routes improve the steel qual-

Andrea Pezza, Markus Abel, Michel Hein, Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH, Willstätt-Legelshurst, Germany Contact: www.siemens.com/metals E-mail: andrea.pezza@siemens.com

ity and the range of grades that can be produced.

Vacuum tank degassing can be applied to different process routes as well as to an extremely wide range of product grades, including stainless steel or high quality carbon steel. Steelmakers are faced with the crucial decision as to whether or not a vacuum tank degasser should be added to a duplex route for the production of stainless steel. Detailed analyses of the primary process routes for steelmaking and productivity requirements will lead to the design of tailor-made solutions.

Different solutions are available especially in terms of vacuum generation.

The basic vacuum technology remains unchanged, but plant designers have to focus on optimizing vacuum consumption and off-gas treatment parameters.

3D model of the 180 t VOD plant for Taiyuan Iron & Steel

VOD technology implemented in a huge metallurgical complex The 180 t VOD plant installed at Taiyuan Iron & Steel is one of the biggest VOD plants worldwide. Plant performance has to match the high productivity rate of an integrated stainless steel and carbon grade steelmaking site. The meltshop consists of three BOFs, two EAFs, three AOD (argon oxygen decarburization) converters, three twin ladle refining stations, two twin RH vacuum degassing stations and four slab casters. The production of low carbon ferritic stainless steel grades required the installation of the new VOD. The process time of the VOD needs to match the demands of the downstream continuous casting machines. The main performance test parameters are as follows:

STEELMAKING treatment cycle for low carbon ferritic grades of less than 70 minutes, final carbon and nitrogen contents of less than 130 ppm, off-gas analyses based on CO monitoring and process models ± 20 ppm.

The actual plant required a complete review of the standard VOD engineering solution. In order to reduce skull formation as a result of the high oxygen blowing rate, a new ladle cover was designed. A new oxygen lance solution based on common experience from refining combined burner (RCB) technology at the EAF and the LD converter technology was installed. The existing ladle design was modified in order to extend the steel bath surface area and the freeboard, a typical basic requirement for a VOD process, which does not require any adaptation of the existing meltshop units or reduction of the steel weight.

A process model with integrated off-gas analyzer was developed based on experience from previous projects.

The off-gas is analyzed with the following Siemens instruments: Oxymat for oxygen and Ultramat for carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide measurement. The off-gas flow is measured by an ultrasonic method. The results of the model are fundamental to the achievement of quality and productivity requirements. All ingredients are cyclically monitored and updated during the VOD treatment. The key point is the dynamic updating of carbon prediction during all the process phases based on a sophisticated model that integrates a material balance model, CO/CO2 trend line evaluation, and database results from the different stainless steel grades produced.

Proven solutions from other successfully implemented plants have been further improved for this project. For example, the ladle roof design is based on the copper clad roof of a ladle furnace at Voestalpine Stahl, Linz, Austria. Here, risky skull formation is minimized due to a freeboard of less than 300 mm.

The ladle cover made from copper plated material has proved successful in other degassing units: at the 120 t vacuum tank degasser (VTD) plant at Uralstal, Russia, where the plant operates with a reduced freeboard (500 mm), and at the new VOD installation at Voestalpine Stahl in Linz, Austria, where 13 different ladle designs (with

‹‹‹

55

Copper clad ladle roof

tap weights ranging from 15 t to 50 t) have to be treated in the same degassing unit.

The VOD process generates a considerable amount of dust that may affect pump performance and increase the maintenance efforts. Also the heat load during the VOD process has to be reduced before the off-gas enters the dust filters and the vacuum pump. The suction line consists of water cooled ducts, a dust catcher, cooler and filters. Moreover, a major challenge for Taiyuan Iron & Steel was the installation of the twin VOD unit in a confined space.

Phases for VOD production of ferritic steels The production of two typical steel grades as described below show the excellent quality and productivity results achieved: stainless steel grade AISI 409 with final carbon and nitrogen concentrations of less than 130 ppm (chromium content 11%) to be produced in less than 75 min, stainless steel grade AISI 443 with final carbon and nitrogen concentrations of less than 180 ppm (chromi-

um content 22%) to be produced in less than 85 min.

Treatment time in combination with final steel analyses has been the biggest challenge for this plant considering the high steel weight to be produced in such a short time.

Preconditions. The steels are produced via a modified triplex route, starting from a pre-melt coming from BOF and EAF units. The pre-melt is treated at the AOD unit in order to reduce the carbon content and to reach the temperature required for the VOD process. The carbon level at the end of the AOD treatment takes into consideration the optimum balance between treatment time and final carbon to be achieved in the VOD. For each grade different process pre-conditions have been defined with respect to the different element equilibrium that is effected by the vacuum conditions, especially in terms of carbon/chromium level and final carbon to be reached.

A deslagging facility is installed between the AOD and the VOD unit, where the rather great amount of slag is almost completely removed. This installation is of critical importance in order to reduce splashing and later MPT International 2 / 2014

MPT International 2 / 2014

35 30

Frequency

25 20 15 10 5 0

< 100

100 –130

130 –150

150 –180

>180

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

C+N content range, ppm Final C and N content after VOD treatment, 409L grade, aiming C < 130 ppm (results of 81 heats tested)

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

< 2.0

2.0 – 3.0

3.0 – 4.0

4.0 – 5.0

> 5.0

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Cumulative

decarburization reaction in the VOD unit.

VOD process phases. The fixed VOD process parameters in the level 2 system define different process practices suitable for each steel grades. Different process phases have been implemented for proper decarburization under vacuum, i.e. to allow the plant to perform its main task. The following parameters have been considered: For high productivity, the oxygen blowing rate in combination with a proper lance distance have been a key aspect of the commissioning phase. An average blowing rate of more than 2,000 m³/h (stp) and a peak rate of 2,300 m³/h (stp) have been used. Lance distances ranging from 1,600 to 1,900 mm have been set.

For high quality, a stirring rate of up to 8.5 l/min/t (stp) has been applied especially during the reduction phase. A reduced stirring rate between 3 and 4 l/ min/t (stp) has been set for the heavy boiling phases for decarburization. A ladle of this big size did not require the installation of a third plug (two plugs were already installed). This was concluded from the results observed in a big VOD plant using ladles with three porous plugs. As the third plug turned out to be relatively irrelevant, a strong stirring stand was opted for instead to serve the existing two porous plugs.

The vacuum pressure set points remain the fundamental parameters for the reduction of carbon concentration during the oxygen blowing phase. High chromium grades with more than 22% chromium require, in the final decarburization process, a vacuum pressure of 20 mbar or lower in order to achieve a carbon level lower than 50 ppm. A robust plant design has proved to be critical in supporting the process parameters and plant performances under heavy process conditions as caused by steel/slag splashes.

The oxygen blowing phase is followed by the so called VCD phase where final decarburization is performed at deep vacuum conditions without the support of blown oxygen. The remaining oxygen in the steel reacts with the carbon and leaves the steel bath as carbon monoxide. Proper suction capacity of the vacuum pump is essential to ensure optimum carbon removal efficiency during this process phase. For Taiyuan Iron & Steel, as well as for other plants, a strong suction capacity for the intermediate vacuum pump stages

Cumulative

››› STEELMAKING

Frequency

56

Al charge, kg/t Aluminium consumption for slag reduction (grades 409L/443, 80 heats tested)

has been set to achieve vacuum levels lower than 1 mbar as quickly as possible. Here, this has been reached in not more than 30 to 45 seconds, also during the first VCD phase where a high offgas volume is generated. Since the vacuum pump suction capacity is vital to the process, the typical weak points of the vacuum tank facilities, e.g. air leakages, need to be taken into careful consideration when designing the plant. We here refer to the air leakage actually observed at the running plant. The air leakage obtained during the start-up phase has been around 50 kg/h, but the leakages measured during the hot trials reached over 200 kg/h without negative effects on the process results. A VCD time of not more than 15 minutes has been set, reaching a carbon level of <50 ppm and a final CO/ CO2 level in the off-gas.

The VCD phase is followed by the reduction phase. The VCD phase is interrupted for carbon control only at the beginning of the plant start-up and avoided as soon as the process has been properly tuned. The main reason for not interrupting the VOD process be-

tween the phases is the proper carbon estimation via the level 2 model combined with the off-gas analyzer. In case of ferritic grades, reduction of chromium, manganese and iron oxides is performed with about 5 kg aluminium per t of steel. A combination of Al/FeSi75/lime and fluorspar is added. Then the VCD phase ends and the slag reduction phase starts.

Considering the great amount of material (lime and fluorspar addition is over 4,500 kg/heat and the aluminium and silicon around 1,500 kg/heat), two subsequent batches of material are added with an interval of some minutes in between them. The storage capacity of the double alloy hopper has been optimized in order to fit with the tight VOD cover layout, leaving enough space for maintenance and access to the cover, yet without interfering with the process timing. The reduction phase lasted not more than 15 minutes reaching final sulphur levels of less than 30 ppm starting from an average value of more than 200 ppm and obtaining a chromium reduction from the slag to the steel of more than 99.5%.

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MPT International 2 / 2014

60 50

Frequency

40 30 20 10 0

< 0.0010%

0.0010 – 0.0030%

0.0030 – 0.0050%

0.0050 – 0.0080%

> 0.0080%

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

S content range Final S content after reduction phase, 409L/443 grades, aiming S <0.0050% (results of 88 heats tested)

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

< 50%

50 –70%

70 –90%

> 90%

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Cumulative

The success of the reduction phase depends on a proper process control in terms of incoming slag conditions, slag oxidation level after the decarburization process and correct calculation of the slag reduction mix. The process controller is the level 2 system. Stable process results and constant material consumption values are proof of a properly controlled process and the only way to reach high productivity rates.

The average results (more than 100 samples tested) of the slag main components after the reduction phase are as follows: 54.19% CaO 6.91% SiO2 0.36% Cr2O3 0.00% P2O5 0.30% S 0.31% TiO2 24.03% Al2O3 5.03% MgO total: 91.27% 9.22 IB2 Sfinal 19 ppm.

The extremely low levels of chrome and manganese oxides in the slag prove that the reduction procedure has been carried out properly.

The final treatment phase, after decarburization and reduction under vacuum conditions, is performed at atmospheric conditions with the tank cover closed to avoid contact of the steel with the air and subsequent nitrogen/hydrogen/oxygen pick up.

The grade produced during the test required the final addition of ferro titanium and modification of inclusions with the addition of CaSi wire. This part of the treatment is challenging in terms of the proper timing of the addition relative to the starts of the casting sequences.

A proper time management allows up to three heats performed in sequence. This melt shop layout also had to take into account the logistical problem of feeding four different casting machines and a long battery of secondary metallurgy equipment such as ladle furnaces, VOD and RH units. Seven cranes serve the casting facilities.

The final goal of this VOD process stage is to reduce the total treatment time of more than 90 minutes to a reasonable treatment time for the casting facility. The treatment time is heavily influenced by the steel grade to be

Cumulative

››› STEELMAKING

Frequency

58

deS rate Desulphurization rate after VOD treatment, 409L/443 grades (results of 89 heats tested)

produced. High chromium level grades like AISI 443 (21% Cr) require higher decarburization efficiency than AISI 409 (Cr level of 11%). Consequently, longer oxygen blowing phases are required. The twin tank solution, in combination with all the other major solutions (plant and process design) previously discussed in this paper, contributes to reducing by one third the total treatment time. The net treatment time is counted as pump occupation for the single treatment. After the reduction phase, the second ladle treatment starts, while the first is being completed at ambient pressure.

VOD equipment maintenance A steam ejector pump combined with a filter system reduces the dust amount entering the steam ejectors.

The filter is not used during the deep vacuum phase. The filter design works at max 130°C, allowing the use of normal textile sleeves and a life time of thousands heats. Tank cleaning performed with a vacuum cleaner makes the process fast and safe.

Conclusion The vacuum technology remains to be one of the major focuses for steel quality improvements. Continuous feedback and meetings with steelmakers aim at improving the quality and plant efficiency of existing facilities and new installations. The production of ferritic grades is a major requirement for many plants installing a typical AOD line for the production of stainless steel. The VOD process is the answer to reducing carbon and nitrogen levels and expanding the portfolio of steel grades. Proper plant engineering and plant start-up results are the key challenge in complying with the requests of the steelmakers.

The plant results shown in this article are an excellent example of the performance of state-of-the-art VOD technology. These results are taken as a basis for future plant development and new solution finding to meet the requirements of the future.

Recent VOD plant start-ups, like the 50 t facility at Voestalpine, are expected to prove the success of the implemented plant improvements. PC modelling and analysis equipment are essential assets for further developments.

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Individual solutions – without limits

The teams of JSPL and SMS Siemag in front of the EAF (photo by courtesy of SMS Siemag)

EAF meltshop and slab production commissioned at JSPL Angul, India The electric steelmaking plant with DRI hot charging system was successfully put into operation. Also the continuous slab caster commenced operation.

Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL), part of the Jindal Group, is one of the largest steel manufacturing companies in India. The company has an installed capacity of more than six million tons of steel per year. Products comprise billets, blooms, rounds, plates, coils and rails. JSPL operates several steel mills in India, i.e. at Raigarh in Chhattisgarh

SMS Siemag AG, DĂźsseldorf, Germany Contact: www.sms-siemag.com Siemens AG, Industry Sector, Metals Technologies Business Unit, Linz, Austria Contact: www.siemens.com/metals

MPT International 2 / 2014

state, at Patratu, Jharkhand state, and at Angul, Odisha state.

Expanding its reach in the domestic market, JSPL has gone ahead to make considerable investments in various parts of Odisha. In the first phase, the company is setting up an integrated steelworks in Angul to produce around six million tons of steel per year. The DRI-BF-EAF route technology has been adopted into steel production here.

The major facilities at the site include sinter plant, pellet plant, coal washery, coke oven & by-product plant, coal gasification plant, DRI plant, blast furnace, steel meltshop, slab caster, plate mill, hot strip mill, oxygen plant, lime & dolomite plant and also a power

plant. The 1.2 million t/year plate mill and an 810 MW captive power plant were already commissioned.

EAF steelmaking plant went on stream successfully On 7 August 2013, the birthday of Shri Om Prakash Jindal, founder chairman of the Jindal Group, the electric steelmaking plant was successfully commissioned. The steelmaking facilities are designed for an annual production of around 2.5 million tons of liquid steel. It processes hot direct reduced iron (DRI) and hot metal as well.

Hot DRI discharged from the shaft furnace at a temperature of about

New ladle furnace at JSPL Angul site (photo by courtesy of SMS Siemag)

600°C is directly fed continuously to the EAF via a special charging system.

The hot DRI exploits the thermal energy from the reduction process while improving the energy efficiency of the downstream melting process.

SMS Siemag’s scope of supply comprises a powerful 250-t ARCCESS® EAF with a 200-MVA transformer, also the additive supply system and a 250-t ladle furnace. The electric arc furnaces of the ARCCESS® series are optimized for highly efficient use of electrical energy and usually fitted with oxygen injection and oxygen lance technology.

The electric steelmaking plant has been completely equipped with XPact® electrical and automation systems including the technological process models (level 2). The plant comes with a gas cleaning system, ensuring compliance with high environmental standards.

Slab production focusing on wide strip and tube grades Also, a single-strand continuous casting machine from Siemens Metals Technologies commenced operation in August 2013. The caster has a designed annual capacity of 1.5 million tons

of slabs. It produces a broad range of grades that extends from ultra-low-carbon (ULC) to high-carbon (HC) steels and also encompasses microalloyed and low-alloy steel grades. One focus is on production of primary material for sheet metal and tube grades on a wide strip mill also supplied by Siemens.

The caster is equipped with a straight mould and has a machine radius of 10 m. Slabs will be cast at thicknesses of 200, 260 and 300 mm and in widths from 1,000 to 2,300 mm. Cut-slab lengths will range from 4.5 to 12 m.

Siemens was responsible for the design of the overall slab plant and its mechanical equipment, for monitoring installation and commissioning and also for training the JSPL personnel. The scope of delivery also comprises the complete process equipment. This includes essential parts of the casting platform, the mould and oscillator, the strand-guiding system and discharge facilities in addition to the torch-cutting machine, deburrer, marker, roll-gap checker and pusher/ piler. Electrics, hardware and software for level 1 automation and level 2 process optimization as well as hydraulic, lubrication and cooling systems were also included in the project.

A wide range of technological packages and special equipment items have been installed in the caster to ensure high machine performance, operational flexibility and product quality. Beginning with the machine head, the “LevCon” system provides automatic and precise mould-level control. “Mold Expert” serves the purpose of early break-out protection. The socalled “Smart Mold” in combination with “DynaWidth” technology, enables the narrow sides of the mould to be hydraulically moved, which allows slab width adjustments to be carried out during casting. On-line adjustment of the mould-oscillation parameters for improved strand-surface quality is made possible with the “DynaFlex” oscillator.

“I-Star” rollers installed throughout the strand-guiding system provide strand-shell support for minimized strand bulging. An integrated quality management system further contributes to the consistent production of high-quality slabs. “Dynacs”, a level 2 secondary cooling model, calculates the strand temperature profile and the required cooling water quantities for any position along the strand.

High internal strand quality will be assured with the installation of “Smart Segments” and the application of “DynaGap” soft reduction in the horizontal zone of the caster. On the basis of the “Dynacs”-calculated point of final strand solidification, the roller-gap settings will be automatically controlled to minimize centerline segregation.

Outlook The integrated steel plant at Angul will be completed step-by-step. In phase I, the annual production will reach 3.8 million t of high quality steel. JSPL has contracted SMS Siemag for the delivery of a BOF converter shop including a secondary metallurgy centre and comprehensive environmental technology.

SMS Siemag’s scope of supply will comprise two 250-t BOF converters and three ladle furnaces, also the enMPT International 2 / 2014

62

â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş COMPANY PROFILE

tire electrical and automation systems, including the technological process models (level 2). SMS Elex, Germany, will supply the primary gas cleaning system, which will include a gas conditioning system and a dry-type electrostatic precipitator. This will be the first time ever that this modern process gas cleaning technology is used at a steel plant in India.

SMS Mevac UK will supply a twin hot metal desulphurization plant and a RH vacuum degasser (RH: RuhrstahlHeraeus process). Thus, the steel plant will cover a broad range of products â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from high-grade ultralow carbon steel, API grades (X70) through to non-grainoriented electrical grades.

In phase II, the converter shop is to be upgraded by a third BOF converter and further secondary metallurgy equipment. During the second phase of the investment project, JSPL aims to expand the production capacity of the Angul site by another 6.5 million t of steel per year. JSPL is also setting up a 4.5 million t/year iron ore pellet plant, with wet grinding process and

I-Star rollers are installed throughout the strand-guiding system at the slab caster (photo by courtesy of Siemens)

superior quality for steel making. JSPL is very much concerned about the impact on environment and has therefore

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STEC-ROLL® with revolver bore

New strand supporting roll technology to provide astonishing beneƂts ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt has decided for a sophisticated technology of strand supporting rolls. It will be implemented to upgrade the Ƃrst strand of a 2-strand continuous slab caster. The rolls will optimize the casting process and set new standards for efƂcient maintenance.

ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany, will implement STEC-ROLL® technology for optimizing the casting process. The rolls developed by SMS Siemag will be installed in four segments of the straightening zone where long service lives are immensely important to ensure the production of high-quality slabs. The new rolls are said to be superior to the other systems currently available on the

SMS Siemag AG, Düsseldorf, Germany Contact www.sms-siemag.com E-mail: communications@sms-group.com

MPT International 2 / 2014

market and ensure high service lives and simplified installation and dismantling.

The STEC-ROLL® technology underwent a long-term test running over a period of 24 months at ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt, during which the rolls provided impressive results. Axel Schulz, mechanical maintenance specialist at the steelworks of ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt commented: “We are utterly convinced of the rolls, due to their long service lives, the reliable design and the incredibly easy and quick assembly and disassembly. What is more, it is possible to reuse the rolls.

Rolls of the STEC-ROLL® design bring us a lot of positive changes.”

Designed for easy maintenance The STEC-ROLL® optimally supports the strand thanks to its minimal bearing window width. All roll bodies are mechanically interlinked, also in the case of narrow slab formats. SMS Siemag has developed various cooling concepts for the new technology.

Thanks to the easy-to-maintain design, a roll line can be dismantled in less than 60 minutes and installed in less than two hours. There is no need for special tools. In combination with the ability of the rollers to be re-used several times, this helps to significantly reduce the maintenance costs.

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View at slab caster No. 4 at Salzgitter Flachstahl

Design and construction of the new slab caster at Salzgitter Flachstahl, Germany The slab caster, commissioned in 2010, produces sophisticated microalloyed steel grades, heavy-plate grades and sour-gas-resistant pipe and tube grades according to API-5L and HIC standard. Designed as a bow-type machine, it has a metallurgical length of 34.4 m. The single-strand caster produces slabs in widths ranging from 1,100 to 2,600 mm and in thicknesses of 250 and 350 mm. It is currently Europe’s largest continuously cast size on a non-vertical slab caster.

The integrated iron and steel works Salzgitter Flachstahl (SZFG) is the largest steelmaking company of the Salzgitter group. The company provides high-qual-

Markus Schäperkötter, Peter Müller, Steffen Roßius, Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH, Salzgitter, Germany; Christian Geerkens, Martin Becker, Ulrich Kerp, SMS Siemag AG, Düsseldorf, Germany Contact: www.sms-siemag.com E-mail: communications@sms-siemag.com

MPT International 2 / 2014

ity flat steel products to automobile manufacturers and their suppliers, standard tube and large-diameter tube manufacturers, cold rollers and the construction industry. Among others, the product line includes deep-drawing and special deepdrawing steels, structural and fine-grain as well as high and ultra-high strength steels, especially also for the production of heavy plates, pipes and tubes.

The continuous slab caster No. 4 was commissioned in 2010. To be able to also cast steel grades with critical crack susceptibility, the caster was de-

signed as a bow-type caster with a constant radius of 11.5 m. This design minimizes the stresses in the strand shell and reduces the risk of cracking due to the absence of a bending segment and due to higher straightening temperatures at the same casting speed compared to a vertical bending caster. Important technological highlights of this new plant are: sophisticated secondary cooling, automatic thickness adjustment for rapid change over, intelligent slab casting modules.

CONTINUOUS CASTING Spring-guided resonance oscillation system Precise oscillation results in a better surface finish. For this, the mould must prevent the newly formed strand shell from sticking to the mould wall.

This happens through a higher downward speed of the mould than that of the strand under compressive stress, requiring a highly dynamic control in terms of sampling time (1 ms) and control algorithms.

The SMS Siemag resonance oscillation system combines two special features: leaf-spring suspension for precision guidance and load compensation of the oscillation mass, hydraulic drive for dynamic control of oscillation stroke, frequency and wave form.

The oscillation module consists of a stationary steel base frame and an oscillating mould support frame utilized for mounting the compact mould.

The two frames are connected via leaf spring assemblies on the outboard sides of the mould. The oscillation module eliminates traditional rotational movements, replaced instead with the elastic movements of the leaf springs. When compared to the traditional oscillation guides, the leaf springs are practically wear free.

The other important aspect of the oscillation module is the hydraulic drive system. Both hydraulic cylinders are directly controlled via fast working proportional valves equipped with individual integrated position encoders.

The output signals are continuously compared; any deviation from the synchronized movement of the cylinders is automatically detected and corrected, if required.

The hydraulic oscillation module provides full flexibility with dynamic control of stroke, frequency and waveform. Since the mould is the primary factor influencing surface quality, the ability to oscillate the mould with precise control results in improved slab quality.

All maintenance intensive parts associated with a conventional mechanical drive and even certain hydraulic drive systems (rotating bearings, gearboxes, eccentric shafts, etc.) are no longer used in the oscillation module. The guiding accuracy improved ten-fold versus conventional

designs resulting in an improved surface quality.

Width adjustment during casting To improve the flexibility of production, a slab width adjustment system was implemented. During casting, the narrow-face taper can be adjusted in relation to casting speed, steel grade, casting temperature and section width. Special width-change strategies are employed for safe width variation and to minimize yield losses. No reduction of the casting speed

‹‹‹

67

and casting-flux inclusions. To prevent such quality-reducing influences, SMS Siemag developed its own concept of technological algorithms for mould level control. To improve the accuracy of control and to raise the level of interference resistance, the mould level is detected by two different measuring systems. The start of casting is realized by radiometric measurement. As soon as the mould level is constant, the operation is changed over to an eddy-current measurement. The change-over from the radiometric to the eddy-current system is made either automatically or by manual preselection.

Schematic illustrations of the Cyberlink® segment

is required. High adjustment speeds allow large width variations with short wedge lengths.

Mould level control A high-quality surface finish of the slab requires a stable mould level. Major fluctuations of the mould level increase the likelihood of surface defects

Breakout prediction and mould heat ƃux visualization The measurement of the heat flux in the mould and its three-dimensional mapping have turned out to be extremely useful tools. To measure the temperature distribution in the mould, thermocouples are installed in the mould. Mapping of the heat flux makes it possible to have a close look at operMPT International 2 / 2014

68

››› CONTINUOUS CASTING

ations inside the mould and to predict an imminent breakout at an early stage.

At the same time, these measurements supply important information for further development of steel grades and casting fluxes.

Strand guide system and segment design The strand guide system features position-controlled segments in the bow and horizontal area for fast thickness changes and dynamic strand taper adjustment. Special segments (Cyberlink®) in the horizontal section perform the essential dynamic soft reduction. A special roller design ensures sufficient roller cooling even when dry casting is applied. The Cyberlink® segments are characterized by special mechanical and process features. The top frame is guided by angular cyber links, thereby eliminating the conventional side frame. This top frame guiding system ensures selfcentering of the top frame on the strand.

High roller loads prevail during both straightening the 350-mm-thick slab as well as deforming the fully solidified slab edges during soft reduction.

To achieve long life of the bearing, segments Nos. 0 to 4 have double split rollers, i.e. three roller bodies. Segments Nos. 4 to 14 are equipped with triple

Self-centring top frame

split rollers, i.e. four roller bodies. In addition to reducing the bearing load, this roller concept results in a reduced roller deflection, which contributes to additional stiffening of the segments.

This leads to an effective implementation of the soft reduction rates.

The low amount of spray water influences the roller surface temperature. For this reason the roller bodies are designed as special shell rollers, which are an inhouse development by Salzgitter Flachstahl. Roller wear is reduced and the service life of the rollers highly extended.

Position control of the segments Nos.1 to 14 allows not only a troublefree and quick change of the section thickness (gap), but also the dynamic adaptation of the strand guide taper to different steel grades and cooling conditions. This so-called dynamic segment gap control, which takes into account the current shrinkage conditions, ensures the optimal support of the strand also in the bow section of the strand guide system.

Especially where steel grades susceptible to cracks are cast, it is important that the segment transitions, which mean the exit roll gap from one seg-

ment to the entry roll gap of the next segment, are free from abrupt changes.

This is ensured by the segment gauge control which is a sub-model of the technological control system of the hydraulic segment adjustment. Based on the workshop-preset size of the last roll gap of the bolted-down segment No. 0, the positions of the entry and exit cylinders of the downstream segments Nos. 1 to 14 are set as a function of size and load such that no steps or abrupt changes arise in the segment transitions.

A position-controlled hydraulic segment adjustment including force measurement has advantages with respect to the product quality. In addition, the monitoring of forces warrants an optimum protection of the caster segments.

In extraordinary situations – such as the closing of segments during the transfer from dummy bar to hot strand, composite casting or tail-out – peak loads may arise at individual rollers. For these different operating conditions, sizedependent maximum force values are stored in the form of a data set for each segment, separately in each case for the entry and exit cylinders. Upon reaching the maximum force on one adjusting cylinder, the top frame of the segment concerned recedes for a short time, so that

Surface temperature and ductility for two temperature curves: conventional cooling curve

Surface temperature and ductility for two temperature curves: improved cooling curve

Segment adjustment and gauge control

Section of a 350-mm-thick slab (APIX80 NbTiNMo, slab width: 2,131 mm) MPT International 2 / 2014

CONTINUOUS CASTING

Determination of solidiĆ&#x201A;cation point The mechanical and dynamic properties of the strand change with the position of the solidification point. All CyberlinkÂŽ segments feature special detection of the solidification point. Oscillation with an amplitude of around 0.3 mm is performed, either with the entire top frame, or just with the driven roll lifting beam. Using the phase shifting of the cylinder force and position, the hysteresis area of the oscillation movement can be calculated. The solidification point can be determined by the size and shape of the hysteresis area.

Cooling concept The quality of the slab depends to a large degree on the solidification process and thus on the cooling system.

The spray nozzle system for secondary cooling must satisfy high standards.

Soft grades are cast at higher speeds, requiring higher water admission rates. In contrast, crack-critical hard grades are cast at lower speeds and consequently require very low water admission rates.

The entire strand guide system is divided into 19 spraying zones. In addition, spraying zones Nos. 3 to 13 are each divided into three control circuits over the casting width, so as to be able to optimally cover the large width range from 1,100 mm to 2,600 mm.

For segment No. 0, the fixed and loose sides are combined to form one control loop, while for the remaining segments the outer and inner arc faces of the strand are each equipped with separate control loops to ensure uniform cooling of the slab top and bottom faces.

The spraying zones of segments No. 0 to 8 are designed as an air-mist cooling system. The spraying zones of segments Nos. 9 to 14 are designed as a pure water cooling system. However, for very crack sensitive steel grades dry casting is performed as a standard operating practise, starting already in the upper bow

area. The admission of water is in each case controlled by the cooling model.

Dynamic solidiĆ&#x201A;cation control Continuous caster No. 4 is equipped with the dynamic solidification control (DSCÂŽ) cooling model. It ensures a defined uniform temperature distribution of the strand guide system even under transient casting conditions. The technological process model runs online as 3D model and may be used offline as an engineering tool. The most important functions of the DSCÂŽ include: calculation of strand temperature and strand shell thickness, calculation of solidification point and solid fraction, presetting of setpoints for soft reduction, online tuning against measured strand surface temperature, control of water flow rates for each cooling zone to attain a specified strand surface temperature, calculation of maximum admissible casting speed, tracking of current position of a change of steel grade.

A new function of the DSCÂŽ is the mapping of the temperature isothermals of the wide and narrow faces and mapping of the ductility isolines. Whereas the edge areas are usually colder than the slab centre, continuous caster No. 4 therefore has a controlled edge temperature increase.

Production results Since start up in 2010, slab caster No. 4 has been producing around 1 million t of demanding micro-alloyed and crack-sensitive steel slabs per year, mainly high and ultra-high-strength grades such as C45Cr, 16-18MnCr5, 42CrMo4, APIGrade50 (Nb, Ti), APIX60-75 (Nb, V), APIX80 (Nb, Ti, N, Mo). Around 35% of the total production are slabs of 350 mm thickness. As for sourgas-resistant grades, a rate of 86% primequality slabs was achieved. All HIC tests on these high-quality slabs were found to be free from defects.

Plate failures for slab thickness 250 mm decreased from 1.9% (in 2009, before start of the caster) to 1.0% in 2013 (produced only by slab caster No. 4). The very good product quality for both thicknesses is also confirmed by the numerous examinations of the internal quality of the slabs produced.

69

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the admissible maximum force is never exceeded. Once the special load in the segment has disappeared, the top frame returns to the preset position. This maximum-force monitoring feature guarantees the best possible protection of the roller bearings and extends the service life of the roller and segments.

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MPT International 2 / 2014

70

››› CONTINUOUS CASTING

High-end rail production at Evraz Novokuznetsk works, Siberia In November 2012, Danieli revamped the continuous caster No. 2 at Evraz ZSMK in Novokuznetsk, Russia. Since then the productivity of the plant has increased to 140 t/h.

At the same time, the internal quality for a wide production mix, including rail steel, has signiƂcantly improved. One of the main technological packages that has made such performances possible – also during ƃying tundish operation – is the mechanical soft reduction system.

Evraz Consolidated West-Siberian Metallurgical Plant (Evraz ZSMK) is the easternmost steel producer in Russia –

Luigi Morsut, Marco Rinaldi, Alberto Urbano, Danieli CentroMet; Marco Lena, Danieli Automation, Buttrio, Italy Contact: www.danieli.com E-mail: info@danieli.com

and the largest in the Siberian region.

In 2012, consolidated Evraz ZSMK produced 7.3 million t of crude steel and 6.3 million t of rolled products.

In terms of production levels, it ranks among the five biggest steel companies in Russia and the top-five global rail manufacturers.

As of 1 July 2011, joint stock company Evraz Consolidated West-Siberian Metallurgical Plant combined the former

ZSMK and NTMK works. Consolidated Evraz ZSMK comprises a “construction mill” and a “rail mill” situated at two sites in Novokuznetsk (Kemerovo region).

What is called the “construction mill”, or site No. 1, comprises an integrated iron and steel works covering an area of 3,000 hectares. The output of site No. 1 consists mainly of commodity long products from plain low-

Top view at the work side of the caster

CONTINUOUS CASTING alloyed steel grades (rebar, rod etc.), structural steel (equal angles, beams, channels etc.) and continuously cast and hot rolled slabs and billets.

This article deals with the “rail mill”, the second site in Novokuznetsk, which is one of the largest manufacturers of a complete range of rails for the Russian and international markets. Railway, tramway and underground rails are manufactured here. The site comprises an EAF melt shop with two continuous casters, a rail and beam shop, and a long products mill. Production of new rail types – including heavy-duty and high-speed rails – started in recent years, and performance tests have proved a quality competitive with international benchmarks. The facility applies a unique defect detection technology including a three-stage inspection to ensure maximum compliance of the rails with international quality standards.

In 2009, Evraz started a large-scale upgrade of the rail and beam shop, and in October 2010, upon completion of the first modernization stage, the plant became the first Russian manufacturer to produce 25 m railway rails in very high quality. In November 2013, Evraz was granted a compliance certificate for the 100 m head-hardened rails allowing the company to launch mass production in this market.

The continuous caster is equipped with a liftable ladle turret. Tundish capacity is 31 t and the working level is 900 mm. The tundish design has been optimized based on a CFD study, which – for the configuration chosen – showed that the maximum temperature difference between two strands is below 2°C, thus ensuring that the solidification and microstructure do not significantly vary between the strands. Moreover, liquid steel velocity at the meniscus is well below the slag entrapment speed (0.25 m/s), thus ensuring low total oxygen. The flow of liquid steel through the tundish to the mould is controlled by a hydraulically actuated slide gate system.

A submerged entry nozzle (SEN) avoids reoxidation of the liquid steel, allowing for the possibility of performing flying tundish practice.

The curved mould is 780 mm long, with parabolic taper, large corner radius and CuCrZr plates, making for only very small mould deformation and constant operative taper throughout the lifetime of the copper pipe. The steel level in the mould is measured by a conventional radioactive system and powder is automatically fed into mould, providing the preconditions for a ‘zero operator’ casting floor. A hydraulic oscillating table guarantees

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71

tight control of the mould movement and, as a consequence, a good quality of the cast product and high stability of the casting process.

The mould is equipped with a micro-electromagnetic stirring system (Danieli Rotelec MEMS), ensuring the absence of white band (extremely critical for quenched rail steel) and of any influence on the mould level. It also ensures a fine grained structure at the bloom core and an equiaxial zone higher than 45% for high-C grades.

A statistical analysis of the equiaxial zone showed that the C content and the mould heat flux have a major influence, while there is no correlation with superheating, proving its effectiveness.

A key issue for the surface quality of the high-C grades is corner cracking, which has never been experienced due to a tailor-made solution in terms of corner radius and secondary cooling technology (air mist cooling), the flow rate and arrangement, all of which allowed relatively hot corners.

Mechanical soft reduction The mechanical soft reduction (MSR) unit is arranged in the bottom part of the plant. Actually, it is composed of seven MSR units for each strand and its

Modernization of the continuous rail caster No. 2 In November 2012, the continuous caster No. 2 was revamped by Danieli.

Before the revamp, Evraz ZSMK had been casting 300 mm x 340 mm rail steel sections on two strands and with a radius of 12 m. Maximum production then was 105 t/h. The aim of the revamping project was to increase the plant productivity and improve the product quality.

The ladle capacity is 115 t with a 750 mm nominal freeboard. All the heats can be sent through a single-tank VD plant (with steam ejector pumps supplied by Danieli & C in 2006), thus properly controlling slag/steel equilibrium, as well as nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen contents. The availability of VD treatment is compulsory for this caster, since oxygen and hydrogen requirements for rail steel are very strict (lower than 40 and 2.0 ppm respectively).

Tundish CFD temperature and surface velocity distributions MPT International 2 / 2014

››› CONTINUOUS CASTING

MPT International 2 / 2014

100

Equiaxial zone, %

80 60 40 20 0 0

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Superheat, °C Equiaxial zone vs. superheat

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length is about 7 m. Every pinch roll consists of a frame with one top and one bottom roll of 500 mm diameter and with the possibility of positioncontrolled or force-controlled adjustment independently of each other with a maximum force of 130 t. This design has the advantage that it is possible to have a relatively tight roll pitch of approx. 1,200 mm and therefore a high roll concentration in the metallurgical working range of mechanical soft reduction for this bloom size, while still providing good access for maintenance activities. After having been discharged, high-C grade blooms are cooled below covers for slow cooling.

In order to improve MSR efficiency, a new release of the liquid pool control (LpC) system was developed to calculate solidification and fine-tuned on the plant based on an analysis of the position of deliberately generated internal cracks. An additional package was developed capable of dynamically managing forces and displacements (LpCL), during both steady and transient states, like flying tundish operation.

To understand the actual solidification, several issues were addressed [1]: use of solid fraction – temperature curve based on the regression of theoretical curves obtained from IDS, revised thermal properties for the whole range of steel grades, mesh refinement, use of real mould heat flux measurement, bloom losses after pyrometer measurements, revised formulas for liquidus calculation in order to consider the real superheat for each heat.

As a result, heats have been simulated, obtaining results in agreement with pyrometer measurements and crack positions in the macro segregations, assuming that cracks are generated in the LIT-ZDT range [2], and that their formation depends not only on the solidification interval, but also on the segregating elements [3].

The availability of an on-line solidification model allows only to monitor solidification, but not to manage MSR. Therefore, LpCL, an additional software to manage displacement and forces, was developed. LpCL calculates the displacement and forces at the work side modules (operator can choose be-

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72

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tween position or force mode) with the following aims: minimum risk of crack formation due to work side forces,

effective MSR not only during steady state casting but also during transients, like first and last blooms or flying tundish operation.

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››› CONTINUOUS CASTING

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Production results All rail steel heats with superheat below 35°C were produced after two weeks from the first heat following the revamp. The achieved internal quality results are impressive in terms of dis-

Blooms discharged to the slow cooling pit MPT International 2 / 2014

tribution of porosity and segregation and in line with the Russian standard OST 14-1-235-91. After start-up, at the request of the rolling mill (customer), hard reduction was coupled with soft reduction to keep the bloom thick-

ness constant independently of the steel grade and casting speed. This solution provided good results in terms of bloom thickness/weight steadiness, slightly improving internal quality.

A challenging issue of this project was to perform mechanical soft reduction during flying tundish operation, with minimized losses. In this case, the MSR system reacts to the bloom cooling. In particular at bloom restarting, the work side force at unit No. 2 abruptly increases due to the shortening of the crater end position, while the work side force at unit No. 6, which is used in the hard reduction mode to keep the final thickness constant, increases very slowly. The internal quality is good even for the first bloom after flying tundish cage cut. This can be explained by the fact that the software has been able to dynamically follow the real position of the crater end and the mushy zone.

Before revamping, the maximum casting production for rail steel had been 105 t/h. Today, 140 t/h are

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CONTINUOUS CASTING

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77

After revamp casting production of 140 t per hour has been achieved.

achieved, corresponding to a 25% increase in maximum productivity. At the same time, the internal quality has improved, mainly in terms of centre porosity which – after optimizing the hard reduction practice – is typically below grade 2.

Conclusion Following the successful revamp in November 2012, the continuous caster No. 2. at Evraz ZSMK Novokuznetsk rolling mill reached a 25% increase in productivity (140 t/hour) with significantly improved internal quality for a wide production mix, mainly rail

steel (vacuum treated). Coupling micro-electromagnetic stirring (MEMS) with mechanical soft and hard reduction – with the latter being performed with advanced mechanical and software solutions – achieved a fine microstructure and low centre porosity also during transient operations. The caster was equipped with state-of-art automation solutions from Danieli Automation, including automatic continuous tundish temperature measurement, mould powder feeding, secondary cooling, automatically managed MSR, providing the preconditions to implement the zero operator philosophy.

References [1] L. Guazzelli, A. Mukhopadhyay, M. Ometto, Danieli Automation LPCS Liquid Pool Control System to improve quality of continuosly cast slabs, Danieli Technology Book 2010, pp. 254 - 259 [2] Y.M. Won, B.G. Thomas, Simple model of microsegregation during solidification of steels, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol 32A, July 2001, pp. 1755 - 1767 [3] A. Yamanaka, K. Okamura, S. Kumaura, T. Kanazawa, A. Tamura, New design to prevent internal cracking in continuous casting, 3rd European conference proceedings, Madrid, Spain, October 1998, pp. 415 - 424 MPT International 2 / 2014

LASER MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS ■ Profile

Straightness ■ Diameter ■ Ovality ■ Tube End Inspection ■

www.LAP- LASER.com

Compact strip production (CSP) in Gallatin County, Kentucky started in 1995

A common language for all data Gallatin Steel is using the quality execution system from QuinLogic to make coil grading decisions by way of an automated process. Since the installation of the system, it has unveiled countless instances of customer-speciƂc requirements that could have been overlooked without it and that could thus be corrected prior to shipping the coils. The system is currently releasing 75% of all rolled coils automatically which require no further follow-up.

Gallatin Steel in Ghent, Kentucky, USA, is a minimill with an annual hot strip output of approximately 1.6 million tons. Production route mainly comprises an EAF meltshop with ladle metallurgy facility and a CSP thin-slab casting and rolling plant. The company is a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Gerdau Ameristeel. It has a total staff of 450 people.

To support the coil grading process, Gallatin had been using an in-housedeveloped solution based on a level 2 database. Quality assurance staff had

Vance Kendrick, Jake McClure, Gallatin Steel Company, Ghent, Kentucky, USA; Helga Evers, QuinLogic GmbH, Aachen, Germany Contact: www.gallatinsteel.com www.quinlogic.de E-mail: info@quinlogic.de

MPT International 2 / 2014

used the program to evaluate production values and order data and decide, based on this evaluation, whether to ship, block or re-grade a coil. These decisions had been very much influenced by the skills and experience of the individual operator and, consequently, had sometimes variations based on subjective judgement.

In addition, the IT landscape at Gallatin Steel had historically grown over the years and become heterogeneous. Numerous data, which would have been highly important for the assessment of the coil quality – including data generated by a new surface inspection system – was not always accessible for the grading decision.

The target: automated grading decision for 90% of production As part of a major quality assurance initiative, the management of Gallatin

Steel was looking for a solution that would make it possible to exploit the existing quality data – yet stored in different systems – in order to make coil grading more transparent and objective, and less time consuming. This would assure that only coils of optimal quality would be shipped.

The objective was to reduce the effort associated with coil grading and dispositioning by 50 percent. Gallatin’s long-term target is to have 90 percent of all coil grading decisions to be automated by a software supported grading process.

Another relevant aspect was to make better use of highly qualified and highly experienced quality engineers, allowing them to concentrate on genuine quality assurance tasks, namely improving quality consistently and reliably and taking care of those cases which still need human eyes and interaction for an improved judgement.

QUALITY ASSURANCE The project: all data into one system Two stages in the production flow were considered most appropriate as coil dispositioning points: the discharge area of the continuous caster and the exit of the hot strip mill. Behind the caster, the decision has to be taken as to what to do with the heat. Behind the hot strip mill, it has to be decided what will be done with the coil.

In their search for a solution, Gallatin turned to QuinLogic because the quality execution system (QES) offered by the German company exactly fit the requirements, namely bringing together all relevant existing data and making quality grading fully transparent. Also user friendliness was a convincing factor in favor of this system as it allows even complex information to be input and modified with ease.

Gallatin placed the order in 2012.

QuinLogic supplied a QES quality execution system incorporating the components LogicDesigner, QualityMonitor and WebReporting. No special adjustments were required because QES had been specifically designed for use in the metals industry from the layout with numerous default settings relevant for casting and rolling processes already in place.

QES captures data along the entire production chain, from melting all the way through to the shipment of the finished coil. It took QuinLogic only six weeks from receiving the order to installing the software and establishing all links to the various data bases. In January 2013, Gallatin Steel integrated an additional, new Cognex surface inspection system at the hot rolling mill as a replacement of an old inspection system. Connecting the data of the new system to QuinLogic was set up in less than a week.

The basic element of the QES software is the “Metals Object Model” (MOM), which, for each individual strip, merges all data from sources as diverse as ERP, process control and material tracking systems as well as from various databases. In doing so, it merges all quality data for product width, thickness, flatness, profile, temperature, surface quality, etc. and relates them to the respective positions along the length of the product. For the first time, this offers the possibility of synchronizing and using data

from different origins and of different formats, which is a basic requirement for any kind of useful calculations and correlations.

Gallatin uses three of QuinLogic’s software modules: the LogicDesigner, developed for the quality engineer to quickly and conveniently define, add and modify rules, and the QualityMonitor, which applies the rules to the current coil in the line, calculates a quality grade and submits this calculation as a proposal to the production staff. The WebReporting module makes quality information and evaluations available across the entire organization – broken down according to criteria such as steel grades, production plants or position of a defect on the strip.

‹‹‹

79

ber of slivers occur, every coil for which the surface inspection system reports slivers above a certain number is automatically downgraded without further visual inspection. The QES thus avoids unnecessary effort for sending the coil to the inspection line.

It is also possible to combine several rules. A set of rules could read as follows: “If there are more than two heavy scratches on a coil and 0.2 percent of the surface area features light scratches, or if there is no heavy scratch on a coil but more than 100 square meters feature light scratches, the coil must not be shipped to a certain customer who would use the strip for an alternative application or order.”

Gallatin’s customers have – like any steel producer’s customers – different

For simulations with the LogicDesigner Hot Mill, the rule thresholds can be shifted by virtual sliders

DeƂning rules in a simple way QES is based on rules according to which the software develops its coil grading decisions such as “prime”, “secondary”, “downgrade”, “scrap”, “verify”, or “damaged”. QuinLogic developed a simple, user-friendly tool for entering and updating the rules – the LogicDesigner. An example is “block all strips with edge cracks of more than ## depth”. To define limits between the operator sets the thresholds for the individual criteria via virtual sliders on the screen. For example, for defining the distances at the strip head and tail ends over which surface defects are to be neglected, he would simply have to shift the virtual sliders accordingly.

Another example of a rule applied at Gallatin Steel is downgrading of coils at the start of a sequence: On the first bar, where typically an increased num-

wants and needs; trying to memorize all that by one person is impossible.

Therefore QES allows the grading criteria to be refined as desired and adapted to Gallatin’s individual end-customer specifications. The quality engineers can create rules based on individual customer specifications that are automatically executed and do not have to be recalled from somebody’s memory.

LogicDesigner automatically generates the hierarchical steps according to which the rules are to be activated. The selected criteria for the rules and the respective threshold vary from application and use case but also from customer to customer.

To guarantee that the rules properly reflect the decisions taken at the line, Gallatin uses the simulation function.

It provides the possibility of testing the new rules on historical data before reMPT International 2 / 2014

80

››› QUALITY ASSURANCE

leasing them to the actual production process. The results of this simulation are graphically displayed as red and green bars. Hence, it is possible to see at a glance whether the new rules correspond to previous coil grading results.

This is particularly important in the case of fuzzy data, as for example provided by surface inspection systems.

Through the simulations, Gallatin has also gained comprehensive knowledge as to how the changing of different kinds of thresholds would affect the yield.

QualityMonitor screen shot

Automatic coil grading QualityMonitor evaluates the information acquired from the production process and, if applicable, triggers the automatic blocking of coils and decisions as to what to do with the coils. The software documents the results for each coil and each process step. Gallatin can retrieve and view data of every coil complete with all its stored values. The data is presented in the form of scales, which also show the quality decisions as “prime”, “secondary”, “downgrade”, “scrap”, “verify”, or “damaged”, allowing easy assessment of the value relative to the preset thresholds. QES produces a certificate for each coil, summarizing the key quality data.

The WebReporting tool also provides employees not working directly with QES access to the data via the intra or internet. This is extremely useful for the management and the sales department. Through this feature, they are not only able to view the data of each coil within a context and associated with the coil length but also have the possibility of retrieving statistical data. Currently, 25 people have access to the WebReporting tool.

First operational experience At Gallatin, two employees from the Process Technology department with previous coil grading experience are in charge of defining and updating the rules. They specify the strip quality in close collaboration with the responsible customer field representatives. The first rules were defined by entering the customer specifications for the basic parameters such as “thickness” and “thickness tolerances”. As the next MPT International 2 / 2014

With WebReporting all data of all coils are available at any time

step, the existing in-plant rules were entered. The first round of rule setting was completed after 14 days.

It took the system only three months to operate so reliably that none of the coils classified as “prime” had to be reviewed. This applies to fifty percent of the coils. Consequently, the quality assurance staff has already been relieved from one major task because in the past every coil had to be checked by a human inspector. However, not only the working hours matter but also the elimination of monotonous activities.

Currently, the rules are being further sophisticated with the objective of having an increasing number of the coils

still being checked by humans graded by the automatic system.

The users accepted the system extremely well from the very beginning.

This is owed to the fact that customer-specific rules can be entered and updated in a very user-friendly manner, requiring no programming skills.

A further benefit resulting from this is the independence from IT specialists.

Ever since all data links were in place, the system has been working under the sole responsibility of the quality staff; a welcomed side effect of this being the fact that modifications can be made in just a few minutes without having to involve the IT department.

82

››› QUALITY ASSURANCE Every coil receives an individually EQPƂIWTCDNG EGTVKƂECVG

The quality assurance team also evaluates proposals issued by the QualityMonitor. Hence, the ultimate decision in case of borderline coils continues to be taken by humans.

An example of how customer specifications are taken account of in production concerns the requirement of recoiling coils that have been imperfectly wound. One of Gallatin’s customers uses cones on the lifting fixtures of his cranes. Coils telescoping more than a certain length pose a safety hazard during the transfer by crane.

MPT International 2 / 2014

For this customer, a rule has been defined in the LogicDesigner reading that coils telescoping more than specified have to be recoiled. In general QES is significantly increasing the robustness of the process, and thus supporting the quality driven tactic to get more market share and service to the customers and to ship what they require.

Conclusion QES is a rule-based coil grading system, which combines many years of

knowledge and experience of numerous employees and makes this knowledge available for objective use. QES is currently releasing 75% of all rolled coils automatically which require no further follow-up. Any further manual inspection of these coils has meanwhile been dispensed. Since the installation of the system, it has not only improved the quality assurance process but also a lot of small improvement steps of the production processes were triggered by data generated from the QES. A growing order inflow of Gallatin Steel shows that quality improvements have been positively recognized by the market.

The next planned objective is to automate the coil grading process up to the point where the quality assurance staff will have to visually check or further verify only 10 to 20% of the coils.

Additionally, it is planned to send the results of the grading process live to the operators’ control pulpits as a quality feedback.

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84

››› COLD ROLLING – SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

New technology for surface Ƃnishing on work rolls for ƃat cold rolling mills The new technology has been developed through an intensive R&D activity lasting over two years. The revolutionary concept completely re-deƂnes the state of the art in roll Ƃnishing in terms of methods and operational and maintenance costs. The innovation addresses environmental issues of traditional methods proposed so far and provides dramatic beneƂts in this respect.

Italian Tenova Pomini has long since been a leading supplier of turnkey roll shops, many of which are supplied with high levels of automation.

To this end, Pomini has developed design and manufacturing expertise for both roll shop machines and ancillary equipment.

Many turnkey roll shops for cold rolling applications also include the need for a texturing machine to supply rolls with a dull finish, in addition to the ground finishes. In the past Pomini has been reliant on third party suppliers for either shot blasting or electro-discharge texturing machines which are made a part of the supply package and integrated into the automation system.

Pomini decided to research and develop their own texturing system and design a suitable machine for texturing cold mill work rolls. The available technologies and the users’ needs were researched to select the most suitable technology for further research and development. The in-house design and manufacturing expertise were used to develop a production machine for the process.

Giovanni Boselli, Massimo Cavallari, Ermanno Croci, Paolo Gaboardi, Rick McWhirter, Massimo Perassolo, Claudio Trevisan; Tenova Pomini, Castellanza (VA), Italy Contact: www.tenovagroup.com/ roll_shops.php E-Mail: pomini@tenova.com

MPT International 2 / 2014

Human machine interface Digital texturing Internal Ethernet Fibre optic

Texturing head

Pomini Digital Texturing™ system

Requirements on surface Ƃnish of work rolls Depending on the application, the end user of the strip requires a surface texture featuring a combination of various surface attributes such as a high roughness, “dull” finish and isotropic appearance. This cannot be achieved by a ground work roll finish. Typically, the high roughness is required to improve the performance of the steel sheet in subsequent processing, e.g. for preventing “stickers” during annealing, improving coating adherence during galvanizing or colour coating and improving lubrication retention during forming and drawing. The strip roughness must be maintained to close tolerances over the entire surface to ensure consistent performance and appearance.

Achieving the above attributes on the strip surface requires a roll texture that is not only accurate and consistent but also has low wear characteristics and is able to transfer the texture onto the strip surface.

As the users’ rolling and finishing processes vary greatly, it is necessary to be able to produce a wide range of different textures.

Existing technologies for work roll texturing There are several commercially available methods for texturing work rolls for cold rolling mills. While the individual methods are based on very different processes, they all endeavour to achieve the same basic outcome, namely creating craters and peaks on the surface of the roll.

Shot blast texturing (SBT) is a mechanical process and the oldest among these technologies. It is also widely used in a range of other applications.

SBT is the least complex process and uses a blast medium, impacting on the roll to cause indentations and causing plastic deformation of the metal, which forms the craters and peaks on the roll surface.

Electro discharge texturing (EDT) was developed almost 40 years ago as an adaption of electro discharge machining (EDM). An electrical discharge is used to erode craters into the roll surface. These machines typically use large numbers of electrodes, each requiring specialized electrical circuitry

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86

››› COLD ROLLING – SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

to control the electrical discharge and maintain the small gap between the roll and the electrodes. This technology requires complex electrical hardware and has only been developed by a very limited number of companies.

The pattern of craters produced is very random. The placement of the craters is not controllable. The process requires the use of dielectric oil and generates a not insignificant quantity of waste material.

Laser texturing (LT) uses a laser beam directed onto the roll by a series of mirrors with the beam focused by lenses onto a concentrated spot on the roll surface. A mechanical “chopper” wheel is used to interrupt the laser beam into a series of regular pulses. These focused pulses melt a spot on the surface of the roll and an inert gas is used to blow out the molten metal leaving craters at a fixed spacing. This produces a deterministic pattern of craters and peaks in a continuous spiral around the roll with a relatively low frequency.

Electron beam texturing (EBT) similarly uses an electron beam to melt the roll surface and leave “craters” surrounded by a rim of re-solidified metal.

The electron beam is pulsed at high frequency and with very good control of the energy pulses; however, the process must be carried out with the electron beam and work roll inside a chamber set under very high vacuum.

Electro chrome deposit (ECD) is a hexavalent chrome based process that

deposits a series of chrome nodules onto the roll surface to create the required texture. This involves a lengthy multi-step process to achieve the necessary combination of surface texture, hardness and adhesion of the coating. It is distinctly different to other texturing methods as it primarily produces nodules rather than craters on the surface of the roll.

Post-finishing. Several of the above methods also add a post-finishing processes in an attempt to improve either the surface texture or its performance in the cold rolling mill. Most post-finishing methods attempt to improve the surface by generally removing the higher peaks and asperities, which then generates a negatively skewed surface texture on the roll. This is considered by many

Typical crater and peak

users to improve the roll life and reduce initial roughness decrease on the roll due to wear in the rolling mill.

The above mentioned processes, while being currently used in the production of sheet have essential limitations in one or more respects, such as consistency, complexity, environment

and the ability to meet current user requirements. This did not justify further development by Tenova Pomini as a suitable long-term technology.

Digital texturing After the initial review of the end users’ requirements and the currently available technologies, Pomini made the decision to research into and develop a new method of roll texturing.

The process is referred to as “Pomini Digital Texturing™” (PDT™), as it relies extensively on software technology to generate the texture matrix and control the high frequency lasers that apply the texture to the roll surface. Laser technology was selected as it is a clean and efficient system. Although this technology is not entirely new, it is still being continuously further developed and improved. The particular type of high frequency laser used is very suitable to software switching and control.

The Pomini Digital Texturing™ system incorporates an “off the shelf” high frequency laser which is controlled by the digital texturing system developed by Pomini. This combination creates an accurate, flexible and efficient texturing system with the benefits of a laser source of high reliability, low maintenance and proven in a great number of industrial applications.

The laser source produces a high quality, small diameter beam which is ideal for

Digital texturing machine

achieving the precise, consistent performance required for surface texturing. The control system and laser source allow the very high frequency operation necessary to achieve the desired surface texture and productivity. A fibre optic system permits very flexible positioning of the texturing head and eliminates the typical alignment and focus (i.e. optical) issues of older LT systems.

The surface texture can be designed using computer simulation to achieve the desired matrix. The dimensions of craters and peaks can be controlled by the software operating the laser system. In addition to each crater’s dimensions, as well the relative proportions of the peaks and craters can be altered. The ability to control the crater and peak dimensions allows the roughness and skew to be determined, and the broad peaks produced provide very good roughness transfer and wear characteristics in the rolling mills.

The surface texture matrix, which is software controlled, allows a wide range of surfaces to be produced, both in deterministic or stochastic mode. By altering the spacing parameters, the density of the surface texture can be changed to produce “open” or “closed” surfaces.

The Pomini Digital Texturing™ process has a wide range of surface texture capabilities. After two years of testing in rolling mills, the performance of the surface texture was sufficiently verified to design and manufacture the first production machine.

Design of the texturing machine The machine was designed in-house at Pomini using the design capabilities and experience with similar type machines, in particular the innovative new MW series of precision roll grinders. As a completely new machine the design incorporates features from the latest available technologies for machine tools.

The design brief was to produce a machine that provides high precision and efficient operation, is environmentally friendly, works highly reliably and requires little maintenance. It was also desirable to have a machine that can be easily installed with minimal foundation and floor space requirements.

During the preliminary design stages, it was decided to fully enclose the machine in order to maintain a clean, safe environment, eliminate any potential guarding issues and maximize operator safety. The production machine meets or even exceeds the criteria of designing a compact installation with low energy consumption.

Conclusion The Pomini Digital Texturing™ process has demonstrated very good results in tests conducted at this stage and has considerable potential for future development and applications. The clean, safe technology is very efficient and generates minimal waste. The machine has modern design features and minimal hardware with the majority of the technology residing in the control software. The range of surface textures is very flexible in order to meet a wide variety of the industry’s current and future needs, and the ability to produce an optimum combination of surface texture features to provide good service for the producers and excellent sheet surface characteristics for end users.

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â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş AUTOMATION

Automation of a Ć&#x192;ying shear for cutting high-strength steel The lower the complexity of the system, the lower the lifecycle costs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this combination also applies to systems used in strip processing. The integration of synchronous functions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; previously provided separately â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in a motion-controlled overall automation environment simpliĆ&#x201A;es the implementation, maintenance, service and procurement of spare part â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and allows energy usage to be signiĆ&#x201A;cantly reduced.

The Italian Fimi Group has established itself as a leading manufacturer of cut-to-length and slitting lines, also for the production of heavy gauge, high-strength steel plate. Their heavyplate processing plants can process high-strength material up to thicknesses of 25 mm.

Being a core component of the cutto-length line, Fimiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new â&#x20AC;&#x153;Flytronicâ&#x20AC;? flying shears are also designed for these gauges. Depending on the particular version, they can cut strip up to 25 mm thick at material speeds of 65 m/min.

The shearing beams are moved in synchronism with the running plate during cutting. This ensures that even at these high speeds and thicknesses, a precisely vertical cut is made through the plate. The shearing beam and its drive are mounted on a trolley, powered by servomotors, which, depending on the version, may weigh up to 35 t.

Open solution replaces â&#x20AC;&#x153;black boxâ&#x20AC;? synchronization Up until now, for flying shears in strip processing, the individual sub elements of the automation were implemented as separate modules. Especially the externally purchased synchronization of the traversing trolley with the moving steel plate repeatedly turned out to be a black box that was not particularly service friendly. Ma-

Carlo Michele Cendali, Stephan Hoja, Siemens AG, Industry Sector, Drive Technologies Division, Milan/Italy and Erlangen/Germany Contact: www.siemens.com/metalforming E-mail: karin.kaljumae@siemens.com

MPT International 2 / 2014

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chine OEMs and operating companies were only able to manipulate this black box to a small extent, which was a limiting factor when it came to further developing their machines.

When designing the new flying shears, the Fimi company used the Simotion motion control system from Siemens. This open automation system offers state-of-the-art motion control as well as extensive technology functions to address the widest range of applications. Further, it addresses tasks, which in classic applications are handled by a PLC. Simotion is admirably suited to combine automation structures that have grown over time, and simplify them in an optimized, overall system.

Based on the experience gained with dedicated systems for the individual automation tasks, it was easy for Fimi engineers to simply integrate the control of the flying shears into the Siemens system. The open, standard â&#x20AC;&#x153;flying shearsâ&#x20AC;? application was used from the Simotion toolbox, replacing the

motion synchronization, previously purchased as non-transparent subcomponents. This toolbox is a collection of standard applications â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with secured quality â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for typical motion control tasks in a wide range of sectors and industries. Its behaviour can be parameterized to address all of the process-relevant details. Further, when required, its programme can be adapted to comply with specific requirements.

Contrary to the previous situation, machine OEMs now have full control over the system behaviour. What is especially important is that the Fimi experts can incorporate their process-related skill sets into the details of the motion control, which was simply not possible before.

As is the case in most of the applications, Fimi was able to use the standard â&#x20AC;&#x153;flying shearsâ&#x20AC;? Simotion block without having to make any changes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in spite of the requirements placed on the dynamic performance of the closed-loop control and the extremely high process forces.

90

â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş AUTOMATION and slitting lines. The strategic approach goes far beyond the advantages of an automation solution based on motion control, as managing director Rovelli Guiseppe explains: â&#x20AC;&#x153;With this open automation solution, we gain a better insight into the process itself, providing us with more options for influencing it. This allows us and our end-users to have a better understanding of the plastic deformation process during cutting. As a consequence, we can adjust our machines more simply

When moving forward, the huge trolley is quickly accelerated and synchronized with the steel plate. As soon as the synchronous speed and synchronous position have been reached, an eccentric mechanism activates the shearing beam and drives the edge through the plate. The steel plate and trolley move in precise synchronism for the duration of the cut. This means that even at high plate speeds and gauges, there is sufficient time for a perfect vertical cut through the steel plate.

the shearing beams away from the steel plate. When the shearing beam is lifted, any friction between the blade edge and steel plate is avoided, thus assuring high cut quality as well as long life time of the edge. As soon as the shearing beam has been lifted from the moving steel plate, the trolley is braked and traversed back to the starting position of the cyclic process.

All of the drives of the flying shears represent a single synchronous group.

This means that they can all be con-

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A huge amount of energy is required for the cut itself. This is stored in a flywheel, and at the right instant this is transferred to the shearing beam by coupling to an eccentric mechanism.

This significantly reduces the load peaks on the power supply. For the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Flytronicâ&#x20AC;?, the flywheel drive â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a servomotor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is now integrated into the motion control, both from the control side as well as from the energy side.

This means that the braking energy of the trolley can be directly used to accelerate the flywheel. Further, the motion control system ensures that at the instant of the cut the setpoint speed of the flywheel as well as the phase position of the eccentric mechanism correspond to the cutting position.

However, before it reverses, the trolley moves out of synchronism with the moving steel plate and accelerates a small amount past it in order to move

nected with one another through a common DC link. When it comes to cyclic motion sequences, this saves a significant amount of energy. As a consequence, not only can the braking energy, which is generated each time the trolley reverses, be used to re-accelerate the flywheel, but it is also possible to store the excess energy and use this to accelerate the trolley the next time.

Load peaks are reduced or even avoided altogether as a result of this energy equalization between the individual drives. The power drawn by a Fimi â&#x20AC;&#x153;Flytronicâ&#x20AC;? is therefore significantly lower than for previous models with comparable cutting performance. The DC bus, supplied from several sources, also improves the provision of energy in critical process phases.

Fimi plans to transfer its good experience gained with its â&#x20AC;&#x153;Flytronicâ&#x20AC;? to other elements of the cut-to-length

MPT International 2 / 2014

and flexibly to address new materials in future. For end-users, this technological flexibility represents a real competitive advantage as well as high investment security.â&#x20AC;?

Conclusion The flying shear concept becomes even more attractive with a motioncontrolled automation solution. Open automation systems play an important role in achieving low system complexity. Further, they allow simple connection to the line environment as well as its high-level process control, order processing and quality assurance systems. Standard applications with an assured quality for motion-control applications make it simple to integrate technological know-how into Simotion-based automation solutions and to optimize them.

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92

››› STRIP PROCESSING

Sichuan Southwest Stainless Steel Company inaugurated new annealing and pickling line In January, Fives signed off on an annealing and pickling line for hot-rolled stainless steel strips installed at Sichuan Southwest Stainless Steel, China. The new plant will increase the annual capacity by 700,000 t of hot-rolled stainless steel strips ready for downstream operations.

Sichuan Southwest Stainless Steel Company Ltd. (Xinan Stainless) is a subsidiary of the Sichuan Jinguang Group, with headquarters in Chengdu, China. The company operates ten ferro alloy furnaces in Sichuan, Qinghai and Yunnan, producing ferrochrome and ferronickel. Further the group operates two stainless steel production sites – one in Sichuan and one in Yunnan, with a joint annual capacity of 1.4 million t of slabs. In Sichuan, there is a 7-stand continuous hot rolling mill with enough capacity to handle the slab production at both Sichuan and Yunnan. Initially, there had been one annealing and pickling line with a capacity of 400,000 t/year in Sichuan. A second annealing and pickling line was built to increase capacity at the Sichuan plant. For the time being, Sichuan Southwest Stainless Steel Company has no cold rolling facilities. However, two cold rolling mills have been ordered and will be supplied to the Sichuan plant in 2015.

A full HAPL line that integrates key expertise in stainless steel processing In order to achieve the required quality level, Fives supplied high-precision

processing equipment. With a capacity of 128 t/h, the furnace can heat stainless steel strips to 1,150°C at process speeds of 80 m/min. The strips – of austenitic series 200 and 300 – are 2 to 6 mm thick and 900 to 1,350 mm wide. The line combines a water cooling section with a soft cooling section to ensure proper cooling control and excellent strip flatness. The technological systems in this section optimize and reduce the furnace’s energy consumption.

The pickling section integrates the latest technological and automatic features to efficiently and effectively remove the sludge from the system while maintaining the optimum concentration of chemicals. This is complemented with a system that minimizes water consumption by utilizing the spent water from various subsystems. The plant is managed using a smart automation system with an intuitive and user-friendly interface.

Fives also supplied the terminal equipment for a smooth continuous strip run and the mechanical equipment such as the pay-off reel, tension reel, shear, strip accumulators, scale breaker as well as the strip centring systems. A partner supplied the electrical section.

Fives Group, Paris, France Contact: www.Ƃvesgroup.com E-mail: claire.mathieu@Ƃvesgroup.com Entry section MPT International 2 / 2014

MEERdrive®: THE REVOLUTION IN WIRE ROD PRODUCTION www.sms-ecoplants.com

ecoplants

With MEERdrive®, SMS Meer has developed a new drive technology that redefines the standards in wire rod production. The basic idea is to replace the wear-prone, maintenance-intensive gearboxes of wire rod blocks with intelligent individual drives for each stand.

These allow the rolling process to be made far more flexible and the defined metallurgical properties of the finished product to be precisely achieved. The energy consumption is significantly reduced and roll ring management greatly simplified. That is why MEERdrive® has

Quality unites – a fact that our customers and we discover time and again with every new project. Together we develop solutions that give our partners the competitive edge in their business. Thanks to this good cooperation, SMS Meer is a leading international company in heavy machinery and plant engineering.

been awarded the ecoplants mark – the sign of an ecologically and economically advantageous solution from SMS Meer.

MEERdrive® technology

www.sms-meer.com

Maximum productivity

94

››› STRIP PROCESSING

The annealing furnace operates at a speed of 80 m/min

Important increase in annealing and pickling capacity Sichuan Southwest Stainless Steel Company invested in this new annealing and pickling line for hotrolled stainless steel strips (HAPL) to increase its production capacity by adding another processing line to the HAPL line already in place. The contract to supply the line was signed in October 2011. Fives Group won the bid for its engineering excellence and the line equipment proper as well as for the fact that it has total control of its manufacturing chain. Like most of the mechanical equipment, the heat-

The pickling section is designed for minimum water consumption

ing furnace was made at the local Fives plants in China near the client’s location.

The project was executed during 17 months from signing the contract to the first coil. The line reached its 500th annealed and pickled coil in the second week of production. Right now, it is producing more than 2,700 coils per month.

Benoît Caratgé, Fives’ steel division director, said: “The project was a great example of what Fives is capable of: the successful handling of a complex order such as the supply of a reliable high-performance steel processing line to a highly selective client.” Mr. Kang,

vice president and technical director of Jinguang Group, praised the project as well as the partnership spirit between the contractor and the turnkey integrator: “Two years ago, very ambitious production targets were set for this new HAPL line. Today we are very pleased with the swift achievement of these operational goals, with a good level of quality and energy consumption 20% lower than line 1.” The line was Fives’ first contract with the Jinguang Group, SWSS’s parent company, which has already chosen to renew its trust in Fives by placing an order for two rolling mills for its subsidiary Tiancheng Stainless Steel Products Co.

96

››› TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS

$MDQFX DEÖBHDMS CQHUD RXRSDL ENQ OHOD ENQLHMF OQDRRDR PIPEMAKING A 500 MN O-forming press and an 18 MN U-forming press, which were recently commissioned at Tenaris Confab in Pindamonhangaba in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, consume significantly less energy than traditional presses. Siempelkamp, suppliers of the presses, equipped the oil-hydraulic drive of the moving beam with variablespeed high-pressure pumps. With this new control concept, the potential energy as well as the energy stored inside the elasticities during the forming process can be recovered and fed back as electricity into the supply network.

The 500 MN O-forming press is equipped with five main cylinders over

a length of 12.5 m and applies a force of 40,000 kN per meter. Combined with Siempelkamp’s patented multi-cylinder parallelism control, the control ensures that the moving beam maintains a position parallel to the press table within a tolerance of +/- 1 mm over the entire length. The 18 MN Uforming press features an automated tool change system and an automated clamping system for tool segments, which significantly reduce the setup times.

On the presses, Tenaris produces grade X70 pipes with a wall thickness of up to 55 mm and an external diameter ranging between 12 ¾” and 48”.

U-forming press

The presses also allow material grades X80 and X100 to be processed into pipes.

Contact: www.siempelkamp.com

#HQDBS @BBDRR SN LDS@K @KKNX C@S@A@RD ANALYTICAL EQUIPMENT Users of the mobile metal analyzer Spectrotest now not only save time conducting metal assessments, but also no longer need to purchase various catalogues of metal standards, because Spectro Analytical Instruments now offers direct access to its metal database.

Specifications according to international standards for more than 150,000 metal alloys are stored in the Spectro metal database. The database serves as a universal tool for providing detailed information about metal alloys and their mechanical properties. Among its strengths is the ability to search for suitable alloys, to identify unknown materials based on the chemical content and to export material specifications for use on a particular spectrometer.

For rapid inspections of incoming and outgoing goods, it is often sufficient to know whether or not the tested metal corresponds to given specifications, the delivery note is correct or the steel accurately identified. With the new database, this is made even easier. With unknown alloys, it is possible for users to search for materials. Pressing a key starts the extended material search from the measuring screen. It is then possible to determine within which material specifications the analysis fits. By importing materials from the list of results, the alloys can be quickly and simply entered into the library.

Contact: www.spectro.com

-DV QDKD@RD NE RHLTK@SHNM RNESV@QD FORGING Designed to increase engineering productivity and enlarge the simulation capability for new processes, Transvalor has released a new version of its Forge® simulation software.

With Forge® NxT 1.0, Transvalor delivers a new graphical user interface, which makes the data setup quicker and easier. A series of other new features have been integrated: To cover the growing demand for in-use property prediction, extended heat treatment and metallurgy capabilities have been introduced and the heat treatment feature has been enhanced with the support of CCT curves. An isothermal diagram generator and a model for phase transformation during forming have been integrated. Phase transformation and associated volume changes that may occur due to local cooling can now be anticipated.

A finer model for the austenitization is now available and applicable to a wide range of forging processes. With the integraMPT International 2 / 2014

tion of a chemical element diffusion calculation, it is now possible to simulate the carburizing process. Local hardening due to the local increase of carbon concentration can be predicted.

With the new software version, optimization can now run with CAD coupling, using ProE, Wildfire from version 5.0, and SolidWorks from version 2012. Additionally, with Forge® NxT 1.0, it is possible to run automatic optimization with specific imposed values for one or several parameters.

The new software release embeds multiple innovative meshing technologies. For the forming of thin products, a new dedicated remeshing technique is available. It relies on the programme’s capacity to create adaptive and non-isotropic meshes. A specific number of nodes in the thickness can be specified while maintaining a reasonable number of total FE nodes.

Your measurement tasks – our measurement technology

Improve your product quality!

High precision x-ray, isotope and optical measuring systems from IMS contribute greatly to increased production efficiency in the steel, aluminum and metals industries.

Your measurement task is our specialisation!

IMS measuring systems are designed for online, non-contact operation in the measurements of: • Thickness and thickness profile • Wedge and crown • Edge drop • Flatness and levelness • Width and position of material • Dimension and geometry • Edge defects and holes • Internal strip defects • Tube wall thickness and eccentricity • Tube diameter and ovality • Coat thickness and coat profile • Temperature and cross-sectional temperature profile • Speed and length • Strip and web tension

IMS Messsysteme GmbH Dieselstraße 55 42579 Heiligenhaus / Germany

Phone: + 49 (0) 2056 975-0 Fax: + 49 (0) 2056 975-140

info@ims-gmbh.de www.ims-gmbh.de

Our contribution to your success!

Thickness

IMS – Specialist in professional and collaborative partnerships

Flatness (TopPlan)

We guarantee economic production with outstanding results when using IMS measuring systems.

We offer: • Individual advice and consultation • Engineering • Installation and commissioning

Width

• Training • All-round service • Long-term customer support

Tube

Worldwide coverage in Europe, America and Asia all ensure we are able to work with you throughout the world, offering the benefit of excellent communications and local support for international projects.

IMS, your partner in the application of innovative measurement technology.

Coating

Dimension

I am aggressive!

Brand new in Forge® NxT 1.0 is an induction heating feature which allows the simulation of the local induction heating operation prior to quenching as well as the induction heating of the complete initial billet prior to forging.

Contact: www.transvalor.com

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But that’s no problem for our corrosionresistant fans.

COLD ROLLING The project to add a continuous entry section to the tandem line at Salzgitter Flachstahl is in the “hot” stage. Starting in August 2013, the entry unit was extensively tested for several weeks while still uncoupled from the tandem line. Several hundred coils were rolled onto a temporary tension reel via the entry piece, welding machine and loop accumulator in order to ensure that these units function reliably before being coupled to the tandem line.

In October 2013, test operation of the new entry area was successfully completed. In November, the final step towards continuous rolling was taken as planned. The existing entry group units were removed and connection between the new entry section and the tandem line was made during a 13-day standstill of the tandem line. It was possible to roll the first strips in excellent quality ahead of the scheduled date. Now, emphasis is on increasing the system output as called for in the planned ramp-up curve and on successively implementing detail improvement in the new procedures.

With special alloys and gas-tight shaft seals, we protect our fans from corrosive gases containing sulphur, hydrochloric acid, chlorine DQG Á XRULQH

Long service life High availability Very reliable

Come and see us at

IFAT Munich

Contact: www.salzgitter-flachstahl.de

5 – 9 May 2014 Hall C3, Stand 125/224

(QNM NQD ODKKDSR VHSG HMBQD@RDC HQNM BNMSDMS IRONMAKING New iron ore pellets with a higher iron ore content have recently been launched by OAO Karelsky Okatysh, an iron ore processing plant belonging to Severstal.

Producing high quality iron ore pellets through separate ore processing is one of Severstal’s key initiatives to improve efficiency in production. The new technology for producing high quality iron ore pellets underwent pilot testing in February and June 2013. In the past, fluxed pellets were produced with an iron ore content of up to 63.2%. Meanwhile, the iron content has been raised to 64.3%. It is expected that by the end of 2014 pellets with a 66% iron content can be produced by separately processing free-milling and refractory ores. The Cherepovets steel mill, part of Severstal’s Russian steel division, will be a key customer for the product. Using iron ore pellets with higher iron content increases the profitability of blast furnaces and helps to decrease raw material consumption.

Contact: www.severstal.com

We make air work for you.

Process and hot gas fans Process gas dust collection Process gas cleaning plants Secondary fuel technology Belt drying plants Vapour exhaust plants

100

â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS

%TKKX @TSNL@SHB K@CKD FTMMHMF STEELMAKING A Finnish stainless steel producer recently installed a fully automatic gunning installation for the maintenance of standing ladles. The gunning system, supplied by Velco, is designed for a total of four ladles which are transported by a rail carriage into a gunning hall. The robot works according to different programmes for automatic bottom, side wall and spout gunning. All programmes can be started sequentially without interrupting the gunning process. Two different gunning materials are used, one for the repair of the permanent lining and one for the wearing layer. The operator selects the gunning position, the gunning programme and the material type. Then the gunning pro-

cess is carried out automatically. However, the operator may override the fully automatic process to manually control the gunning via joystick to repair selected spots. This gunning installation provides high cost efficiency, as the gunning time can be significantly reduced. This is achieved as a result of the higher gunning capacities and due to the fact that the gunning equipment must no longer be changed when a different gunning material is to be used. Moreover, the burden and dust exposure on the operator are considerably reduced.

Ladle gunning station

Ladle gunning machine in operation

Contact: www.velco.de

#TRS RTOOQDRRHNM RNKTSHNMR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Dust in the workplace can create significant problems that impact operational efficiency, impair visibility and increase accident risk. Dust can also have detrimental effects on the health of workers and the environment. To address these issues, companies in industries like mining, quarry and transportation use dust control measures. Quaker Chemical developed Dustgripâ&#x201E;˘, a dust suppression system for applications including crushers, conveyor systems, rail cars, stockpiles, unpaved roads, pits

and quarries and mine haul roads. The system not only suppresses dust but also offers solutions for managing company resources and addressing environmental concerns (i.e. water). The ability to use Dustgripâ&#x201E;˘ with existing spray equipment means that post-application rinsing of equipment is not required. Dustrgipâ&#x201E;˘ TURBO reduces the total water volume consumed for dust suppression purposes.

Contact: www.quakerchem.com

102

››› TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS

#QX RK@F FQ@MTK@SHNM VHSG DMDQFX QDBNUDQX Engineered Solutions for competitive and high quality iron and steel making

Iron making Stock house and material

handling Coal grinding and drying Pulverised coal injection Heat recovery Engineered cast house

dedusting systems

Waste recovery in OXYCUP® furnace of Fe-oxide waste fines Sludge Skulls and metallic wastes Scrap

Steel making Hot metal desulphurisation TBM combined converter

bottom blowing OTCMB Converter blowing

model Alloy batching Slag conditioning

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION In traditional blast furnace slag handling, a substantial amount of energy contained in the liquid slag is lost. Paul Wurth took up the challenge to develop an alternative slag treatment process in order to recover the energy contained in the slag while maintaining unchanged the physical properties of the granulated slag. In this process, steel spheres are evenly injected into the liquid slag providing a large contact surface for efficient heat transfer. The slag cools down rapidly from about 1,450°C to 650°C, thus ensuring vitreous solidification which is required of slag used in the cement industry. The resulting mixture of steel spheres and solidified slag is then subjected to a heat recovery within a counter-current heat exchanger. The energy is recovered in the form of hot air at a temperature of approximately 600°C. This can be used directly as thermal energy or converted to steam and subsequently to electrical energy.

Compared with wet granulation (700 l/t of slag), this innovative process saves considerably on water consumption.

Other benefits include a reduction in sulphur and CO2 emissions, less transportation costs and less costs associated with the further treatment (drying) in cement production due to the fact that the slag is dry.

After various series of trials, the construction of an industrial pilot plant started in October 2012 on the site of Dillinger Hütte in Germany. The plant, designed for a daily production of 80 t of slag, was commissioned in November 2013. The first operating results are very promising and confirm the technical, energetic and environmental viability of this new development, which can also be applied to steelmaking, EAF or ferronickel slags.

In 2013, the Luxembourg Business Federation FEDIL conferred its annual Environment Award to Paul Wurth to recognize the environmental benefits of this innovative dry slag granulation process.

Hot briquetting of converter

dust

Contact: www.paulwurth.com

Energy and Environmental Technology High temperature technology Heat technology Waste gas technology Sinter off-gas cleaning

,@SDQH@K EDDCHMF DPTHOLDMS NM SQ@BJR

Process automation

Küttner GmbH & Co. KG, Essen/Germany Phone +49 (0)201 7293 0 info@kuettner.com www.kuettner.com

MPT International 2 / 2014

MATERIAL HANDLING Designed for heavy-duty applications and continuous use, including impact loading from articulated dump trucks and large loading shovels, the material feeder MF08 series from Samson Materials Handling (formerly B&W Mechanical Handling) can handle material with bulk density up to 2.6 t/m³ and lumps up to 400 mm.

Samson recently launched the MF0814T, a tracked derivative of the Samson® material feeder principle. The concept was developed in conjunction with mining and minerals customers, who require the huge holding capacity of up to

TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS

‹‹‹ 103

50 t offered by the standard MF0814W combined with immense operational durability and accuracy in discharge control. The MF0814T is self-propelled and operates via an integrated diesel power supply offering excellent flexibility on site. Self-steering via an umbilical control, the unit can be deployed quickly and independently, offering greater utilization, flexibility and productivity.

Contact: www.aumund.com

Material feeder in operation

Millmate Strip Scanner. The leading edge technology.

Improved accuracy leads to better margins, both financially and in the process.

Keep track of your strip edges in your mills and process lines using the Millmate Strip Scanner System (MSS), a well-proven robust sensor with negligible maintenance costs.

Based on ABB’s patented Pulsed Eddy Current technology, it is a non-contact sensor with no moving parts. The measurement is extremely stable, even during the worst conditions.

Mill coolant, steam, heat and dust do not affect the measurement.

By using the MSS system you will achieve better strip position control resulting in better flatness control possibilities, reduced scrap, improved threading and better coiling. www.abb.com/pressductor

ABB AB Force Measurement Phone: +46 21 32 50 00 Fax: +46 21 34 00 05

MPT International 2 / 2014

104

››› TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS

%HKSQ@SHNM RNKTSHNM ENQ SQD@SLDMS NE S@HKHMFR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION In mining and metallurgical operations, the trend towards finer grinding in concentrators and stricter requirements on the disposal of tailings have resulted in more sophisticated dewatering processes with an increased use of filtration equipment. After successfully introducing the Outotec Larox® FFP 2512 pressure filter series for bulk mining applications, the company is now responding to the mining industry’s increasing demand by upscaling this series to the new FFP 3512 for even higher capacity requirements. The innovative design of the membrane filter plate is the key to larger capacities and even more efficient process results. The FFP is ideal

Filtration unit

for dry stacking of tailings, enabling energy and water savings through water recycling. The filtration areas are up to 991 m2. Automated operation allows for the automatic adjustment

to process changes and remote control of the process.

Contact: www.outotec.com

'XCQNRS@SHB OHOD SDRSDQ HM NODQ@SHNM @S 2@KYFHSSDQ ,@MMDRL@MM PIPEMAKING Salzgitter Mannesmann Line Pipe (SMLP) in Siegen, Germany, has taken a HTM (hydro testing machine) from PWS into operation. With the testing strategy of the facility, up to three pipes with different lengths can be simultaneously tested at three test stations. The total cycle time is 48 s – more than 30% less than before. The hydrotester supplied

by PWS covers pipes of a diameter range from 4.5” to 16”with a wall thickness between 2.6 and 16 mm. The length can vary between 9.7 an 18 m. It is also possible to perform simultaneous testing with different diameters and lengths. Each sec-

Three-strand hydrostatic pipe tester MPT International 2 / 2014

tion can be individually and independently controlled. The maximum test pressure is 500 bar, with a tolerance of +/- 1 bar, for material grades X80 or N80. Shorter pipe lengths in the manufacturing process no longer have to be sorted out for testing at a later time. The technology package is rounded off by a highly precise pressure control system. Ongoing production was not interrupted during the setup and commissioning of the new equipment in mid-2013.

Contact: www.pws-gmbh.info

#HQDBS SGDQL@K BNLATRSHNM RXRSDL ENQ K@CKDR

THE

Edition 1/1

TECHNOLOGIST ELECTRIC ARC FURNACE

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION During the first heating of a ladle in a steel meltshop, hazardous components like benzo(a)pyrene and phenol evaporate from the ladle lining due to pyrolytic decomposition of organic binders. These components are considered cancerogenic. With traditional and conventional ladle

Arrangement of the direct thermal combustion equipment

heaters, these gases are released, unfiltered, via the exhaust gas to the atmosphere. In order to destroy the hazardous components, a post-combustion chamber to heat the off-gas up to 800°C would be needed, however involving the drawback of additional energy requirements.

Mapeko has recently developed a direct thermal combustion process to burn these hazardous gases emitted during lining heating. With the assistance of added oxygen, the components of the emitted gases are burnt and combusted inside the ladle and not released to the environment. The ladle is completely enclosed and sealed by a dual-purpose cover. Gases escaping through the evaporation holes are sucked back and injected into the ladle by a special technique. Combustion of these gases will take place inside the ladle.

According to official emission measurements, carried out by the expert organization Dekra, almost all dangerous components are burnt. For benzo(a)pyrene, the measured value is below the measuring limit of <0.030 mg/h. This direct thermal combustion system thus guarantees permanent, consistent and efficient combustion of hazardous components, complying with all applicable environmental protection requirements. The disposal of any toxic waste is no longer necessary.

Contact: www.mapeko.com

Electric arc furnaces (EAF) built by INTECO feature a very robust mechanical design which guarantees long term trouble free operation with special emphasis on ease of maintenance. Finite element calculations, which are carried out

by INTECO‘s engineers, ensure the avoidance of unfavorable high stress peaks in the construction. Each single furQDFH LV VSHFL¿FDOO\ GHVLJQHG DQG GLPHQVLRQHG IRU LWV DSSOLcation with special consideration of available raw materials, production capacity and steel grades. The melt power supply is a tailor made solution to the client‘s requirements in regard of tap-to-tap time and optimized for the local power grid. Additionally the furnace can also be perfectly combined with INTECO‘s EPC (scrap preheating) system.

Combined with INTECO’s mechanical and electrical engineering skills and automation solutions such as the INTECO Smart Electrod Control (ISEC) and Level 2 system ,17(&2¶V IXUQDFH RIIHUV \RX VHYHUDO EHQH¿WV VXFK DV PLQLmized energy- and electrode consumption, an overall cost reduction as well as operator safety.

INTECO’s expertise in the engineering and supply of high quality steel plant technology is now matched with the knowhow of a true specialist when it comes to EAF appliances: Process Technology International (PTI) LLC. This Atlanta based company, now a member of the INTECO Group, has over 20 years’ experience in EAF applications, such as: PTI JetBOxTM, PTI JETburnerTM, PTI SWINGdoorTM, PTI TempBOxTM EAF Sampler System;

/Ed K ƐƉĞĐŝĂů ŵĞůƟŶŐ ƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐŝĞƐ 'ŵď, Wienerstraße 25 8600 Bruck a.d. Mur Austria Tel.: +43 (0) 3862 53110-0 Fax: +43 (0) 3862 53844 inteco.austria@inteco.at www.inteco.at

106

â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS

4MHUDQR@K INHMS RG@ESR @MC SNQPTD KHLHSHMF BNTOKHMFR ROLLING MILLS A U.S. rolling mill replaced the existing universal joint shafts with high-performance universal joint shafts from Voith. These universal joint shafts of the CH series feature FEM-optimized design. The forged version of the flange yokes is designed for extreme loading conditions and provides optimum torque capacity. The newly engineered CH bearing and the stress-optimized journal cross guarantee a long service life. This prevents unscheduled downtimes and the associated costs.

The U.S. rolling mill operator also installed SafeSet torquelimiting couplings between the motor and the universal joint

Manufacturing of universal joint shafts

shaft. In case of an overload, the coupling disconnects the driveline immediately and protects the universal joints, roll necks and other transmission components. The main benefit of the torque-limiting coupling is that the mill can be operated at maximum capacity. If an overload occurs, the coupling will immediately react, disconnecting all mass elements in the driveline. Otherwise the inertia caused by these elements would make it impossible to brake fast enough. The consequence would be damage to the transmission components.

Contact: www.voith.com

Torque-limiting coupling to protect the roll neck and the universal joint shaft from damage

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*>Ă&#x2022;Â?Ă&#x160;7Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160;*>Ă&#x2022;Â?Ă&#x160;7Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Ă&#x160;Â?Â&#x153;}Â&#x153;]Ă&#x160;*Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201C;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192;]Ă&#x160;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2021; iÂ?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;]Ă&#x160;,i` Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160;,i`-Â&#x201C;iÂ?Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;>Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x160;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;>`iÂ&#x201C;>Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x17D;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;vĂ&#x160;*>Ă&#x2022;Â?Ă&#x160;7Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Ă&#x160;-° °Ă&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160;Â&#x201C;>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;LiĂ&#x160;Ă&#x20AC;i}Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;iĂ&#x20AC;i`Ă&#x160;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;Â?Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;`Â&#x2C6;VĂ&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;°

Â&#x201E; RedSmeltâ&#x201E;˘ / RedIronâ&#x201E;˘â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rotary Hearth Furnace (RHF) based technologies to treat the widest range of iron bearing ďŹ nes and steelmaking residues for returning Fe to the main production chain Â&#x201E; PrimusÂŽ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; using a Multiple Hearth Furnace (MHF) and a special EAF to process dust and sludge of BF, BOF, EAF plants and recover zinc oxide, pig iron and slag Â&#x201E; i-MeltorÂŽ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; special EAF for recycling various types of ferrous and non-ferrous metal containing by-products Â&#x201E; PLD de-oiling â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MHF based processing of oily sludge and scales from rolling mills, oil polluted material, soils Â&#x201E; BF Slag Granulation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; proven technology with INBAÂŽ dewatering and pollution control, innovative dry slag granulation with heat recovery â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both for matching slag quality requirements of the cement industry

-Ă&#x2022;LĂ&#x192;Â&#x2C6;`Â&#x2C6;>Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;iĂ&#x192;\Ă&#x160; Ă&#x20AC;>âÂ&#x2C6;Â?]Ă&#x160; Â&#x2026;Â&#x2C6;Â?i]Ă&#x160; âiVÂ&#x2026;Ă&#x160;,iÂŤĂ&#x2022;LÂ?Â&#x2C6;V]Ă&#x160; iĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x201C;>Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;]Ă&#x160; Â&#x2DC;`Â&#x2C6;>]Ă&#x160; Ă&#x152;>Â?Ă&#x17E;]Ă&#x160; >ÂŤ>Â&#x2DC;]Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;i>]Ă&#x160; iĂ?Â&#x2C6;VÂ&#x153;] *°,°Ă&#x160; Â&#x2026;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;>]Ă&#x160;,Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;>]Ă&#x160;-Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Ă&#x160; vĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;V>]Ă&#x160;/>Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x153;>Â&#x2DC;]Ă&#x160;1°-° °

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VCA**

ISO 9001 ISO 14001

BUREAU VERITAS Certification

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Achieving residue-free steel production is an important objective of many steelmakers. Paul Wurth has developed and combined various recycling technologies and proposes a comprehensive range of solutions for processing by-products of speciďŹ c nature from the iron, steel and nonferrous industry.

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INNOVATIVE RECYCLING SOLUTIONS

Blast Furnace Plants engineering & construction of complete blast furnace plants, modernisations, rebuilds and relines.

BF Technology & Equipment cooling & lining concepts and systems, automation, top charging technology, special equipment.

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Auxiliary Plants sintering plants, hot blast stoves, stockhouse, pulverized coal injection, slag granulation and dewatering.

Coke Making Plants complete plants and batteries, coke oven gas by-products recovery systems and auxiliary plants, centralised supervision and process control.

Recycling Technologies multiple hearth based technology: PRIMUSÂŽ, rotary hearth based technology: RedIronâ&#x201E;˘, RedSmeltâ&#x201E;˘.

Environmental Protection BF top gas cleaning, aspiration systems, hot blast stove heat recovery, coke oven gas treatment, sinterplant off-gas cleaning.

PAUL WURTH â&#x20AC;&#x201C; LEADING IN IRONMAKING TECHNOLOGY SA F E T Y S IED

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CERT IF

Paul Wurth S.A.Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x2022;iĂ&#x160;`½ Â?Ă&#x192;>ViĂ&#x160;UĂ&#x160;*°"°Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; Â&#x2021;£äĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x2022;Ă?iÂ&#x201C;LÂ&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;} /iÂ?°\Ă&#x160;­³Ă&#x17D;xĂ&#x201C;ÂŽĂ&#x160;{Â&#x2122;Ă&#x2021;äÂ&#x2021;ÂŁĂ&#x160;UĂ&#x160; >Ă?\Ă&#x160;­³Ă&#x17D;xĂ&#x201C;ÂŽĂ&#x160;{Â&#x2122;Ă&#x2021;äÂ&#x2021;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x201C;äÂ&#x2122;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;ÂŤ>Ă&#x2022;Â?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;JÂŤ>Ă&#x2022;Â?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;°VÂ&#x153;Â&#x201C;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;°>Ă&#x2022;Â?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;°VÂ&#x153;Â&#x201C;Ă&#x160; VCA**

ISO 9001 ISO 14001

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TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS

â&#x20AC;šâ&#x20AC;šâ&#x20AC;š 109

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GD@S ANHKDQ @S 3GXRRDM*QTOO 2SDDK $TQNOD STEELMAKING Since 1969, the two converters in the Bruckhausen oxygen steelmaking plant (Ox 1) have been the basis for steel production in Duisburg-Bruckhausen, Germany. ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe recently replaced the first of two converters and parts of the associated waste-heat boiler system. Work was performed on two levels: on the converter itself and at the same time on the waste-heat boiler system, which extends to a height of almost 70 m above the converter opening.

The new converter vessel is one of the biggest of its kind worldwide, with a height of 11 m, a diameter of 11 m and a weight of roughly 500 t. The fine-grained structural steel for the converter was produced at ThyssenKrupp Steel Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s steelmaking plant in Duisburg-Beeckerwerth and rolled in Duisburg-HĂźttenheim. Thanks to a new method of construction, the new converter vessel is significantly wider.

With an unchanged charge weight of up to 400 t, the inner volume of the converter has been increased from 218 to 270 m3. The additional capacity will allow more environmentally friendly operation and more efficient energy recovery.

The vessel and the trunnion ring were made by SMS Siemag in Italy. From there the converter was transported

in seven pieces by ship to the Duisburg-Walsum port and by road to the Bruckhausen steel plant. Up to 1,000 workers were involved in dismantling the old converter and installing the new one and the waste-heat boiler.

Directly above the work on the converter floor, four segments of the waste-heat boiler system were replaced. The almost 50-m-long system of water pipes cools the converter gas from 2,000°C down to roughly 500°C. The steam produced in the process flows into the millâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s steam network and is supplied to other consumers in the mill. The cooled converter gas is cleaned and used for example as fuel for the reheating furnaces in the hot strip mills. The new boiler segments were made by Oschatz. They are almost 4 m in diameter. The heaviest element weighs 50 t. As the wasteheat boiler had to be positioned roughly 20 m above the converter opening, three of the four boiler segments were lifted into the converter shop on the hook of a special crawlermounted crane with a 140 m boom.

Contact: www.thyssenkrupp-steel-europe.com

Problems with the Handling of Coke Breeze?

The Solution: Pelleting.

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GSB Good Safe Basis for proven products We focus on supplying refractory lances, pre-cast shapes, snorkels, and flexible elbows. GSBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique expertise and extensive experience in combining the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;best of bothâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, i.e. steel construction and refractory technology, result in superior products. Individual project approach and outstanding product quality makes GSB your partner for rigid refractory requirements.

GSB Group GmbH FlottmannstraĂ&#x;e 57 D-44807 Bochum Tel.: +49 (0)2 34 - 9 04 53-0 Fax: +49 (0)2 34 - 9 04 53-33 eMail: info@gsb-group.de Internet: www.gsb-group.de

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MPT International 2 / 2014

110

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#QX OQNBDRRHMF OK@MS ENQ RS@HMKDRR RSDDK RK@F RECYCLING The Belgian company Recoval is part of a consortium with Recmix and Carbstone Innovation, specializing in the recovery of construction material from slag. Recoval commissioned Loesche with the engineering and delivery of a turn-key processing plant primarily for stainless steel slag. Loesche will implement a dry-refining process for stainless steel slag developed together with CALA Aufbereitungstechnik. This process is capable of obtaining a highpurity metallic portion and a valuable, metal and mineral-free filler material at the same time. Alone by the addition of CO2 to the stainless steel slag, this recovery process provides finished components with structural properties comparable with those of concrete, effectively reducing the CO2 footprint compared to components made of concrete.

The Loesche vertical mill of the LM 15.2M type will be at the centre of a newly built processing plant in Charleroi, Belgium. Around 20 t/h of stainless steel slag will be processed in the mill. The slag will be selectively ground to free the metallic particles which will then be extracted as a high-density fraction. Simultaneously, the mineral fraction will be separated in the integrated dynamic classifier to the desired

fineness and collected in the filter unit.

In the second part of the plant, the metallic, high-density product of the mill will be further processed. Using a combination of magnetic separators of varying field strengths and a novel, dry, density-based separation unit for the fine fraction, the pure metallic portion will be recovered and the intermediate residue fed back to the mill. The silo installation is accessible from below by truck and additional silos will be part of the third complex. Here, the filler products will be stored. A separate storage and filling system is planned for the metallic portion. Loesche is responsible for the engineering, the delivery of the hardware and installation and commissioning of the equipment.

The complete electrical equipment and technology will be supplied by Loesche Automatisierungstechnik.

Contact: www.loesche.com

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Manfred Sachse

DAMASCUS STEEL 3rd Edition

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TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS

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(MEQ@QDC Q@CH@SHNM OXQNLDSDQ ENQ MNM BNMS@BS SDLODQ@STQD LD@RTQDLDMS SPECIAL EQUIPMENT Specially designed for highest accuracy in temperature measuring and control in extremely harsh environments, the infrared radiation pyrometer series CT18 and CT18LL offered by Heitronics are ideally suited for the metalworking industry. For use at temperatures as high as 300°C, the equipment comes with stainless steel cooling jackets and protective housings. The view finder, laser pilot light, air purge and cooling jackets as well as fibre optics are provided to control manufacturing processes more efficiently. Various selectable temperature ranges between 200°C and 3,000°C in one radiation pyrometer are available on request. Even extremely small spot sizes and very short response times can be selected by default. The constant self-monitoring routine ensures reliable operation and an integrated calibration routine allows fast and reliable control of the devices locally.

Typical applications for the CT18 pyrometers with fibre optics are induction heating and induction harden-

ing processes. The temperature is always accurately and reproducibly measured, unaffected by electromagnetic radiation.

Contact: www.heitronics.com

Pyrometer for non-contact temperature measurement in the steel industry

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MPT International 2 / 2014

112

››› LITERATURE SERVICE Wear protection through hardfacing and cladding 44 pages, English, German A detailed brochure presenting the full range of activities and services by Corodur Fülldraht in the area of wear protection. The company makes special welding consumables for use in hardfacing, from flux core wires, stick electrodes through to tungsten carbide products, and provides hardfacing and cladding services.

Contact: E-mail:

TubeProfiler™ - True measurements of tubes and pipes

TubeProfiler™ True measurements of tubes and pipes

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Full cross section and shape

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Straightness measurement

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Mill set up time dramatically reduced

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Immediate product and process feedback

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Certificate to end user

www.corodur.de info@corodur.de

True measurement of tubes and pipes 4 pages, English, German A product brochure featuring the TubeProfilerTM system from Limab – a system for accurate measurement of the diameter, ovality, shape, length and straightness of tubes. Designed for harsh conditions, the system is supplied with an air cooling system to ensure reliability of operation in tube mills.

Contact: E-mail:

www.limab.com sales@limab.se

Dry slag granulation with energy recovery 4 pages, English A brochure outlining the technical concept of dry slag granulation with energy recovery, an alternative slag granulation process developed by Paul Wurth. This process recovers substantial quantities of energy contained in the slag, while maintaining unchanged the physical properties of the granulated slag.

Contact: E-mail:

www.paulwurth.com paulwurth@paulwurth.com

Non-destructive testing 98 pages, English A comprehensive catalogue detailing products and equipment for non-destructive testing offered by Helling. Included are products for penetrant, magnetic particle, leak, radiographic and ultrasonic testing as well as weld inspection, visual inspection, temperature indicators, etc.

Contact: E-mail:

www.hellinggmbh.de info@hellinggmbh.de

Steel Ƃbres in refractory construction 4 pages, English, German, French, Spanish An information brochure by vhi, summarizing the effects of adding steel fibres to refractory linings. Also included is information on the types, dimensions and alloys of the standard steel fibres supplied by the company.

Contact: E-mail:

MPT International 2 / 2014

www.vhi-gmbh.com office@vhi-gmbh.com

Metallurgical Plant and Technology

Metalurgia, Processos e Tecnologias

MetalĂźrji Prosesleri ve Tesisleri

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the leading technical journal for the global iron & steel industry

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››› IN THE NEXT ISSUE…

Steelmaking Start-up of the TSR converter plant for stainless steel production at Taishan Iron & Steel Co., China In June 2013, Shangdong Taishan Iron & Steel Corporation commissioned three modernized 70 t GOR converters. Since the modernization, the implemented advanced process control model has covered all special working conditions such as high carbon content and low temperature of the utilized hot metal, reliably ensuring a high degree of productivity and excellent quality. The operational cost have also been dramatically reduced.

Micro steel mill project realized in Iceland In Iceland, a compact steel meltshop has been commissioned. The plant comprises a modern EAF with 15 t (20 t) capacity equipped with ultra-high performance electrode control and a single-strand continuous caster. The blooms and mini slabs are directly used as electrodes for the aluminium melting industries. The initial capacity of the meltshop is only 40,000 t/ year, matching regional scrap availability and market requirements.

Hot rolling – Reheating Three new walking beam furnaces for MMK’s hot strip mill This article provides an overview of the technical solutions adopted in the design of the three new 370 t/h walking beam furnaces for MMK Magnitogorsk (Russian Federation) and illustrates how the project was carried out.

Service – Special equipment Building a new plant structure in almost no time If investment projects require new factory buildings, a minimized intervention time is a key target of the project. Shutdown time can be saved by having project phases take place simultaneously, e.g. engineering planning, off-site pre-fabrication of foundation blocks and on-site work by highly specialized working teams. The use of pre-assembled foundation blocks that have been manufactured beforehand enables the reconstruction to be completed within an extremely small time window.

This preview may be subject to change.

Published by: Verlag Stahleisen GmbH P.O. Box 10 51 64, 40042 Düsseldorf, Germany

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MPT International 2 / 2014

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With the exception of statutory allowable cases, utilization without the consent of the publishers is a punishable offence. This is particularly applicable to reproductions, translations, microfilming and storing and processing in electronic systems.

Upon acceptance for publication, the author agrees to grant, transfer and assign to the publisher all exclusive rights to publish the work during the lifetime of the copyright. In particular, the publisher will have full authority and power to reproduce the work for commercial purposes in copies of any form (microfilm, photocopy, CD-ROM, or other means) and/or to store the work in electronic or other databases.

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