MPT International 5/2015 (Oct)

Metallurgical Plant and Technology G 25074

ISSN 0935-7254

Sophisticated EAF control system implemented at ABS, Italy

5

October 2015

Vertical continuous caster for blooms in operation at Timken Steel Faircrest works

Creating solid value…

Fascinating continuous casting Intelligent continuous casting is what you get from the expertise and creativity of our engineers. There is a direct relationship between the quality of your slabs and the quality of your final products. That’s why opting for SMS group top technology is as good as gold for you.

Take for instance our Intelligent Slab Casting Technology

(ISC) that links cooling and dynamic soft reduction with the drive design. This gives you 5 percent higher productivity than conventional plants. So the casting process creates what we all want – solid value.

SMS group – top technology for top products

SMS GROUP GMBH

Eduard-Schloemann-Strasse 4 40237 Düsseldorf, Germany

Phone: +49 211 881-0 Fax: +49 211 881-4902

communications@sms-group.com www.sms-group.com

EDITORIAL

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3

Production of quality grade steel The assertion that the profitable manufacture of value-added steel products must necessarily take not only the relevant economic factors into account is a truism. Profitability is dependent to an equal extent on highly efficient plants operated by experienced engineers and well-trained staff. Among the most important efficiency parameters in EAF steelmaking are energy consumption and tap-to-tap time, both of which decisively influence transformation costs. These topics are examined in articles published in this issue, the first of which focuses on the new and innovative process control system successfully installed

by Italian steel producer Acciaierie Bertoli Safau (ABS) in its EAF meltshop in order to further optimize its production chain. The benefits anticipated include significant decreases in both consumption of electrical energy and in power-on time, shortening the payback period to less than a year. Additional gains will accrue in the form of carbon credits resulting from the reduction of the plant’s environmental footprint. The highly dynamic integrated process control technology implemented at ABS is analyzed in a second article.

Dipl.-Ing. Arnt Hannewald

The emphasis in discussions of meltshop optimization is often placed exclusively on the metallurgical hardware. The furnace transformer should also be examined in detail, however. The design criteria for a furnace transformer are a trade-off between metallurgical requirements and loads, the feed network, layout issues and secondary system arrangements. An article in this issue describes typical solutions used to help find precisely the design that will assure both cost-efficiency and maximum reliability simultaneously.

Production of premium-quality grades is a subject that is always in vogue. MPT’s articles again feature a selection of the most exciting production sites incorporating recently commissioned new or modernized facilities. Timken Steel’s new vertical continuous caster for blooms, for example, has now been in operation for twelve months. The aim of this investment project was the elimination of a large proportion of ingot casting, in order to improve productivity and product yield while nonetheless maintaining the company’s world-leading quality standards across a broad range of engineered steels. In the field of flat steel products, Slovenian steelmaker Acroni has started production of X120 Mn12 wear-resistant grades on a comprehensively modernized continuous slab-casting machine. The quality of the initial results obtained at both plants is highly encouraging.

This issue also contains numerous other examples of how to reach out for profitable manufacture of value-added steel products. The secret is: Always keep one step ahead of the competition!

MPT International 5 / 2015

State-of-the-art direct and indirect firing, controlled atmosphere heating systems, covering a wide range of industrial furnace applications from reheating to heat treatment processes for steel, aluminum and copper production.

Four significant references out of total 238 VALLOUREC & MANNESMANN Projects including reheating furnaces and four heat treating furnaces with direct and indirect firing systems by means of high-waste gases recirculation fans, completed with in-house developed quenching system for pipes O.D. ranging from 4 to 16�.

Reheating systems

RIVA ACCIAI ITALY 350-tph walking beam furnace for 270-mm thick slabs running coke oven or natural gas equipped with MAB flameless proprietary patented burners.

Ultra-low NOx emissions down to 65 mg/Nm3, low gas consumption below 270 kcal/kg.

Danieli Headquarters 33042 Buttrio (Udine) Italy Tel (39) 0432.1958111

DANIELI CENTRO COMBUSTION ULTRA-LOW NOX HEATING SYSTEMS FOR AN EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE STEEL INDUSTRY > Temperature uniformity 10 °C > Oxidation < 0.5 % > Emission level 30 PPM

ACCIAIERIA ARVEDI ITALY Latest generation vertical furnace for DP and TRIP steel strip equipped with proprietary premix burners, self-recuperative burners in 2P Inconel radiant tubes and rapid cooling in controlled atmosphere up to 110 °C/s.

Gas consumption 16-20 Nm3/t for commercial steel grades production.

DANIELI TEAM A CENTURY OF PARTNERSHIP EXPERIENCE

OMK RUSSIA Two 230-m-long, roller hearth tunnel furnaces for twin continuos casting lines, with slab handling shuttles.

570 t/h productivity for 80-mm thick, 1570 mm wide slabs in low carbon and HSLA steels.

www.danieli.com

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â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş CONTENTS

Ironmaking 30

World DRI production tops 74.5 million t The prospects for DRI production continue to be positive as demand increases and as new and low-cost energy sources become available for DRI production

Steelmaking 32

Sophisticated control system implemented at the meltshop of ABS, Italy ABS successfully installed the innovative Q-Melt process control system. The expected results are a reduction in energy consumption and in power-on time

34

Coverphoto: Danieli Drawn Sizing Mill â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hot testing at the Danieli Research Centre before shipping to the customer. Original sizing mill concept that rolls rounds and squares within an extra narrow dimensional range and ovality-free Danieli & C. S.p.A., Buttrio, Italy Contact: www.danieli.com E-mail: info@danieli.com

Integrated process control supervisor for EAF meltshops The growing complexity of the EAF process requires control strategies that take into consideration the dynamics of the system, and involving adaptation of the static preset operating points in real-time

36

Design criteria for furnace transformers used in steel plants The design criteria for a furnace transformer are always a trade-off between the metallurgical requirements and loads, feeding network, layout issues and secondary system arrangements

Environmental protection 40 0 GY V[RG QH QHH ICU Ć&#x201A;NVGT HQT XCEWWO steel degassing plants Compared to conventional round sleeve filters, flat sleeve filters require only half the height and half the filter volume

Continuous casting

Tube and pipe making

44

49

Acroni produces X120 Mn12 grade slabs with superior internal and surface quality The modernized continuous caster of the Slovenian steelmaker produces an expanded range of grades.

The company continues to invest in new plants

46

Vertical continuous casting machine for large blooms Timken Steelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new casting machine at the Faircrest steel plant has been in operation for one year. First quality results are encouraging

Al Gharbia Pipe Company launches C ITGGPĆ&#x201A;GNF RTQLGEV KP #DW &JCDK The new large-diameter pipe production facility with a capacity of 240,000 t per year will start producing in 2018

Hot rolling 50

Start-up of the modernized blooming mill at Acciaierie Venete in Italy The mill now allows for greater reduction of cross-sections and in this way for further improvement of bloomsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; metallurgical properties

Interview

Cold rolling

52

60

60 years of intelligent solutions for rolling mills and strip processing lines Let us look 60 years back in time with the managing director of BWG, Dr. Andreas NoĂŠ. He explains the breakthrough technologies developed by BWG, which are well reputed worldwide in industry

MPT International 5 / 2015

High-performance grinding machine for roll shops Featuring a highly specialized design, the first machine of this new type has been supplied to the Chinese Baosteel Group

60

44 46

52

Columns 10

International industry news

70

Literature service

66

Technical innovations

72

In the next issue

69

Cartoon

72

Imprint

Advertisers’ index ABB AB 51 Arabian German for Exhibition Ltd. 27 Association for Iron & Steel Technology 16 Aumund Fördertechnik GmbH 13 BEDA-Oxygentechnik Armaturen GmbH 57 Boldrocchi srl 11 Braun Maschinenfabrik Gesellschaft m.b.H. 43 BWG Bergwerk- und WalzwerkMaschinenbau GmbH 39 CMI INDUSTRY SA Metals 65 Combilift Ltd Co 14 Danieli S.P.A. 4, 5 Deutsche Edelstahlwerke GmbH 15

framag Industrieanlagenbau GmbH 23 GSB Group GmbH 43 INTECO melting and casting technologies GmbH 12 JATO-Düsenbau AG 21 Kaigo Co., Ltd. 33 KELLER HCW 28 Maschinenfabrik Köppern GmbH & Co. KG 24 Morgardshammar AB 41 Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH 8, 9 RV Rheinbraun GmbH 63, 64 Saar-Metallwerke GmbH 22 SGL CARBON GmbH 75

Siempelkamp Maschinen -und Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG 59 SMS group GmbH 2 STEIN INJECTION TECHNOLOGY GmbH 17 TML Technik GmbH 31 ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG 29 ThyssenKrupp Uhde Engineering Services GmbH 53, 54 Steel Institute VDEh 73 Ventilatorenfabrik Oelde GmbH 25 Verlag Stahleisen GmbH 33, 38, 67 PAUL WURTH S.A. 19, 20

MPT International 5 / 2015

WE ARE PRODUCING IN ENDLESS MODE FROM ULTRA-THIN TO THICK.“ Giovanni Arvedi · Cavaliere del Lavoro

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10

››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

The Americas

decision does also not impact Fairfield Tubular Operations and the electric arc furnace construction project at Fairfield.

U. S. Steel places order for EAF and vacuum tank degasser. United States Steel is going to build an electric arc furnace at its Fairfield works in Alabama. SMS USA was selected as the supplier of the 1.6 million t/year EAF. The order includes engineering and supply of the furnace, gas cleaning and material handling equipment, including electrics and automation.

Additionally, a vacuum tank degassing facility, equipped with advanced mechanical pumps, is included in the supply. The pumping system will be designed and assembled in Tarcento, Italy by SMS Concast. Several safety-related technologies will be incorporated into both operating facilities.

new mill, to be set up in Durant, Oklahoma, will mirror CMC’s existing micro mill in Mesa, Arizona, however, with improved technology developed from CMC’s operating experience with the first mill in operation since 2009. The new micro mill will consist of a system for continuous scrap feeding, an AC electric arc furnace, a ladle furnace with double ladle, ladle lifting and automatic inert gas hookup, an alloy system, fume treatment plant, a single-strand continuous casting machine, an induction furnace and a continuous horizontal/vertical rolling mill. Also a quenching and tempering line for all rebar product to greatly reduce alloy use in the meltshop and an ultra-compact finishing end system will be supplied by Danieli.

Danieli Automation will provide the complete electrical package including an innovative automation system for data analysis and reporting. The Oklahoma micro mill is expected to be commissioned in the autumn of 2017.

USA

USA

SDI to install coil coating line.

Fata Hunter has been awarded a contract from Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) to supply a complete double coat continuous coil coating line for steel to be installed in their Columbus, Mississippi facility.

The line is scheduled to start up in the 4th quarter of 2016. It will process cold rolled, galvanized, pickled hot band and Galvalume® steel coils with a maximum width of 1,830 mm and a maximum base metal of 2 mm. The line incorporates Fata Hunter’s patented single slide coating machines with closed-loop force control including dry paint thickness gauge feedback for paint thickness control. The Fata Hunter Clean AirTM oven system, in combination with the roll-on pre-treatment chemical coater and afterburner system, will minimize the environmental impact of the line and meet SDI’s rigorous sustainability standards.

Big River Steel awards water treatment plant order. Big River Steel (BRS), located in Osceola, Arkansas, has awarded the contract for the water treatment plant package for its steel plant to Russula. The plant will handle the water treatment of the steel making area, the RH degasser, gas cleaning plant, casters, tunnel furnaces, CSP mill, pickling line/tandem cold mill, skin pass mill, continuous galvanizing line, batch annealing and all the auxiliaries. This will involve a maximum total flow of approximately 60,000 m3/h for the first phase of the project. Russula will be responsible for all civil, mechanical and electrical design, mechanical and electrical equipment, installation supervision, commissioning and training, and plans to commission the project within 14 months from the award date.

USA

USA

CMC to build second micro mill.

Commercial Metals Company will build a second Danieli micro mill. The

Nucor Steel to retrofit cooling system. Nucor will retrofit their Tuscaloosa Steckel mill in Alabama

Canada Essar Steel Algoma to expand direct strip production complex.

Essar Steel Algoma is embarking on a modernization and expansion programme to include the construction of the No. 2 ladle metallurgy furnace and an upgrade and expansion of the direct strip production complex. Engineering and design work is already under way, and construction will begin on several components of the project immediately. While some of the projects will be completed within 18 months, the entire optimization and renewal programme will be complete by 2022.

Canada Evraz Regina to upgrade steel mill. Evraz Regina has awarded Primetals Technologies an order to upgrade their steel mill in Regina, Saskatchewan. The project encompasses a complete mechanical, electrical and automation solution aimed at improving the quality from the liquid steel to the finished coil. It also includes the installation of a new vacuum degasser as well as the modernization of the existing slab caster and the plate and Steckel mills.

The new equipment is scheduled to be installed by the fourth quarter of 2016.

USA U. S. Steel proposes permanent closure of facilities in Alabama.

United States Steel intends to permanently close its blast furnace and associated steelmaking operations, along with most of the flat-rolled finishing operations at Fairfield works in Fairfield, Alabama. In addition to the blast furnace and steelmaking operations, the hot strip mill, the pickle line, cold mill, annealing facility and stretch and temper line will be permanently closed.

The slab and rounds casters, the No. 5 coating line and the Double G hot-dip galvanizing joint venture in nearby Jackson, Miss. will continue to operate. The MPT International 5 / 2015

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THE

Edition 1/1

TECHNOLOGIST CONTINUOUS CASTING

with the innovative Exstream cooling system developed by Danieli. The system will be designed to perform in-line quenching of strips and plates rolled by the Steckel mill in combination with the existing laminar cooling system. The thickness range to be treated by the new Exstream cooling system will be 4.76 to 63.6 mm and the width range between 1,220 and 2,438 mm.

The Exstream cooling system for Nucor Tuscaloosa is the first direct quenching system ever installed in a Steckel mill. Danieli will be responsible for the supply of the complete mechanical equipment along with level 1 and level 2 automation systems. The quenching system is planned to be installed in March 2016.

USA

The INTECO Group offers continuous casting machines for long products as well as special solutions for the production of special steels. The SRUWIROLR FRYHUV FRPSOHWH JUHHQ ¿HOG SURMHFWV DQG UHYDPSV RI H[LVWLQJ casters. INTECOâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s competence center for casting, INTECO TBR, offers EDVHG RQ LWV ORQJ WHUP H[SHULHQFH LQ HQJLQHHULQJ DQG GHVLJQ RI LQGLYLGXal bloom casters, tailor-made solutions for all kinds of steel producers.

Bloom and Billet Casters The continuous casting of blooms has become a well-established technology for the production of semis for high-quality applications. Similarly, continuous casting of billets is the basis for highly productive steelmaking.

Steel Dynamics idles Minnesota operations. Steel Dynamics plans to idle its Minnesota ironmaking operations located in Chisholm and Hoyt Lakes, MN. These operations are comprised of a jointly-owned iron concentrate production facility (Mining Resources) and a jointly-owned iron nugget production facility (Mesabi Nugget).

Management and the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board of directors have elected to idle the operations for an initial twenty-four month period given the continued significant decline in pig iron pricing, which has resulted in the cost of iron nugget production being meaningfully higher than product selling values. The Minnesota operations had been intended to serve as a hedge to high pig iron and scrap prices.

INTECO TBR supplies robust continuous casting machines with higKHVW TXDOLW\ RI WKH ¿QDO SURGXFW ORZ PDLQWHQDQFH UHTXLUHPHQWV DQG KLJK operator friendliness.

Design Criteria Â&#x2021; %RZ W\SH RU YHUWLFDO EHQGLQJ PDFKLQHV Â&#x2021; 0RGXODU GHVLJQ ZLWK WKH SURYLVLRQV IRU XSJUDGLQJ IHDWXUHV RI WKH caster at a later stage Â&#x2021; 2SHUDWRU IULHQGO\ FDVWLQJ Ã&#x20AC;RRU Â&#x2021; $GYDQFHG PRXOG OHYHO FRQWURO VROXWLRQ Â&#x2021; 4XLFN FKDQJH RI PRXOG DQG VHJPHQWV Â&#x2021; +LJK SUHFLVLRQ UREXVW PRXOG RVFLOODWRU Â&#x2021; 0RXOG DQG ¿QDO VWLUUHU Â&#x2021; '\QDPLF VHFRQGDU\ FRROLQJ ZDWHU DQG DLU PLVW

Â&#x2021; &XVWRPL]HG UXQ RXW DUHD FRQ¿JXUDWLRQ Â&#x2021; 5LJLG FRROLQJ EHG Â&#x2021; 3HUIRUPDQFH DVVXUDQFH E\ LQWHJUDWHG DXWRPDWLRQ V\VWHP Â&#x2021; +LJKHVW ¿QDO SURGXFW TXDOLW\ E\ TXDOLW\ PRGXOHV RI WKH /HYHO automation Special Casting Applications &RQWLQXRXV FDVWLQJ PDFKLQHV IRU VSHFLDO WHFKQLTXHV VXFK DV KRUL]RQWDO RU YHUWLFDO FDVWLQJ URXQG XS WKH SURGXFW SRUWIROLR LQ WKH ¿HOG RI WKH SURGXFWLRQ RI VSHFLDO VWHHOV $ Ã&#x20AC;H[LEOH DQG LQWHOOLJHQW GHVLJQ DQG WKH LPSOHPHQWDWLRQ RI FXVWRPHU GHPDQGV HPSKDVL]H RXU FRPSHWHQFH LQ WKLV product segment.

USA Steel Dynamics to build paint line and expand Galvalume capability. Steel Dynamics will expand its offering of value-added flat roll steel products through the addition of painting and Galvalume capabilities at its Columbus, Mississippi steel mill. The investment is considered a strategic step toward further diversification into higher-margin products. The additional width capability and vacuum degassing equipment at the Columbus steel mill enable Steel Dynamics to further diversify its pre-painted product offerings. Steel Dynamics already has two paint lines and the ability to produce Galvalume steel in Indiana. The Columbus investment will allow double-wide steel to be produced and sold into the southeastern markets, including Mexico. The most significant portion of the expansion will be the addition of a continuous coil painting line with an annual coating capacity of 250,000 t. Operations are expected to begin during the first quarter of 2017.

USA INTECO Group Wiener Strasse 25 8600 Bruck an der Mur Austria Phone: +43 (0) 3862 53110-0 Fax: +43 (0) 3862 53844 inteco.austria@inteco.at www.inteco.at

Gerdau employs robot for meltshop applications. Gerdau has ordered the PolyEYE meltshop robot

W E from Polytec for its plant in Petersburg, Virginia. PolyEYE is a fully automatic cell for furnace inspection. It automatically enters the furnace and inspects it with its cameras to evaluate the status of cooling panels and bricks and prevent water leakages for an overall increase of safety. The arrangement of the camera arm guarantees a 360° view of the interior of the furnace.

Besides robots for meltshops, Polytec offers robots for the complete production process, from raw materials to the finished product, including robots for EAF sampling and measurement, a robotized cell for sample analysis and a robot for opening clogged EBT holes.

C O N V E Y

Q U A L I T Y

Conveying and Cooling for the Iron and Steel Industry

Asia China Nisco installs control and automation system.

TMEIC has delivered its latest control and automation system, TM Advanced Control Solutions (TMACS), to Nanjing Iron and Steel for use in its green-field heavy plate mill in Nanjing. The supply included installation supervision of the automation equipment, commissioning, startup and system performance optimization. TMACS uses a high-speed optical network and shared memory to tightly integrate all control functions, including level 1 PLC control, level 2 supervisory control, rolling mill models, operator interfaces and field-mounted I/O.

China Fuxin to install grinding plant for stainless steel slabs. Formosa Group has ordered a new grinding plant for conditioning of 300 and 400 series stainless steel slabs from Danieli Centro Maskin. The plant will be installed at the Fujian Fuxin Stainless Steel Plant, a subsidiary of Formosa Group located in Zhangzhou, Fujian province. Designed with CastGrind technology to operate in hot conditions with slab temperatures up to 800°C, the plant consists of two 315 kW main grinders and a 160 kW slab edge grinder. All grinding units are equipped with the Danieli Centro Maskin HiGrind system to control the consistency of material removal depth and to accurately and reliably control all processing and safety functions.

China Tianjin General Shengyuan to deploy logistics management systems. Tianjin General Shengyuan, a joint venture majority-owned by General Steel Holdings, has signed a letter of intent with Tewoo Group. Under the terms of the LoI, General Shengyuan will upgrade Tewoo Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logistic management system and integrate RFID technology, video monitoring, wire and wireless com-

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

munications, and other information technologies for steel logistics management. Tewoo Group’s ultimate goal is to create a unified platform for steel logistics management that allows realtime visibility throughout its more than 100 centres nation-wide.

China Baotou signs technical support contract. Fives and Baotou Steel have signed a ten-year technical support contract for the development and production of a wide range of high value-added automotive steels. Fives will provide high-end technological and process expertise covering steel making, hot rolling, pickling, cold rolling, annealing and galvanizing. The cooperation agreement includes extensive training, high-level technical support, development and certification, all supported by quality expert systems developed by Fives KEODS.

India

India

Tata Steel to implement scheduling solution in new steel plant.

PSI has received an order from Tata Steel India to provide the PSImetals scheduling solution to optimize the production programmes at the new Tata plant in Kalinganagar. The newly built integrated steel plant will produce 6 million t/year of high-quality flat steel. The standard software PSImetals with its components Online Heat Scheduler, Caster Scheduler und Line Scheduler will support Tata Steel to schedule the steel melt shop, continuous casting and hot rolling.

The extension of the PSI solution to an envisaged cold rolling mill and other plant extensions are already part of the initial concept. During the installation of PSImetals, the special requirements of a green field implementation like the learning curve of the planning staff or the continuous development of the product mix will be considered.

Rourkela Steel Plant to build hot strip mill. Primetals Technologies will supply a hot strip mill with an annual production capacity of 3 million t for the Rourkela Steel Plant of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). The order has been received by a consortium of Mitsubishi Corporation and Larsen & Toubro. Mitsubishi Corporation will be responsible for the project management as a consortium leader, and L & T will undertake civil construction, erection and local supply. Primetals Technologies’ scope of supply includes designing and engineering of the entire plant as well as supply of main mechanical equipment. Hitachi Limited will design, engineer and supply electrical equipment and the automation systems.

The equipment supplied by Primetals Technologies will include a reheating furnace, a single-stand roughing mill, a seven-stand finishing mill, two down coilers, auxiliary systems and equip-

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INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS ment for the roll workshop. Four stands of the finishing mill will be equipped with pair cross technology, i.e. the upper and lower work and back-up rolls are crossed toward each other pairwise.

This permits optimum adjustment of the roll gap contour and thus a fine control of the strip profile. The rolling mill is due to be handed over to SAIL at the end April 2018.

Indonesia KNSS to build new processing line. KNSS (Krakatau Nippon Steel Sumikin), a joint venture of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation and PT Krakatau Steel, will build a new plant in the Krakatau Industrial Estate Cilegon, Banten province. The joint venture was formed to manufacture and sell automotive flat steel products.

The new plant will consist of a galvanizing, annealing and processing line, integrating the functions of a contin-

uous annealing line and a continuous galvanizing line, to manufacture highgrade cold-rolled, hot-dip galvanized and galvannealed steel sheets to Indonesian automakers.

Iran Iritec places order for ore beneficiation plant. Outotec has been awarded a contract by Iran International Engineering Company (Iritec) to deliver process technology for the new iron ore beneficiation plant of the Khorasan Steel Complex. Outotec’s scope of delivery includes the process technology for the complete beneficiation plant and the entire value chain from raw material testing, process development to concentration and dewatering. Outotec will also be responsible for the basic engineering and advisory services for detail engineering, construction and commissioning. The annual capacity of the beneficiation

Steel for wind power plants.

15 billion rotations into the future.

Your life. Our steel. Gear transmissions in wind turbines need to work in all weathers, whatever the wind force, and even offshore exposed to seawater.

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

‹‹‹

15

News in brief Hoesch Hohenlimburg, Germany, has successfully revamped the drive trains of the first two finishing stands of its hot strip mill.

Danieli Transmissions designed and supplied new gearboxes, safety couplings and oil-lubricated spindles.

Schaeffler Asia Pacific has attained Schaeffler Technological Centre (STC) certification for its Bangkok office in Thailand. STC are local centres of technical excellence focusing on the region they are located in.

Amag, Austria, has signed the FAC for the 80 MN plate stretcher supplied by Danieli. The machine is used to process medium-thickness plates in alloys ranging from series 1xxx to 7xxx.

16

››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

plant will be 2.5 million t of pellet feed grade iron ore concentrate. The plant is slated to be commissioned in 2017.

under the project which is scheduled for completion in December 2015.

United Arab Emirates Thailand N.T.S. to modernize EAF. N.T.S. Steel Group, a subsidiary of Tata Steel, has awarded Primetals Technologies an order to modernize its electric arc furnace in Chonburi. The furnace will be equipped with a new electrode control system, foaming slag managing system and a refined combined burner system. These measures are intended to reduce electricity and electrode consumption and improve productivity through reduced tapping times. In future, electrode control will be handled

by Primetals Technologies’ arc control optimizing system. Using an industrial PC as a platform, this system has self-adapting algorithms, and makes melt profiles available automatically.

The hydraulic system for the electrode lifting columns will also be modified

Al Gharbia to build production facility for large pipes. Al Gharbia Pipe Company has awarded the consortium of Larsen & Toubro and SMS group, as the EPC contractor, with an order for the supply of a turn-key LSAW (longitudinal submerged arc welded) pipe production facility. SMS group will be responsible for the engineering and supply of process equipment for the large-diameter pipe production facility to be built in Abu Dhabi. Larsen & Toubro will be responsible for the civil works and erection of the equipment. The new LSAW largepipe production facility, which will be located within the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi, will start producing in 2018. Material grades up to X80 will be processed at a production capacity of 240,000 t/year. The new line will be

designed to make pipes up to 12.2 m long with an outside diameter ranging from 450 to 1,422 mm. The maximum wall thickness will be 44.5 millimetres.

SMS group will supply all key machinery as well as the process equipment.

The line will consist of an edge miller, a crimping press, a JCOE® pipe forming press, tack welder, inside and outside welder, mechanical expander and a hydrostatic pipe tester.

Europe Austria Voestalpine invests in new continuous caster. Voestalpine is going to build a new continuous caster at its Linz site. With a capacity of 1.2 million t/year, the new continuous cast 8 (CC8) will take over around one fifth of all steel slab production at the site and replace continuous caster 3. The new single-strand caster will be designed

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MPT International 5 / 2015

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INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS to cast slabs with a thickness of up to 225 mm and a width of between 800 to 1,820 mm. Future adaptations will allow casting of slabs with a thickness of up to 285 mm. The slabs will be made of high-strength steel grades, ultra-low carbon steels with the most stringent of surface requirements for the automotive industry, and electric steel grades.

Germany Rogesa to modernize blast furnace equipment. Primetals Technologies has received an order from Rogesa Roheisengesellschaft Saar in Dillingen to modernize the electrical, measuring, analytical, and automation equipment in conjunction with the relining of blast furnace 4. The project involves equipping the blast furnace with a new control system based on Simatic PCS7, new automation and new switchgear. The existing field devices will be replaced, and the cabling renewed. Primetals Technologies will

also be responsible for hardware planning. Bähr Anlagentechnik will lead an external consortium that will install the electrical equipment.

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since the pilot plant was built in 2010.

HIsarna is a Tata Steel and Rio Tinto initiative, with close cooperation from European steel producers ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp and Voestalpine and technology supplier Paul Wurth.

The Netherlands EU supports testing of HIsarna pilot plant. The European Union has agreed to contribute 7.4 million euros towards testing a new iron production process being developed at Tata Steel’s IJmuiden steelworks in The Netherlands. The six-month test campaign of the HIsarna pilot plant in 2016 will establish whether the new technology can produce molten iron in a stable way over a sustained period of time.

The main advantage of HIsarna technology is that it eliminates two energy-intensive preparatory stages in ironmaking. There is no need to cluster fine iron ore into sinter or pellet or to convert coal into coke, as there is in conventional blast furnace ironmaking. Next year’s test campaign is the fifth series of tests

Poland ArcelorMittal Poland to make major investment in Krakow facilities. ArcelorMittal Poland is planning a major investment in the primary operations of their Krakow plant.

The projects covered by the investment include the preparations for the relining of blast furnace No. 5, which is coming to the end of its lifecycle in mid-2016, and modernization of the basic oxygen furnace No. 3. Additional projects in the downstream operations will also be implemented. These include the extension of the hot rolling mill capacity by 0.9 million t/year and increasing the hot-dip galvanizing capacity by 0.4 million t/year.

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MPT International 5 / 2015

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

News in brief DNSTEEL, Vietnam, has commissioned an electrode regulating system installed by Danieli Automation in the plant’s existing EAF. Corpacam, Guatemala, has started up its new medium and small section mill. AIC supplied the complete rolling mill automation from the reheating furnace to the cooling bed area.

JSPL Angul, India, has successfully commissioned the high-speed eight-strand billet caster supplied

by SMS group.

Ningbo Zhehua Heavy Steel Pipe Manufacturing, China, has successfully completed trial production on its two cold-rolling and processing lines, which have a capacity of 100,000 and 200,000 t/year respectively.

Acciaierie Venete, Italy, has issued the FAC for a blooming mill extensively modernized by Primetals Technologies at its Camin location.

Russia NLMK continues installation of PCI at blast furnaces. NLMK has launched a project to build a second pulverized coal injection (PCI) complex at its Lipetsk site. When the project is complete, this technology will cover more than 90% of the company’s blast furnace facilities. Paul Wurth is in charge of supplying the technology, engineering and main process equipment; whilst Lipetsk-based Gipromez is the general planner for the project.

NLMK obtained the necessary construction permit in July this year, and is now preparing for construction and assembly works at the complex that will cover the largest blast furnaces of the plant, namely blast furnace No. 6, which has a capacity of 3.1 million t/ year, and blast furnace No. 7 with a capacity of 4.3 million t/year. Start-up is scheduled for the second half of 2017.

Russia MMK to build new continuous galvanizing line. Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) and SMS group have concluded a supply contract for equipment for a new contin-

uous galvanizing line. The production capacity of the new plant will be more than 360,000 t/year. The first coil of galvanized steel is expected to be rolled in just two years. According to the contract, SMS group will not only supply the required equipment, spare parts, and technical documentation to MMK, but will also render training and programming services, supervise the erection and prepare the plant for commissioning. The line will be arranged on site at strip rolling plant No. 11, which accommodates MMK’s Cold Mill 2000 state-of-the-art cold rolling complex.

Russia NLMK reconstructs coke and chemical operations. NLMK has begun reconstruction of the chemical shop of its Coke and Chemical Operations at the Lipetsk production site. The project will significantly improve coke gas cleaning efficiency, halve air emissions from the chemical shop and provide a 10% increase in chemical product output from coke gas processing.

Coke and Chemical Operations consist of a coke shop, where coke is produced through heating coal, and a chemical

STAHL 2015 – Setting the course for tomorrow 12 November 2015 Düsseldorf, Germany Organizers: Steel Institute VDEh and the German Steel Federation www.stahl-online.de; www.stahl2015.de “Setting the course for tomorrow”, the motto of STAHL 2015 refers to current decisions and developments affecting steel and the steel industry. Focusing on trends and prospects, speakers will, among other things, examine opportunities and challenges of digitalization, requirements resulting from the energy transition and trade policy challenges in global foreign trade. Further topics discussed will be regulations involved in environmental, climate and resource policies and their implications as well as the contribution made by steel solutions to modern infrastructure.

The papers will be presented in six conference sessions, the “Talks about steel”: ▪ On the path to Steel 4.0 ▪ Innovative rolled steel products for the energy transition ▪ Foreign trade under new conditions ▪ Future requirements from environmental, climate and resource policy ▪ Steel solutions for a modern infrastructure ▪ Energy efficiency in steel production The traditional “Steel get-together” will conclude the conference day.

MPT International 5 / 2015

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INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS shop. In the chemical shop, coke offgas is purified from coking products, including naphthalene, resins, ammonia, etc. for use as fuel in coke furnaces and NLMK’s combined heat and power plant. Products extracted from gas are processed into benzene, ammonia sulphate, toluene, etc. The new shop will be designed to process 140,000 m³/h of coke gas.

Russia Severstal to invest in steel production assets. Severstal has invested in the upgrading and retrofitting of production units and the implementation of environmental control measures. The investments comprise the technical upgrade of the four-stand continuous tandem cold rolling mill 1700. This project will increase production of cold-rolled flat products by 200,000 t/year and increase sales to the automotive industry. The filtration plant will be reconstructed to improve the environmental impact.

Severstal has also invested in development projects. The largest of these is the construction of a third metal poly mer coating complex. The complex will include a continuous hot-dip galvanizing unit with 400,000 t/year capacity and a metal polymer coating unit with a capacity of 200,000 t/year.

In 2016 – 2018, the Cherepovets mill’s No. 4 coke oven battery will be refurbished and auxiliary facilities modernized. The company also plans to construct a ladle furnace complex for steel production. In long steel production, it is planned to build a second unit producing grinding balls.

Slovenia Acroni orders AOD converter and dedusting system. Acroni, a member of Slovenian Steel Group (SIJ), has awarded Primetals Technologies an order to supply a new 95 t AOD converter and a dedusting system for its steel works in Jesenice.

Until now, the crude steel has been produced in an electric arc furnace and decarburized in a VOD converter with a capacity of 90 t. As the duration of

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treatment is significantly longer than for carbon steels, this plant configuration represents a bottleneck in the stainless steel production. That bottleneck will be eliminated by installing an AOD converter, which will increase both the production capacity and the flexibility of the steel works.

Primetals Technologies will be responsible for the design and manufacturing of the key components of the AOD converter and the dedusting system, and will supervise their construction and commissioning. The new material handling system for the converter will be integrated into the existing system. The scope of supply also includes a process automation system specifically designed for AOD converters.

The project will be handled in a consortium with the Slovenian company Esotech, which will be responsible for the structural steelwork, plant construction and supply of the water treatment plant. The new equipment is scheduled to come on stream in early 2017.

Spain ArcelorMittal Asturias to modernize walking beam furnace.

SMS group has been awarded a new contract by ArcelorMittal Asturias.

The contract covers the revamping of the 150 t/h walking beam furnace in the wire rod mill. The project mainly consists in redesigning the combustion equipment from 100% natural gas operation to a system also allowing the combustion of blast furnace top gas. This will provide the flexibility to use a mixed fuel of variable percentages of natural gas and blast furnace top gas. The BF top gas will be preheated in a newly to be installed recuperator. The technical approach has been jointly developed by SMS and ArcelorMittal engineers during several months of close collaboration, balancing the various needs of saving fuel, decreasing pollutants emission and accomplishing the complete revamping job in the shortest time possible. The combustion system will be constantly supervised by PrometheusTM, a combustion optimization system recently developed by SMS group. This system allows targeted improvements of the MPT International 5 / 2015

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

metallurgical properties and reduce fuel consumption. The furnace will be fully operational after just one month of mill stoppage.

Sweden Ovako to downsize tube production. In response to lower demand for tube products, Ovako plans to move from four shifts to three in the production of hot-rolled and processed tube at the mill in Hofors. Negotiations with the local trade unions on downsizing the workforce have already commenced. The lower demand for tube does not affect Ovako’s market outlooks for the group as a whole.

Sweden Uddeholm orders second ESR plant. After the successful signing of the final acceptance certificate for the

first 30 t ESR plant, Uddeholm has recently placed a follow-up order with Inteco for a second remelting furnace. The second plant will be an exact copy of the first one, which has been successfully in operation since last April. It will also come with a static mould configuration allowing protective gas operation within a pressure range of up to 3 bar.

ized that it needed to improve operational efficiency to resist the competitive pressures in the global market.

The Quintiq solution will help LKAB to manage and plan drivers, locomotives and wagons more efficiently from its mines in Kiruna, Malmberget and Svappavaara to its two terminals in Luleå and Narvik (Norway).

Sweden

Turkey

LKAB selects solution for ore transport planning. Swedish mining company Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag (LKAB) has selected Quintiq to provide a transport planning solution for its mining operations in northern Sweden. LKAB is the world’s second largest producer of iron ore pellets. Prior to engaging Quintiq, LKAB relied on Excel spreadsheets and the help of external parties to plan the transportation of iron ore between its terminals. But as operations grew and complexity increased, LKAB real-

Tezcan to build coating line.

Tezcan has contracted Danieli Wean to supply a new hot-dip coating line No. 3 and X-Jet air wiping equipment for the existing hot-dip galvanizing line No. 1 in their in Kocaeli plant. The new hot-dip coating line will be designed to produce 0.35 million t/year of finished coils. Being the first line in Turkey suitable to produce Galvalume® products, it will be equipped with a double entry end with electrical mash-seam welder and an entry vertical accumulator.

The final zinc thickness will be tight-

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MPT International 5 / 2015

INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS ly controlled by the innovative X-Jet wiping system from Danieli Kohler.

The strip will then be skin-passed for final roughness control, tension levelled and passivated. The order also includes the electrical and automation equipment to be provided by Danieli Automation. Installation is planned for the end of August 2016.

plied to increase the quality of the zinc coating process. The strip will be skinpassed, tension levelled and passivated. At the exit of the line the strip will be inspected by an in-line inspection station and rewound onto an exit recoiler. The supply scope also includes the electrical and automation equipment for the complete line. The installation of the line equipment is planned for the end of November 2016.

Turkey Tosyali Toyo signs contract for hot-dip galvanizing line. Tosyali Toyo has placed a contract with Danieli to supply a new hot-dip galvanizing line to be installed in their facility in Osmaniye. The new line will be designed to produce up to 0.45 million t/ year of finished coils in HSS grades. The annealing furnace supplied by Danieli Centro Combustion will be equipped with a free-flame section, â&#x20AC;&#x153;double-Pâ&#x20AC;? self-recuperative radiant tubes section and fast jet cooling section. A Danieli Kohler X-Jet wiping system will be sup-

Companies ArcelorMittal, LanzaTech and Primetals Technologies partner to build biofuel facility. Steelmaker ArcelorMittal, carbon recycling company LanzaTech and Primetals Technologies, technology and service provider to the iron and steel industry, have entered into a letter of intent to construct Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first-ever commercial scale production facility to create bioethanol from waste gases produced

â&#x20AC;šâ&#x20AC;šâ&#x20AC;š

during the steelmaking process. The envisaged capacity of 47,000 t/year ethanol will be sufficient to fuel half a million cars with ethanol blended gasoline. Approximately 50% of the carbon used in the chemistry of steelmaking leaves the process as carbon monoxide. Today, this waste gas stream is either flared or used to heat and power the steel mill. LanzaTechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology, however, recycles the waste gases and ferments them with a proprietary microbe to produce bioethanol.

LanzaTechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s carbon recycling technology was recently awarded the United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; highest green chemistry honour, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Presidential Green Chemistry Award. Primetals Technologies will be responsible for part of the engineering, automation, key equipment and commissioning.

SGL Group defines further strategic milestones. SGL Group has defined further strategic milestones to

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS secure long-term profitable growth. Firstly, an extensive growth initiative has been decided for the business units Graphite Materials & Systems (GMS) and Carbon Fibers & Materials (CFM), targeted to organically increase sales by approx. 50% by 2020 compared with 2014. In addition, selective accretive bolt-on acquisitions are planned to complement SGL Group’s portfolio in terms of technology and market positions. Secondly, the business unit Performance Products (PP) will become a separate legal entity within SGL Group. This measure will enable the unit to optimally adapt its business model to the changed market fundamentals especially in graphite electrodes. In addition, this step allows greater flexibility for various strategic options.

The business model of PP will be adapted towards standardized products for cyclical markets that show rather longterm growth potential. This is in response to the changed market conditions particularly for graphite electrodes.

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Midrex and SES expand alliance for coal gasification-based DRI solution. Midrex and Synthesis Energy Systems (SES) have signed a project alliance agreement that expands their exclusive relationship for integration and optimization of direct reduction ironmaking (DRI) technology using coal gasification. Midrex will take the lead in marketing, sales, proposal development and project execution for coal gasification DRI projects as part of the new project alliance. SES will provide the SES gasification technology for each project including engineering, key equipment and technical services.

These state-of-the-art facilities will seamlessly combine the Midrex® process using the MXCOL® configuration with the advanced fluidized bed SES gasification technology to create clean syngas from abundant, low quality, locally-sourced coals in order to convert iron ore into high-purity DRI.

Worldsteel position paper on steel’s contribution to low carbon society. The World Steel Association (worldsteel) has published a position paper on environmental change highlighting steel’s contribution to a low carbon society and the need for stronger partnerships between governments and the steel industry. According to that paper the steel industry’s central role in enabling many other industry sectors to mitigate CO2 emissions in their applications and products needs to be acknowledged. In order to achieve a low carbon society it is extremely important to have cohesive and consistent environment policies around the world. Secondly, governments should take into account the full life cycle of products when creating new regulations. This will help to create reliable and predictable frameworks for cost effective energy and environmental policies. Furthermore, governments should promote a circular economy approach leading to low waste, reduction in the amount of materials used and encouragement of reuse and recycling of all materials. Lastly, progress in breakthrough technology development in steelmaking should be maintained or accelerated requiring the financial burden to be shared by both government and the private sector.

I wear out fans in a flash!

Quaker acquires Verkol. Quaker Chemical Corporation has acquired Verkol, S.A., a specialty grease and lubricants manufacturer and marketer based in Spain. Verkol sells products into industrial end markets including the steel industry. The company also brings unique technology in continuous casting products. This transaction is consistent with Quaker’s strategy to expand its entry into specialty grease.

But not our fans.

Pruftechnik merges business units. Pruftechnik merges the business units Alignment Systems and Condition Monitoring under the umbrella of Pruftechnik Condition Monitoring GmbH. Managing directors are Dr Sebastian Busch (CEO) and Dr Thomas Rohe (COO). By merging the two business units the organizational structure is readjusted and more strongly oriented towards a common customer relationship. There will be no redundancies, including within Development and Production at the Ismaning headquarters. The product and service offering in the sectors of laser alignment and vibration measurement technology will continue to be further developed and expanded.

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Outokumpu relocates headquarters. Outokumpu will relocate its group headquarters from Niittykumpu, Espoo, to Salmisaari in Helsinki. Outokumpu moves to the new premises following the expiration of the current lease agreement. The relocation will also contribute to the ongoing cost saving efforts in the company.

Long service life High availability Extremely reliable

Combilift to build new manufacturing facility. Combilift, supplier of 4-way forklifts and other materials handling equipment, recently formally inaugurated the construction process of its 46,000 m² manufacturing facility and global HQ in Monaghan, Ireland. The site will house a multi-function facility including a dedicated R&D building, purpose built testing area and adjoining administration offices. The facility is larger than originally announced and the expansion will position Combilift to double its current turnover by 2020.

BlueScope undertakes strategy review. Financial year 2015 was BlueScope’s best profit performance since the impact of the financial crisis on the steel sector in 2009. Nevertheless, BlueScope was actively engaged in a strategic review of its global and domestic businesses, among others given the extensive changes recently in the global steel industry. With steel demand having peaked in China, and rising global steel production and exports, steel prices and margins have come so heavily under pressure that it would be more competitive to externally source steel substrate than to continue to operate BlueScope’s Australian and New Zealand steelmaking operations. Initiatives are underway to achieve sustainable reductions in the costs of raw materials, manufacturing, procurement and supply chain, overheads and

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

property. The company’s objective is to maintain steelmaking at Port Kembla and Glenbrook. However, if the targeted savings are not achievable, there will be no option but to move to external supply of quality hot rolled coil and billet steel feed with mothballing or closure of steelmaking.

Schaeffler to realign division.

Schaeffler has decided to realign the company’s Industrial Division. The decision comes in reaction to the stagnating development of that division in recent years. The development programme is titled “CORE“. The key elements are increased sales growth, enhanced delivery performance and service quality, stronger customer orientation as well as cost savings and efficiency improvements. The measures include expanding the high-volume business with standard roller bearings, especially in Asia. The first definite measure will be the global product relaunch of “GenC” ball bearings.

Ongoing projects to improve delivery performance such as the new European Distribution Center, will be implemented. This organizational realignment will also serve as the basis for streamlining workflows and processes. It will include streamlining the organizational and leadership structure of the corporate functions. As part of the programme, the company currently expects to reduce the Industrial Division workforce by up to 500 jobs in a socially acceptable manner until the end of 2017, most of them in Germany and Europe. The programme does not entail closing down locations.

ThyssenKrupp concludes offtake agreement with Kibaran. ThyssenKrupp Metallurgical Products has concluded an offtake agreement for refractory graphite with Kibaran Resources.

The agreement provides for the purchase of 20,000 t/year of graphite for a period of ten years for the European, Russian and Korean markets. This corresponds to around 50% of the planned annual graphite output from Kibaran’s proposed mine, in the Epanko Graphite Project located in Tanzania. With the conclusion of the agreement, ThyssenKrupp Metallurgical Products has also secured the option of a five-year exMPT International 5 / 2015

tension. The Epanko Graphite Project is expected to be in operation in early 2017. The collaboration with Kibaran Resources will enable ThyssenKrupp Metallurgical Products to further expand their activities in the refractory industry in Europe, Russia and Korea.

Strongco expands distribution relationship with Sennebogen. Strongco has entered into an agreement with Sennebogen to be the exclusive dealer for the full range of green line material handlers for much of the province of Quebec, north of the Greater Montreal area and in portions of southern Quebec. The arrangement builds on the existing agreements that Strongco has with Sennebogen in Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. Strongco sells, rents and services equipment used in diverse sectors such as construction, infrastructure, mining, oil and gas, utilities, municipalities, waste management and forestry. Sennebogen offers specialized equipment solutions such as for recycling and scrap metal yards, demolition, barge and port operations.

Schmolz + Bickenbach bundles sales activities. Schmolz + Bickenbach has consolidated its sales activities. Effective immediately, the group’s entire product range is available to special steel users through Schmolz + Bickenbach France. Customers now have one contact that provides access to the full range of high-end special steel long products, including tool steel, stainless, acid-resistant and heat-resistant steel, bright steel as well as engineering steel.

ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe acquires Belgian steel service centre. ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe has acquired Antwerp Decoil Center (ADC). The Belgian steel service centre is specialized in cutting hot-rolled strip to length. Its strategically favourable location in the port of Antwerp provides access to ocean and inland waterway shipping as well as rail and road connections. ADC will join the Heavy Plate business unit of Thyssen-

Krupp Steel Europe and operate under the name ThyssenKrupp Steel Heavy Plate Antwerp.

Personalities Leadership transition at Harsco Metals & Minerals segment.

Nicholas Grasberger, president and chief executive officer of Harsco Corporation and member of the board of directors, will assume the leadership of the Harsco Metals & Minerals segment on an interim basis effective immediately, following the departure of Metals & Minerals president Richard Lundgren, who has chosen to pursue other opportunities.

Wuppermann extends board of management. Dr Arndt Laßmann has been appointed as new member of the board of management and chief financial officer. He will take over the fields of accounting and finance, taxes, controlling as well as IT. Arndt Laßmann will be on the board together with Dr C. L. Theodor Wuppermann, who acts as spokesman of the board, and Dr Peter Jongenburger, who is in charge of the newly established business unit Flat & Tube Products.

Arndt Laßmann

Tenova changes leadership structure. Tenova has appointed Andrea Lovato as the new chief executive officer of the company. Since July 2015, Tenova has also been organized into two divisions – Metals and Mining – managed by Andrea Rocca (Metals CEO) and Frank Hubrich (Mining CEO), respectively. Andrea Lovato joined Tenova’s parent company, Techint Group, in 2005 as head of

INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS business development and mergers & acquisitions before moving to Tenova in 2012, expanding his role to assume responsibility for human resources and information and communications technology. Andrea Rocca became managing director of Tenova melt shops and strip processing in October 2014. He joined the company in 2012 as business strategy and planning manager. Frank Hubrich joined the company’s German based subsidiary Takraf in 1990 as a research engineer. In 2012 he was appointed CEO of Takraf.

John Correnti dies.

John Correnti, chairman and chief executive officer of Big River Steel, passed on 18 August 2015 at the age of 68. Stages of his career in the US steel industry included positions as chief executive of Nucor and chief executive of Birmingham Steel, founder, president and chief executive of Severstal Columbus and, most recently, founder and chief executive of Big River Steel in Arkansas.

BlueScope chairman to retire. BlueScope chairman, Graham Kraehe, has announced his intention to retire from the board, effective 19 November 2015.

He will be replaced by John Bevan, currently a non-executive director of the company. Graham Kraehe was appointed BlueScope’s inaugural chairman after the company demerged from BHP Billiton in 2002. Incoming chairman, John Bevan was CEO of Alumina Limited from 2008 to 2014.

OMK appoints new managing director at Vyksa. Alexander Barykov has been appointed as the new managing director of Vyksa Steel Works,

which belongs to OMK. He replaces Sergey Filippov who has been at the helm of VSW since June 2012 under a three-year contract.

New managing director at Trubodetal. OMK has appointed Dmitry Markov as the new managing director of Trubodetal. He replaces Andrey Korotkov, who has held that post since May of 2014.

‹‹‹

27

NDC Technologies appoints marketing director. NDC Technologies, provider of precision measurement and control solutions, has appointed Dr Ian Benson as marketing director. Ian Benson will be responsible for the development and execution of the company’s marketing strategy for its measurement and control solutions serving the food, bulk, packaging, cable, metals and tubing industries.

28

››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS hibitions & Publishing www.metalsteelegy.com

Events ›

30 November – 2 December 2015 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Organizers: SEAISI www.seaisi.org

2015 ASEAN Iron and Steel Sustainability Forum. Topics covered by this conference include steel market developments in ASEAN, future direction of China’s steel exports, key steel consuming sectors, environmental policies, safety and waste management, cost and energy savings, emission control, etc.

›

2 – 4 December 2015 Kaohsiung, Taiwan Organizers: Kaigo www.imttaiwan.com

iMT Taiwan. Being the only international exhibition in Taiwan dedicated to metals technology, the exhibit profile includes foundry technology, heat treatment, metallurgy, casting and related fields. A concurrent conference with international speakers and industry experts will cover topics such as Industry 4.0, global trends in the metals industry, machine safety, etc.

›

18 – 20 February 2016 Cairo, Egypt Organizers: Arabian German Ex-

Metal & Steel and Fabex Middle East. The seventh edition of the Metal & Steel Middle East exhibition will provide an excellent opportunity for exhibitors to establish new links and increase their market shares in the Middle East region. Concurrently, Fabex Middle East will cover the fields of steel fabrication, sheet metal forming, tube/pipe working, information technology, etc.

›

4 – 8 April 2016 Düsseldorf, Germany Organizers: Messe Düsseldorf www.wire.de; www.tube.de

Tube 2016 and wire 2016. The international trade fair, Tube 2016, will cover the full range of pipe and tube manufacturing and trade, including raw materials, machinery, pipelines and OCTG technology, and will be complemented by the Plastic Tube Forum. Wire, the international wire and cable fair, will feature machinery for the production and finishing of wire, tools and auxiliary materials in process engineering as well as materials, special wires and cables.

›

1 – 4 May 2016 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Organizers: Arabian German Exhibitions & Publishing www.metalsteelsa.com

Metal & Steel and Fabex Saudi Arabia. These exhibitions will bring together exhibitors and visitors from all areas of metals and steel production and processing. The first international steel conference in Saudi Arabia, “Steel in the Gulf”, will be staged concurrently with the exhibitions.

›

6 – 9 June 2016 Graz, Austria Organizers: ASMET www.rolling 2016.org

Rolling 2016. Jointly organized, the 10th International Rolling Conference and the 7th European Rolling Conference target the whole metals rolling community by covering flat and long product rolling, and related topics such as automation and control, new products and new processes, oxidation and descaling, roll technology, thin slab rolling, thermomechanical treatment, and mathematical modelling and simulation.

›

12 – 14 September 2016 Linz, Austria Organizers: ASMET www.ecic2016.org

ECIC 2016. The 7th European Coke and Ironmaking Congress will bring together a wide range of experts who will share expertise in cokemaking technology, iron ore production, sintering, pelletizing, ironmaking, environmental control, etc.

Visit us on HärtereiKongress Cologne · Hall 4.1 · Booth B-120

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Measuring ranges from -30 to 3500 °C ! info@keller-msr.de www.keller-msr.com

Injection technologies for metallurgical processes For the economic production of high-grade steel, ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions provides injection technologies for precise DQG FRVW Hƨ HFWLYH GHVXOSKXUL]DWLRQ RI KRW PHWDO DQG OLTXLG VWHHO +LJK SURFHVV ƪ H[LELOLW\ DOORZV WKH EHVW DGDSWDWLRQ RI SODQW RSHUDWLRQ WR FKDQJLQJ SURGXFWLRQ UHTXLUHPHQWV )OH[LELOLW\ TXDOLW\ DQG Hƫ FLHQF\ PDNH RXU PHWDOOXUJLFDO LQMHFWLRQ SODQWV PRVW economic and future-proof.

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30

›››

IRONMAKING

World DRI production tops 74.5 million t In 2014, growth in DRI production was evident in a number of nations including the USA and Bahrain. The outlook continues to be positive as demand increases in traditional and new markets, and as new and low-cost energy sources become available for DRI production. Production numbers should bounce back next year as new, recently commissioned capacity ramps up toward full production.

The world’s direct reduction industry produced 74.55 million tons of DRI products in 2014 according to data compiled by Midrex and audited

by World Steel Dynamics information service. Production fell slightly from 2013 due to natural gas shortages and curtailments in India and operational disruptions in other DRI producing regions as well general downturns in steel market conditions. DRI growth

ited growth for the last decade persist but have been somewhat offset by demand for DRI products in “non-traditional” applications (i.e., blast furnaces and basic oxygen furnaces) and by the introduction of new reductant sources (i.e., gasified coal and coke oven gas).

In Bahrain, production increased rapidly as the SULB plant, which had been commissioned the prior year, was ramped up toward full capacity.

0GY &4+ RTQFWEVKQP VGEJPQNQI[ CPF GZRCPUKQP EQPVKPWGU FGURKVG FKHƂEWNV EQPFKVKQPU

was evident in a number of nations including the USA and Bahrain. Plants based on MIDREX® direct reduction technology accounted for 47.12 million tons, which once again led all technologies with 63.2 percent of the market total.

Output in 2014 was more than 70 percent greater than in 2000. Factors mentioned previously that have lim-

Christopher M. Ravenscroft, Midrex Technologies, Inc., Charlotte, NC, USA Contact: www.midrex.com E-mail: cravenscroft@midrex.com

MPT International 5 / 2015

Nearby, the Gulf nations of Saudi Arabia and Qatar also saw significantly greater DRI production due to strong internal demand by their national economies. In the USA, the DRI plant owned by Nucor Steel began production, which marked the first time in five years that DRI was made in the US. New national records for DRI output were established in six nations; Russia, Canada and four countries in the Gulf region, Bahrain, Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The concentration of growth in the Gulf area is a result of the many plants which have been started-up in the past few years. Although it did not set a new record, it bears note that the South African DRI

industry accomplished an increase of 10 percent over the previous year while national steel production dropped by more than eight percent.

Forces affecting the industry Growth in North America and the Middle East can be attributed to both product demand and availability of low cost natural gas. Various economic and political stresses did, however, stunt DRI production in other locations. Libya continued to suffer as rival groups struggled for control of the country and its resources. Egypt has yet to fully recover from political disruptions, and Iran was restricted by international sanctions. India, too, experienced an insufficient supply of pellets after having been a major exporter of iron ore only a few years ago; however, the problem was compounded by a lack of natural gas at a favorable price.

Venezuela continued to experience production difficulties due to infrastructure issues caused by the nationalization of the industry and other political and economic factors. Only 12 years ago, Venezuela was the world’s pre-eminent manufacturer of direct reduced iron. Venezuelan output in 2014 was down to 1.7 million tons, less than 20 percent of the peak of nearly 9 million tons achieved in 2005. The decline in HBI exports was even more pronounced. ISSB reported only 212 thousand tons of DRI/HBI exports from Venezuela, a bit more than five

IRONMAKING percent of the 4 million tons shipped in 2006. Much of the problem derives from inability to sustain operation of the iron ore pellet supply chain, beginning with the mines and continuing through the pellet plants.

DRI production forecast The outlook continues to be positive as demand increases in traditional and new markets, and as new and low cost energy sources become available for DRI production. Production numbers should bounce back next year as new, recently commissioned capacity ramps up toward full production. Within the past two years, plants have begun operation in Bahrain, Egypt, India, Iran, Pakistan and the USA. These are steadily increasing production and are expected to make more in each of the ensuing years. A large amount of additional capacity is under construction in Egypt, India, Russia, the USA and Venezuela, which also will contribute to growth.

DRI products are a key factor in modern EAF steelmaking. DRI is not an al-

ternative to scrap, but a supplement that can enable EAFs to better utilize scrap. DRI products are high in iron content and low in copper and other undesirable metals, tramp elements, and nitrogen content. DRI’s true value is as a scrap supplement that dilutes undesirable contaminants in the charge when the EAF is called upon to make high quality flat products and low nitrogen steels. DRI provides EAF operators the flexibility to tailor their furnace charges to achieve the desired product quality at the lowest cost per ton of liquid steel. Thus, demand for DRI will continue to expand as world EAF steel production continues to grow.

In addition, a new market for the BF/ BOF industry is beginning to grow.

The Voestalpine Texas 2.0 million t/ year HBI facility being constructed in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA, will be in operation in early 2016. Voestalpine plans to send at least one million tons of HBI per year to their BF/BOF operations in Austria to increase steelmaking efficiency and significantly lower

Rising coke costs and relatively lower gas costs will promote the DRI industry

‹‹‹

31

CO2 emissions. The operation practice of charging HBI to the BF is significantly lower and less costly than any other technological solution for helping BF/ BOF facilities to lower their CO2 footprint. Many see the necessity of limiting CO2 generation in Europe and other areas will become an extremely strong incentive for building more capacity over the next decade.

As the primary fuel for DRI processes, natural gas will continue to be a driving force for the industry. Natural gas production is proceeding in North America at rates that were unimaginable only 10 years ago due to shale gas exploration. This extraordinary addition to gas availability has driven prices down to only a fraction of what they were. The outlook is that this era of low pricing will continue for decades. Simultaneously, it is becoming more and more difficult to bring new sources of metallurgical grade coal to market. So, met coal and coke prices are likely to continue to escalate. The result of rising coke costs and relatively lower gas costs will be growth in the DRI industry.

Another promising aspect for the future of the industry is the broadening of DRI fuel sources. Difficulty sourcing natural gas has been a limiting factor for production of DRI in many locations especially India; therefore, the ability to use other types of fuel will help alleviate this limitation. Two large scale MIDREX® direct reduction facilities have already have begun operation in India using coal gas and at least one more plant has begun supplementing its natural gas usage with coke oven gas. This is a part of a long term strategy that will boost India’s production back to previous highs.

WORKING SOLUTIONS FOR EXTREME CONDITIONS

TML Technik GmbH | A Company of the Fon: +49 (0)2173 - 95 75 100 | Fax: +49 (0)2173 - 95 75 400 E-mail: info@tml-technik.com | www.tml-technik.com

ENGINEERING | PRODUCTION | SERVICE

MPT International 5 / 2015

32

â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş STEELMAKING

Sophisticated control system implemented at the meltshop of ABS, Italy In September 2014, ABS successfully installed the innovative Q-Melt process control system. The expected results are a 15-kWh/t reduction in electric energy consumption and 1.5 min in power-on time, with a payback of less than 10 months. Additional EHQHĆ&#x201A;WV ZLOO EH REWDLQHG IURP FDUERQ FUHGLWV E\ WKH UHGXFWLRQ RI WKH HQYLURQPHQWDO footprint.

Lindarcâ&#x201E;˘ system installation on the 100-t AC EAF at ABS, Italy

Italian steel producer Acciaierie Bertoli Safau (ABS) is the steelmaking division of Danieli Group. ABSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s range of engineering special steel long products is one of the widest in Europe, in terms of both quality and dimension.

ABSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s internal synergy allows the company to successfully pursue the path of the technological innovation of its pro-

&CPKGNK % 1HĆ&#x201A;EKPG /GEECPKEJG 5 R # $WVVTKQ +VCN[ Contact: www.danieli.com E-mail: info@danieli.com

MPT International 5 / 2015

cesses, as to provide its customers with high-quality customized products.

Located near Udine in northern Italy, the plant is equipped with two melting lines, each based on a 100-t EAF, AC and DC respectively. Downstream of the EAFs, different process cycles include either a ladle furnace or a vacuum degassing stage in order to guarantee particularly low hydrogen content in the heat. The 100-t AC EAF, which is equipped with a 75-MVA transformer and, since 2007, with Moreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Module Technology chemical energy package (burners, oxygen, carbon and lime injection system), has been in operation with highly satisfactory results.

In order to improve the efficiency of the post-combustion treatment, optimize the melting process, and have in operation a reliable and accurate detection system for any water leakages inside the shell, ABS decided to award Danieli and More the supply of an integrated process control based on Lindarcâ&#x201E;˘ offgas analysis system. This well-proven technology, with lasers installed on the movable duct just after the roof elbow, uses the Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy technology to perform real-time measurements of the furnace offgas atmosphere, tracking CO, CO2, H2O and offgas temperature.

The laser measurement technology guarantees precise and quick response time (less than 2 seconds) even with a very high dust content and high offgas temperature. The measurements are made on the real offgas volume: no sampling, drying, or filtering are needed as per conventional extractive systems.

The sturdy design and the high-quality manufacturing equipment allow for a highly accurate and reliable offgas monitoring system over time.

Green steel vision: lower consumption and higher productivity So far, the Lindarcâ&#x201E;˘ system has proven its reliability, resulting in maintenance-free operation and the optimization of carbonaceous fuels combustion, with subsequent reduction of electric energy, oxygen, and natural gas consumption. Real-time, water-gas concentration tracking is processed by a smart and self-learning adaptive detection system that warns the operator in

STEELMAKING Extraction system

Lindarc™ system

H2O, CO and CO2 analysis

yes

yes

Direct H2O measurement

no

yes

Direct offgas temperature measurement

no

yes

Measurement made on real offgas volume

no

yes

Reaction time

> 30 sec

< 2 sec

Filter units for gas sample

needed

not needed

Maintenance

weekly

3 per year

Annual maintenance costs for spares

> 100,000 US$

0

Comparison of performances between conventional extraction system and Lindarc™

‹‹‹

33

EAF control room at the ABS meltshop

case of undesirable and harmful water leaks in the furnace. This unique feature improves the safety level. A closedloop control system operates as the dynamic control of the chemical energy package. The same system also will control dedicated post-combustors, which are to be installed in the future to perform CO, H2, and CH4 combustion into the EAF furnace shell.

An intelligent process supervisor has been integrated in the system

by Danieli Automation, based on its Q3-Intelligence technology. The sys-

tem is a self-learning and adaptive optimizer. After having completed a training phase, it evolves the static melting profiles to dynamic profiles that will adapt to every different metallic charge mix. It will also dynamically adjust the carbon boil through the decarburization oxygen modulation to obtain the target steel grade with the minimum iron loss.

The expected results are a reduction in electric energy consumption of 15 kWh/t and 1.5 min in power-on time, with a payback of less than 10 months.

STEEL MANUAL STEELMANUAL

Additional benefits will be obtained from carbon credits by the reduction of the environmental footprint. Furthermore, Danieli, Danieli Automation, More, and ABS technological teams are cooperating to develop additional furnace control process modules to improve the dynamic control of all the melting phases, as well as improving operational safety and reducing transformation costs.

Taiwan’s First and Only Exhibition Dedicated to the Metal Industry

ISBN 978-3-514-00817-5

26.90 € Published by the Steel Institute VDEh Edition 2015 20.0 x 24.0 cm 219 pages including many multi-colour illustrations

Verlag Stahleisen GmbH Postfach 105164 · 40042 Düsseldorf Tel. +49 211 6707- 561 · Fax +49 211 6707- 547 E-Mail: annette.engels@stahleisen.de

Organizer

Advisor

Supported by Organizer of

Kaohsiung City Government

MPT International 5 / 2015

34

â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş STEELMAKING

Integrated process control supervisor for EAF meltshops The growing complexity of the EAF process, in combination with increasing demands for productivity and reduced environmental impact, requires control strategies that take into consideration the dynamics of the system, and involving adaptation of the static preset operating points in real-time.

Danieli Q-Melt was conceived as an integrated process control supervisor that automatically recognizes deviations from the expected behaviour. It re-tunes the melting programme, acting on the electric power planning, on the chemical package, and on the slag and steel metallurgy.

The core of Q-Melt is Melt-Model, an innovative application which automatically identifies process deviations and acts on the controlled variables to avoid material and energy losses. The application compares real-time data, made available by the whole EAF automation system, and the expected behaviour of these variables, extracted with advanced data mining techniques. It thus acts on the chemical package to optimize the injection profiles with this logic.

The synthetic information regarding the process status is displayed on a new generation of machine pulpits.

Thanks to the extensive sensor- and camera-based process monitoring, now the pulpit can be installed in an arbitrary position and does not need dedicated windows to have a direct visual feedback from the process, increasing operator safety and process awareness.

Q-Melt process supervisor thus controls all the technological functions to maintain effective and safe EAF steel production, from the charging phase to tapping procedures, permitting increased flexibility on raw material charging in synergy with the melting process.

&CPKGNK % 1HĆ&#x201A;EKPG /GEECPKEJG 5 R # $WVVTKQ +VCN[ %QPVCEV YYY FCPKGNK EQO ' OCKN KPHQ"FCPKGNK EQO

MPT International 5 / 2015

ADAPTIVE CONTROL

INJECTORS ACTUATION

PROCESS TRENDS ACQUISITION

EAF Melt-Model interacts with multiple technological packages to ensure a robust datadriven approach to process control

Continuous optimization of VJG OGNVKPI RTQĆ&#x201A;NG VQ MGGR VJG '#( CV RGCM RGTHQTOCPEG Thanks to the powerful Q3Intelligence data-mining engine, relevant data variables are collected and automatically classified into structured relations. Extensive statistical process analyses are applied to a massive volume of information, discriminating between expected consistent behaviour and anomalies. The deviations from expected process conditions lead to continuous optimization of the chemical profiles and efficient use of fuel, by adapting the melting practice to the variable operational conditions.

The integrated control of the melting process as a whole, together with the real-time tracking of the furnace variables outlining relevant deviations from expected process conditions, affords a significant opportunity to im-

prove energy efficiency and productivity.

Quick-response off-gas analysis is ensured by the in-situ Lindarcâ&#x201E;˘ gas analyser. It provides the fast feedback information (less than 2 seconds) to regulate the oxygen injection during the refining stage, controlling steel decarburization and limiting the bath oxidation at the same time. Off-gas composition data allow analysis of the current EAF practice efficiency and the formulation of possible optimization strategies for the EAF practice, as well as real-time monitoring of water content values to improve safety and prevent explosions.

On a single heat, as demonstrated in different steel plants, Lindarcâ&#x201E;˘ and Melt-Model make it possible to predict the liquid steel carbon content (%C) and temperature; these data are the input for dynamic modelling to man-

STEELMAKING age power and oxygen injection with the aim of minimizing the superheating time, and at the same time controlling the decarburization level. This control strategy allows higher process yield and machine efficiency.

The optimization of the electric power input is ensured by the Q-Reg+ electrode regulation system, which adjusts the electrical setpoints dynamically according to the process requirements. During the refining phase the arc coverage index continuously monitors the foaming slag status. When the arc coverage index exceeds a proper threshold, optimal slag conditions are detected and the system automatically reduces the C injection flow setpoints.

If the arc gets uncovered, the carbon flow is increased accordingly. Toward the end of the process, dynamic regulation is applied as well to lime-dololime injection, to recover proper slag basicity while optimizing slagging agent consumptions.

The hydraulic circuit linearization function of Q-Reg+ allows automatic measurement of the positioning system response nonlinearity, to get a valve linear response for a specific lifting and lowering range. The dynamic regulation overview shows the current process status and electrical-chemical working points, while statistical analysis of process data is performed to monitor the key performance indicators of the melting process and their behaviour over time.

The main advantage over most of the existing systems is the capacity of a single process supervisor (Melt-Model) to adapt to continuously changing operating conditions, keeping the EAF at peak performance. The ability to react to the continuously changing operating conditions in the EAF (for example, different charge mixes) cannot be achieved by means of non-dynamic set points. This is significant progress if compared to conventional, rigid control diagrams based on time and energy.

Additionally, the basis for a deeper understanding of the EAF steelmaking process and related pre- and post-processes is the use of the latest measurement technologies and condition-monitoring solutions. Q-Melt integrates a number of analysis technologies for slag detection (Q-Slag), continuous temperature reading (Q-Temp) and off-

â&#x20AC;šâ&#x20AC;šâ&#x20AC;š

35

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gas analyses (Lindarcâ&#x201E;˘); together with a carbon mass balance, the supervision and analysis of all relevant input and output data is ensured.

5CHGV[ CURGEVU Complete safety is ensured by the Lindarcâ&#x201E;˘ system, which detects abnormally high water vapour content in the EAF off-gas, detecting any water leakages, and by the electrode irradiance supervisor (Q-Ray) it can evaluate the total radiant-heat flux on the furnace panels to modify the electrical set-points, thus balancing the thermal loads on the water-cooled panels.

As demonstrated in plant trials, the system can react to critical situations much earlier than operators can do based on dynamic and predictive control algorithms. So, the critical situation can be prevented or at least any potential damage can be minimized.

This way the process supervisor also handles critical events of water leakage and massive arc radiation to panels.

%QPENWUKQPU The modularity of Danieliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Q-Melt concept gives steelmakers the necessary flexibility to improve the EAF process, with proven results at Acciaierie Bertoli Safau, Gerdau Jacksonville and Thy Marcinelle, where the modularity

concept increased plant flexibility and productivity.

A suite of supplementary standalone technological packages integrates Q-Melt, comprised of the equipment necessary to automate manual operations in the EAF area, to further maximize the productive time, utilization factor and safety, through remotely controlled mechatronic units.

The results achieved at Thy Marcinelle EAF demonstrate that the implementation of advanced automation technologies like Q-Charge, Q-ATS Automatic Tapping, Q-Robot Melt and Motank equipment allowed the minimization of power-off.

The observed result is a power-off of eight minutes for a two-bucket process (excluding delays), a result that also included minimization of workload and risk for personnel. Moreover, thanks to the implementation of multiple technological packages in several steel plants, substantial benefits were demonstrated in terms of power consumption (-10%), electrode consumption (up to -15%) and metal yield increase (+1.4%). Sustainable production is now achieved through the enhanced use of electrical and chemical energy, better utilization of raw materials, reduction of the non-productive times, and decreased process variability, ensuring a controlled quality of the final products.

MPT International 5 / 2015

36

â&#x20AC;ºâ&#x20AC;ºâ&#x20AC;º

STEELMAKING

Design criteria for furnace transformers used in steel plants The design criteria for a furnace transformer are always a trade-off between the metallurgical requirements and loads, feeding network, layout issues and secondary V\VWHP DUUDQJHPHQWV 7\SLFDO VROXWLRQV PD\ EH XVHG WR KHOS Æ&#x201A;QG WKH ULJKW GHVLJQ WR PHHW FRVW HIÆ&#x201A;FLHQF\ DQG FXVWRPHU UHTXLUHPHQWV DW WKH VDPH WLPH SURYLGLQJ IRU PD[LPXP UHOLDELOLW\ RI WKHVH VSHFLDO WUDQVIRUPHUV ZKLFK KDYH WR EH DEOH WR FRSH ZLWK constant high thermal, mechanical and dielectric stresses.

70 MVA 33 kV EAF transformer MPT International 5 / 2015

STEELMAKING The electrical, mechanical and thermal design of a furnace transformer in terms of reliability, dimensions, weight and capitalized costs have a direct bearing on the electric diagram chosen for secondary voltage regulation, the type of low voltage output required for supplying the electrodes (with one or twoway conductors) and the operating diagram for the furnace in question. There are three possible electric diagrams for such transformers: â&#x2013;Ş direct regulation on the supply winding, â&#x2013;Ş regulation by means of a regulation transformer or autotransformer, â&#x2013;Ş regulation by means of a regulation transformer which can be fitted in series with the regulating winding of the main transformer (booster solution).

There are two possible types of electric furnace operations: â&#x2013;Ş the secondary current remains constant while voltage changes, and therefore the power decreases with the secondary voltage, â&#x2013;Ş the power remains constant up to the maximum current secondary voltage position, starting from which the secondary current remains constant, while the power decreases linearly with the voltage.

Direct regulation on the primary winding Known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;variable flux regulationâ&#x20AC;?

(VFR), this type of regulation can be used for supply voltages up to 60 kV and limited regulation range (not more than the ratio of 1:3 for a correct regulation winding design). The main characteristic of this system is that it provides voltage steps, a high percentage of which are in the high secondary voltage range and a small percentage of which are in the lower secondary voltage range. In furnaces for steel plants, this characteristic is not only acceptable, but is considered highly desirable,

Stefano Talassi, COO, Industrial Transformer Division, 6TCPUHQTOGTU 4GEVKĆ&#x201A;GTU +PFKC .VF Sanand, Gujarat, India Contact: www.transformerindia.com E-mail: stefano.talassi@transformerindia.com

since high voltages with coarse regulation steps are needed for melting and low voltages with fine regulation steps are required for refining.

The regulation of the secondary voltage through tap changing on the primary side can be an advantage, because it is the only solution which allows the use of a single magnetic core, with the associated reduction in total weight and losses. This solution is, however, not convenient for very high primary voltages or very high primary currents, because of the difficulty in finding suitable on-load tap changers.

Regulating by means of a transformer or autotransformer

â&#x20AC;šâ&#x20AC;šâ&#x20AC;š

37

Regulating by means of the series transformer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; booster solution This regulation diagram is also highly suitable for high-power and high-voltage supply networks using special devices. Such installations can be manufactured with voltages up to 220 kV and power up to or exceeding 300 MVA. The secondary voltage variation takes place in constant-voltage steps.

The regulation diagram provides for the simultaneous presence of two transformers in the same tank; the main transformer and the booster transformer. The main transformer has three windings: a primary connected to the feeding network; a low voltage secondary, designed for the mean value of the secondary voltage required by the electrodes; and a tertiary regulation winding, provided for arbitrarily chosen voltages, but such as to cover the full required secondary regulation range.

This regulation diagram calls for two separate units: the regulating unit, which, depending on requirements, may be a transformer or autotransformer, and the supply unit, which is always a transformer. With this type of diagram it is easy to obtain a system with equal steps and very small values. For this reason this solution (as the booster transL.V. former) is frequently used for submerged arc furnaces. The choice of the intermediate voltH.V. age between the two units, which is arbitrary, is strongly influenced by: â&#x2013;Ş the choice of the &KTGEV Ć&#x192;WZ TGIWNCVKQP FKCITCO type of on-load tap Secondary regulation is obtained by changer, particularly regarding its working current and step voltage; adding the series transformerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s secondâ&#x2013;Ş the choice of the transformer feed- ary voltages to or deducting them from ing breaker, if required. The feeding the main transformerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s secondary breaker must be able to ensure con- winding . The latterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary is suptinuous and reliable service with plied by the tertiary regulation windshort, economical maintenance op- ing of the main transformer. eration to be carried out during furWith this diagram the on-load tap nace shutdown periods; changer is installed on the tertiary â&#x2013;Ş the obvious low cost, simple design, winding. The voltage and the current and general operational reliability values of the tertiary winding are seof units where all the various voltag- lected by the transformer designer, es involved, except for that imposed with a view to using the most convenby the network, are very low. ient type of on-load tap changer, bearThe maximum value of the intermedi- ing in mind also the cost factor. ate optimum voltage generally results As with the autotransformer, also in in a compromise value, and is normal- the booster transformer diagram the current transformers installed in the ly within the 20 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 60 kV range.

MPT International 5 / 2015

›››

STEELMAKING

Main transformer

38

H.V.

L.V.

L.V.

Booster transformer

H.V.

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tertiary winding can give a signal proportional to the electrode current, independently of the tap changer position. Moreover, this solution permits multiple feeding voltages through a simple off-load change of the connection of the primary side: for example, the 70 MVA EAF booster transformer manufactured by Transformers & Rectifiers (India) Ltd. is a special unit where on the primary side we have three different voltages 10 – 21 – 36 kV that allow the equipment to be installed in three different melt shops, matching the flexibility requested by the customer.

.QY XQNVCIG QWVRWV CPF bushings The function of bushings for high currents is to enable the current to cross the cover or walls of the tank and to make it possible to adapt the supply connections of the furnace electrodes to the internal connections of the low voltage winding. These currents, which are in the order of 40 – 150 kA, generate magnetic fields of considerable size around themselves and around

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the bushings, causing both significant losses, due to stray currents on the nearby metal structures, and considerable increases in the reactance of the connections themselves.

In order to reduce the losses due to stray currents and the additional reactances caused by the low voltage connections and bushings, it is a sound practice to seek to ensure that the extent of the magnetic field around the latter are kept to a minimum and to have the metal parts of the various structures as far away as possible.

The following two basic types of low voltage terminals are possible: ▪ terminal designed for the phase current which provides sandwich conductors set as close together as possible; in this case, for three phase furnace units, the enclosure of the secondary D-connected winding is situated outside the transformer tank, thus involving high cost, high losses and relatively high external dimensions; ▪ low voltage terminals with one-way conductors only; in this case, which applies only to three-phase transformers, the enclosure of the D-con-

nected winding is inside the tank so that the current crossing it is always equal to the secondary electrode current. Compared with the above case, this involves less cost in setting up the furnace electrode supply connections, requires less space downstream of the low voltage terminals and means smaller total losses for the plant; on the other hand, it is more difficult to set up the internal connections, and there is an increase in transformer reactance.

Conclusion The design criteria of a furnace transformer are always a trade-off between the metallurgical requirements and loads, feeding network, layout issues and secondary system arrangements. The typical solutions shown in this article help to find the design that provides highest cost efficiency and meets best the customer’s requirements, while taking into account the maximum reliability of these special transformers under continuous high thermal, mechanical and dielectric stresses.

DAMASCUS STEEL Myth · History · Technology · Applications

Manfred Sachse

DAMASCUS STEEL 3rd Edition

Myth History Technology Applications

ISBN 978-3-514-00751-2

79.00 € For personal members of Steel Institute VDEh:

71.10 € Verlag Stahleisen GmbH Postfach 105164 · 40042 Düsseldorf www.stahleisen.de

40

â&#x20AC;ºâ&#x20AC;ºâ&#x20AC;º ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

0GY V[RG QH QHH ICU Æ&#x201A;NVGT HQT XCEWWO UVGGN FGICUUKPI RNCPVU /DUJH YROXPHV RI Æ&#x201A;OWHU SODQWV DQG VXFWLRQ GXFWV DUH H[SHQVLYH DVVHWV DV WKH\ LQYROYH KLJK LQYHVWPHQW DQG RSHUDWLRQ FRVWV &RPSDUHG WR FRQYHQWLRQDO URXQG VOHHYH Æ&#x201A;OWHUV Æ&#x192;DW VOHHYH Æ&#x201A;OWHUV UHTXLUH RQO\ KDOI WKH KHLJKW DQG KDOI WKH Æ&#x201A;OWHU YROXPH 7KH DSSOLHG VOHHYH PDWHULDO ZKLFK LV PDGH ZDWHU DQG RLO UHSHOOLQJ LQ D 7HÆ&#x192;RQ EDWK KDV SURYHQ VXFFHVVIXO LQ SUDFWLFH LQ QXPHURXV YDFXXP SODQWV The treatment of off-gases in a vacuum steel degassing plant with the aim to protect the vacuum pumps and the environment is an advantageous option if steam ejector vacuum pumps are used but is a must for mechanical vacuum pumps. The gas treatment usually involves dust abatement by bag filters. Unfortunately, bag filters generate

a pressure drop and thus a loss of suction capacity â&#x20AC;&#x201C; right at the measuring point inside the metallurgical reaction vessel. To avoid this undesirable side

Wilhelm Burgmann, Consulting in Vacuum Metallurgy, Strasbourg, France E-mail: wburgmann@burgmann-net.de

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effect, the bag filter surface should be as large as possible. This results in less pressure loss but at the same time has the disadvantage of having to deal with

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MPT International 5 / 2015

olling! r fe

... s

a

...150 years!

We are strong in know-how, engineering and service of long product rolling mills and guide systems.

Branch Office:

Phone: +46 240 668500 Fax: +46 240 668501 E-mail: mh@morgardshammar.se www.morgardshammar.se

Morgårdshammar AB Sales office Krefeld P.O. Box 101552 D-47715 KREFELD, Germany Phone: +49 2151 81290 Fax: +49 2151 611795 E-mail: office@mh-guides.de

www.mh-guides.com

www.gk-mas.de

Morgårdshammar AB SE-777 82 SMEDJEBACKEN, Sweden

42

â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

complex filter structures, large plant volumes and costly suction duct layouts. Conventional bag filters used in steel degassing and designed for filter surfaces of 400 to 450 m² have a diameter of 3.2 to 3.6 m. They require a height of 15 to 16 m so that the bags can be introduced and exchanged from the top through a passable clean gas plenum. The usually employed round bags with diameters between 140 and 160 mm must have a clearance of 10 mm per 1 m bag length between them. The minimum clearance is 40 mm. In case the bags are long and the strict vertical alignment cannot be assured by the sleeve top flange, this clearance must even be larger in order to avoid sleeve damages through direct contact between them. Therefore with these filters, space utiliztion is rather limited.

Half the height and volume Flat bag filters have proven successful in dust abatement applications of

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electric arc furnaces in the foundry and cement industries, in waste incineration, bio-masse drying and other problematic types of dust. These filters require much smaller volumes and, especially, dramatically lower

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Height Surface Volume Weight

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Height Surface Volume Weight

heights. For these reasons, the companies Clesid/France and Nederman/ Sweden developed a flat sleeve filter for use in vacuum metallurgy plants. The filter needs only half the height and half the filter volume of convention-

9.9 m 407 m2 46 m3 11.5 t

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION al round sleeve filters to provide equal filter surfaces and equal conductance values. The flat filters use the same sleeve material as conventional round sleeve filters, including the Teflon bath treatment which gives the material its water and oil repelling effect.

(NCV UNGGXG ƂNVGT FGUKIP The special flat sleeve profile, the alignment of the sleeves and the cleaning sequence allow for a narrow sleeve arrangement and thus optimal use of space. Cleaning is highly efficient.

The sleeves are inflated with nitrogen, changing their shape from concave to convex uniformly over the full sleeve length. The flat sleeves are relatively short (1.3 to 2.5 m) and they are fixed at both ends. The sleeves are inserted by hand into a slot wall and fixed in a dust-tight manner. The bottom sides of the sleeves are protected by means of steel profiles against erosion due to dust particles. Any friction, such as observed with long round sleeves in conventional filters, is avoided with flat sleeves. The longest sleeves weigh only

5.1 kg including their internal cages.

Therefore they are very easy to handle.

The sleeve weight causes very little and highly uniform mechanical stress on the filter cloth. Compared to conventional filters, the total weight of a 400 m² filter is reduced by 33% and the volume to be evacuated by 50%. Both aspects have a favourable effect on manufacturing costs and evacuation times.

The filter units are offered by Clesid in four box-type sizes from 20 to 50 m² and in three cylindrical sizes for 180, 320 and 400 m². Box-type filters may reach up to 530 m³. The sleeves are generally arranged vertically. In a horizontal layout, the maximum height is 7 m.

Advantages The sleeve cages, made of steel wire, are protected against humidity and chloride induced corrosion. After cleaning, no residues of dust that may store humidity are left on the sleeves.

In the vacuum version, the gas flows in at the bottom side of the sleeve.

Since the sleeve bottoms are protected against direct contact with particles by

‹‹‹

43

a steel profile, guiding the gas flow is very easy and resulting pressure losses are extremely low. Dust collection and extraction are the same as known from conventional round sleeve filters. However, there is no need for using erosion-resistant steel to prevent wear caused by high speed dust particles. The objective is to avoid dust deposits inside the collecting funnel and thus any acoustic or mechanical vibration devices to loosen them.

Cleaning with nitrogen works well with the proven pulse-jet process.

Thanks to a special setup of the membrane valves inside the nitrogen header, the pressure losses are reduced as is gas consumption. In spite of the fact that because of the short sleeve length the number of membrane valves doubles as compared to conventional filters, nitrogen consumption per cleaning cycle is not increased. No Venturi nozzles are needed for the cleaning.

Accessibility of the valves and sleeves is easy and simple, since a much lower height must be overcome. Also the prepared units of sleeve and cage can be easily inserted by hand.

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A-4840 Vöcklabruck, Austria, Tel. +43(0)7672-72463, E-mail: office@braun.at

MPT International 5 / 2015

Continuous slab caster at Acroni, recently modernized by Primetals Technologies

Acroni produces X120 Mn12 grade slabs with superior internal and surface quality Since early 2015, the modernized continuous caster of Slovenian steelmaker Acroni also produces X120 Mn12 wear resistant grade. The company will now add an AOD converter to its secondary metallurgy facilities.

Slovenian steelmaker Acroni, d.o.o. (a company of SIJ – Slovenian Steel Group) is one of the leading European producers of quarto stainless plates, also specialized in electric and special steels, sold in the form of hot and cold rolled coils, steel plates and cold formed profiles, mainly for special niche products. Acroni’s plant is situ-

Primetals Technologies, Ltd., a joint venture of Siemens, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Partners; London, UK Contact: www.primetals.com E-mail: rainer.schulze@primetals.com

MPT International 5 / 2015

ated in Jesenice, some 60 kilometres northwest of the Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana.

Recently, the single-strand continuous slab caster was radically modernized by Primetals Technologies. The machine head and strand guide system were replaced and new technology packages, systems and components installed. The plant features a curved mould and has a machine radius of 10.36 metres. It is designed for casting around 515,000 metric tons of steel annually, including medium to highly carbon and peritectic steels, structural steels, microalloyed and stainless steels belonging to grades 300 and 400 as well as silicon steels. The slabs have

thicknesses of 200 or 250 millimetres and widths of 800 to 2,120 millimetres.

Technology packages ensure required quality of slabs Wear resistant steels such as X120 Mn 12 grades can now also be reliably produced on the bow-type continuous caster. Previously this grade was produced as ingot or on vertical continuous casting machines. This is made possible by the optimized interplay of machine head, strand guide and technology packages. The strand’s temperature profile and the required volumes of water for secondary cooling in any

A new AOD converter is scheduled to come on stream at the beginning of 2017

position along the strand can be calculated using the fully automatic and dynamic Dynacs level-2 cooling model.

This provides the basis for determining the optimum target values for secondary cooling and final solidification point of the strand. The DynaGap Soft Reduction technological solution improves the homogeneity of the inner structure for production of the highest slab quality. This is achieved by exact setting of the conicity of the rolls in the area of final solidification of the strand in conformity with target values calculated by Dynacs, helping to avoid centre segregations. This is a crucial aspect in the production of X120 Mn12 grades because these kind of steels have to pass an ultrasound test, and centre segregations are an exclusion criterion. In addition, the Dynacs dynamic level-2 cooling model permits homogeneous and optimum cooling of slabs over their entire width, thus minimizing the occurrence of surface defects such as edge or transversal cracks. A tight roller pitch in the strand guidance system, together with LevCon meniscus control, ensures a stable meniscus, which is another essential requirement for high surface quality. Furthermore, stresses in the cast slab can be mini-

mized by continuously unbending the strand. This also has a positive impact on interior and surface quality.

Additional secondary metallurgy route will increase production capacity Until now, the crude steel has been produced in an EAF, and decarburized in a VOD converter with a capacity of 90 t. As the duration of treatment is significantly longer than for carbon steels, this plant configuration represents a bottleneck in the stainless steel production. This bottleneck will be eliminated by installing an AOD converter, which will increase both the production capacity and the flexibility of the steel works. Additional advantages of an AOD converter are the low degree of slagging of alloying elements, such as chromium, and the option of using cheaper ferrochromium grades with a higher carbon content as an alloying addition.

Primetals Technologies is responsible for the design and manufacturing of the key components of the AOD converter and the dedusting system for the steel plant, and will supervise their construction and commission-

ing. The new material handling system for the converter will be integrated into the existing system. The scope of supply also includes a process automation system specifically designed for AOD converters. This ensures that raw materials are used efficiently, and minimizes treatment times. The converter is equipped with a drive damper system. This lowers the vibrations caused by the injection processes, and thus the mechanical stresses acting on the entire system from the converter down to the foundations. The patented system reduces wear and maintenance costs, while also lengthening the service life of the plant. The dedusting system, which will be installed at the same time as the AOD converter, will not only ensure that emissions are below the current limits, but also increase the energy efficiency and occupational safety in the production environment.

The project will be handled by a consortium with the Slovenian company Esotech d.d., Velenje. Esotech is responsible for the structural steel work, plant construction, and supply of the water treatment plant. The new plants are scheduled to come on stream at the beginning of 2017.

MPT International 5 / 2015

46

››› CONTINUOUS CASTING

Vertical continuous casting machine for large blooms Timken Steel’s vertical continuous casting machine at the Faircrest steel plant (Canton, Ohio) has been in operation since October 2014. The vertical bloom caster was designed, supplied and commissioned by SMS Concast and installed in order to achieve higher productivity and product yield, while retaining a world-leading product quality across a wide range of engineered steels. First quality results are encouraging.

SMS Concast’s vertical caster was put into operation at Timken Steel in Canton, US state of Ohio, in October 2014.

This caster – referred to as the “Jumbo Bloom Vertical Caster” due to its size – is the heart of Timken Steel’s almost 300 million US Dollar-investment in the Faircrest steel plant. The aim was to integrate continuous bloom casting and eventually replace a large percentage of ingot casting using the bottom pouring process, in order to improve productivity and the product yield while maintaining a high quality level. Due to the higher yield compared to the ingot casting process, continuously cast blooms provide potential for production cost optimization. In March 2012, Timken Steel placed the order for the design, manufacturing and supply of a 3(4)-strand vertical caster with SMS Concast, a company of SMS group. The caster was to be designed to produce 1 million t/year of rectangular blooms for demanding applications. After completion of the engineering at the end of 2012, the equipment was gradually delivered to the site allowing for the installation of the machinery to start parallel to the ongoing manufacturing process and the building of the infrastructure. In May 2014, the caster was ready for the cold commissioning, and on 21 October 2014 the first heat was successful cast. Full commissioning of the caster took place in mid-2015. The production of Tim-

ken Steel Faircrest is now being gradually transferred to the new continuous casting machine. The target is to have 50% of the production cast on the new machine by the end of 2015 and reach full planned capacity by the middle of 2016, replacing 80 to 85% of the current ingot casting route. The additional yield

offered by the casting process will increase the production capacity of premium quality product for Timken Steel’s worldwide customers. The steel grades produced include plain and low-alloyed high-strength carbon steel grades, Mo-, Cr- and Ni-alloyed tool steel grades and highly demanding bearing steel grades.

Cristiano Tercelli, Federico Zani, Stephan Feldhaus, SMS Concast AG, Switzerland; Jim Sanders, Nicholas Valentine, Chris Eastman, Timken Steel Corporation, Canton, OH, USA Contact: www.sms-group.com E-mail: stephan.feldhaus@sms-concast.ch Timken Steel’s “Jumbo Caster” produces rectangular blooms MPT International 5 / 2015

CONTINUOUS CASTING

‹‹‹

47

A future option will be the production of martensitic stainless steel grades.

Design of the “Jumbo Caster” The vertical caster has a total height of 60 m from the top of the ladle turret to the bottom of the equipment in the basements. It was designed for the production of two bloom sizes, namely 460 x 610 mm weighing 2.2 t/m and 280 x 430 mm weighing 0.95 t/m. When casting the larger section size, the total weight of one strand is 72 t. The strand is vertically steered by a series of pinch rolls. The maximum casting speed of the large section size is 0.40 m/min, that of the small section size is 0.85 m/min.

The caster consists of a casting platform with a ladle turret for 175 t ladles, 2 tundish cars with electromechanic stopper control equipment and tundish pre-heating stations. It also has a roller apron with a fourplate mould assembly, electromagnetic mould stirrer and hydraulic oscillation. Further features are the containment segments 1 and 2 with Concor® internally cooled rollers as well as pinch roll modules and modules for mechanical soft reduction.

The discharge area part 1 is in the vertical part and has a torch cutting machine, an inclined bloom elevator and dummy bar cars. The discharge area part 2 consists of a longitudinal pusher, discharge roller tables, quenching and torch cutting machines for samples and crop ends with cross transfer and a cooling bed with a tagging machine. These unique and extremely challenging design requirements and process features required very close collaboration between the multi-cultural project teams on both sides, Timken Steel and SMS Concast, from the very first project meeting throughout the overall project execution time of two and a half years.

Design of Concor ® rolls. All containment segments are equipped with these patented supporting rolls

ment was found between physical modelling and CFD simulations. The best tundish design was chosen based on an optimized residence time. The distribution curves showed plug flow behaviour and no shortcutting, promoting inclusion floatation, minimizing steel temperature differences between the strands and maximizing inclusions trapped at the tundish level by the covering slag. It also was important that the laminar flow patterns had minimal turbulence in order to minimize the thermal and chemical losses and gains such as reoxidation, minimized short circuiting and dead zone in the flow pattern. It was further ensured that the liquid steel is protected against O and N pick-up by a shrouding between ladle and tundish.

This allows for the protection of the ladle stream while minimizing nitrogen pick-up and argon feeding of the tundish in order to displace the oxygen and minimize steel oxidation, as well as monolithic SEN. The SMS Concast electromechanical stopper mechanism ensures precise flow regulation of the

Design of tundish technology The tundish design was optimized by extensive computational fluid dynamic modelling (CFD) jointly by SMS Concast and Timken Steel, and a physical, non-isothermal water modelling performed by Timken Steel. The flow patterns for many different tundish designs were quantified using residence time distribution curves. Good agree-

Watch a video on YouTube for more information about the commissioning (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=jG_RPzWOvFY)

mould with argon feeding to the stopper tip for better casting performance.

The mould level is measured by an eddy current sensor mounted on a retractable manipulator.

Design of Concor® rolls All containment segments are equipped with patented supporting rolls (Concor®) developed by SMS Concast. The rolls are characterized by: ▪ very compact design; ▪ optimized cooling: the bearing is fully encapsulated by water-cooled parts and the water is directed close to the roll surface preventing overheating of any part of the roll; ▪ modular design that allows the roll to be adapted to various lengths by simply exchanging the roll mantle; ▪ suitable for dry casting thanks to the intensive internal cooling. This allows making secondary cooling zones as long as required for metallurgical reasons. The length of the secondary cooling zones is no longer dependent on the required containment length; ▪ suitable for “Link Casting” (flying tundish): less sensitive to roll deformation while strand is being stopped; ▪ reliability and long life time; ▪ quick maintenance.

Bloom removal The vertical strand is cut to length with the torch cutting machine (TCM1) and is discharged by custom-made system.

MPT International 5 / 2015

48

››› CONTINUOUS CASTING

The torch cutting machine is equipped with a newly developed slag granulation system to minimize the burr on the bloom. This is a particular challenge with vertical casters as the cut is made horizontally.

The bloom elevator is designed as a finger-type elevator running on rails and moved by chains and electrical motors. It guides the bloom to the transition position at the bottom end of the machine.

The inclined car receives the cut bloom, travels on rails and is driven by ropes, winches and electrical motors. It tilts the bloom and lifts it up to the ground floor level. The longitudinal pusher moves the bloom off the inclined car onto the roller table and into the run-out area.

Technological packages Process control is enhanced by additional technological packages which are all developed in-house and can be fully customized. The break-out prevention system (BOPS) involves the equipment of the plate moulds with thermocouples. These thermocouples monitor the temperature of the mould’s copper plate during casting. Inversion of the temperature (hotter at the bottom than at the top) is a sign of an imminent sticker-type break-out. The system reacts automatically by reducing the casting speed. This allows the shell to heal before exiting the mould thereby avoiding the break-out.

The online solidification model (COOL) is suitable for on-line metallurgical length calculation. This system uses actual casting parameters (steel grade, tundish temperature, actual primary and secondary cooling, casting speed) to calculate the metallurgical length, fraction solid or fraction liquid, bloom surface and internal temperature. This data is used to dynamically control mechanical soft reduction. Mechanical soft reduction is applied along eight modules with a small roller pitch of 1,000 mm. These modules are stacked one on top of the other and can be installed quickly and easily via a dedicated pinch roll manipulator. The hydraulic oscillator monitoring system (HOMS) monitors the hydraulic oscillator online and offline, enabling user-friendly handling of oscillating sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal wave forms.

MPT International 5 / 2015

Steel grades AISI / SAE

10xx, 11xx, 15xx, 15R3x, 40xx, 41xx, 43xx, 46xx, 48xx, 50xx, 51xx, 52100, 80xx – 88xx, 98xx

Annual productivity

998,000 t liquid steel (three strands)

Average heat size

165 t

Bloom sizes

460 x 610 mm² and 280 x 430 mm²

Bloom length

2.10 – 4.30 m (size 1) and 3.96 – 6.71 m (size 2)

Number of strands

3 (provision for 4)

Type of machine

Vertical

Strand distance

2,500 mm

Casting speed

0.34 – 0.40 m/min (size 1) 0.75 – 0.85 m/min (size 2)

Max. metallurgical length

30 m

Oscillator

Hydraulic – tandem type (two cylinders per strand)

Electro-magnetic stirrer

External M-EMS

Steel flow control

Electromechanical stopper rod

Mould type

Plate mould (with thermocouples for automatic mould filling control and break-out protection)

Mould level control

Eddy current type (suspended sensor)

Secondary cooling

Air mist (size 1: 3 zones; size 2: 4 zones)

Bloom guiding

Foot rolls plus two supporting segments with Concor® rolls

Withdrawal

Four pinch rolls for dummy bar and strand support plus eight modules for mechanical soft reduction

Bloom cutting

3 torch cutting machines (1 vertical and 2 horizontal)

Automation

L1, L2 and technological packages (break-out prevention system, hydraulic oscillation monitoring system, on-line solidification and soft reduction model)

Main data vertical CCM

Selected metallurgical results Both section sizes have been mainly cast in grades of 10xx, 11xx, 13xx, 15xx, 41xx, 43xx, 50xx, 86xx, 88xx families at nominal speed (maximum speed is defined by the metallurgical length and the torch cutting position). Product dimensions are as guaranteed. The surface quality is very good, making the blooms suitable for downstream processing such as forging or rolling without intermediate conditioning. More than 90% of the as-cast blooms of section 460 mm x 610 mm are directly charged to the soaking pits.

The inclusion content and cleanliness has proved to be equivalent to or better than by ingot casting. First results from mechanical soft reduction have shown that the expected improvements on centre soundness and segregation have been achieved. Centre piping and V-seg-

regation have remarkably improved and no internal cracks have been observed.

In the soft reduced sample, segregation is almost completely absent.

Soft reduction has already been applied to a wide range of steel grades. The modules are able to apply a force of up to 2,900 kN per roll. Results have shown that this force is sufficient for the applied and intended soft reduction. Reductions up to 25 mm (depending on the mechanical soft reduction strategy and the steel grades) are possible and have been applied without any internal crack formation in the bloom. The internal quality of the rolled samples has come up to Timken Steel’s expectations. During the next few months, the quality results of the caster will be further quantified and intensive testing on the soft reduction process will take place.

TUBE AND PIPE MAKING

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49

Al Gharbia Pipe Company NCWPEJGU C ITGGPƂGNF RTQLGEV KP Abu Dhabi The new large-diameter pipe production facility with a capacity of 240,000 t per year will start producing in 2018. The consortium of Larsen & Toubro Limited and SMS group was assigned as the engineering, procurement, construction contractor for the turn-key project.

Contract signing ceremony (from left to right): Pinaki Chakraborty, Amit Swarnkar, Derek Michael Shah (all Larsen & Toubro Limited), Tadayuki Baba (Marubeni-Itochu Steel), Tariq Al Wahedi, Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri (both Senaat), Marcel Fasswald, Frank Lüth (both SMS group)

Al Gharbia Pipe Company will set up a new production facility for the manufacture of high-grade largediameter longitudinal welded steel pipes mainly for the energy sector.

The company is targeting at markets in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (United Arab Emirates). With the development and production of oil and gas forecast to be robust in these countries, the demand for high-quality steel pipelines to transport these resources is expected to grow. The new large-pipe pro-

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

duction facility, which will be located within the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), will start producing in 2018.

Material grades up to X80 will be processed at a production capacity of 240,000 tons per year. The pipes will be suitable for use as offshore line pipes and onshore applications. The new line will be designed to make pipes up to 12.2 metres long with an outside diameter ranging from 18 to 56 inches.

The maximum wall thickness will be 44.5 millimetres.

SMS group will be responsible for the engineering and supply of process equipment for the facility. Larsen & Toubro Limited – SMS group’s partner in the consortium – will be responsible for the civil works and erection of the equip-

ment. Besides the engineering and project planning, scheduling and coordination, SMS group will supply all key machinery as well as the process equipment. This also includes workshops, laboratories and the manufacturing execution system equipment.

The production line will consist of the following units: ▪ an edge miller, ▪ a crimping press, ▪ a JCOE® pipe forming press, ▪ tack welder, ▪ inside and outside welder – a longitudinal submerged arc welder, ▪ mechanical expander, and ▪ a hydrostatic pipe tester.

The plant operator can change over to other pipe dimensions quickly, allowing him to produce even smaller batch sizes economically with the utmost precision. The pipe forming press is equipped with variable speed pumps providing for an efficient hydraulic system with pressures up to 450 bar, which reduces energy consumption by 30 percent compared with conventional hydraulic systems. The shape automation system developed by SMS performs the fully automatic control of the forming process. It improves the performance as well as compensates the influences of plate inhomogeneity in the forming process. Thus a consistently high pipe quality can be guaranteed.

Al Gharbia Pipe Company is a joint venture of investment company Senaat, JFE Steel and MarubeniItochu Steel (MISI). The new company is leveraging JFE Steel’s technology for high-quality large-diameter longitudinal welded steel pipes, MISI’s sales capabilities and Senaat’s industrial footprint in Abu Dhabi.

MPT International 5 / 2015

50

â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş HOT ROLLING

New blooming stand by Primetals Technologies in operation at Acciaierie Venete S.p.A. in Camin (PD), Italy

Start-up of the modernized blooming mill at Acciaierie Venete in Italy The 110-t/hour blooming mill now allows for greater reduction of cross-sections and in this way for further improvement of bloomsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; metallurgical properties. The new line entirely or partly dispenses with downstream processing steps to cut conversion costs.

Acciaierie Venete S.p.A. has issued the final acceptance certificate (FAC) for a blooming mill extensively modernized by Primetals Technologies at its Camin, Italy location. Within the scope of this modernization project, a new blooming stand including ancillary system was installed and integrated into the existing line. The production capacity is up to 110 t per hour.

The main aim of the project was to im-

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MPT International 5 / 2015

prove the quality of blooms with the option of entirely or partly dispensing with downstream processing steps.

The project was handled on a turnkey basis, and its value was in the low double-digit millions Euro range.

Acciaierie Venete is a private manufacturer of rods and profiles made of carbon and high-grade steels that has several production facilities in Italy. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headquarters is in Camin in the province of Padua. Acciaierie Venete produces around 1.5 million tons of steel every year. The new blooming mill at the Camin steelworks allows for greater reduction of cross-sections throughout the rolling process. This improves

the metallurgical properties of end products. As a result, additional processing steps such as forging can be dispensed with either in whole or in part.

This means that although the specific conversion costs are lower in total, steel grades as required in particular by the automobile industry or manufacturers of wind turbines can still be produced.

1RVKOK\GF OCVGTKCN Ć&#x192;QY Primetals Technologies installed the blooming line from the exit point of the new bloom caster. From there, a transfer crane transports the blooms either to the run-in roller table of the new reheat-

HOT ROLLING ing furnace or to the cooling bed. This is realized as a walking beam system and is able to provide different cooling profiles for specific products. Roller tables equipped with elevating and rotating fixtures feed the reheating furnace with the capability of hot charging. As a special feature, the reheating furnace has two exits. This ensured the supply of ingoing material to the existing continuous rolling line during the construction of the new blooming line.

A high-pressure descaler was installed between the furnace and the blooming mill. The blooming mill itself is conceived as a duo reversing blooming stand with transverse slid-

ing movement for pass change. It features an inline quick-change system for simple and fast replacement of rolls and chocks. The rolls have a length of 1,500 mm and a diameter of 1,060 mm.

Per hour, the blooming stand can process around 110 t of blooms with a weight of up to 10 t and diameters 350 mm to 600 mm. Products with square cross-sections of 180 mm x 180mm, 240 mm x 240 mm and 280 mm x 280 mm and round stock with diameters 180 mm to 315 mm are rolled from carbon and quality steels, and cropped by a hydraulic shear. A roller table to the existing continuous long product rolling mill completes the blooming line’s mechanical equipment.

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The scope of delivery also included the electrical, drive and automation technology, including medium-voltage transformers for the blooming stand, AC main drives including two motors with a power output of 1,800 kilowatts each, AC auxiliary drives, the complete level 1 automation, mechatronic components and a CCTV system. Primetals Technologies was also responsible for the installation and commissioning and for customer training. Primetals Technologies assisted the customer in obtaining the required safety certification for the machines and the plant in compliance with Italian and European regulations.

Stressometer® Systems. From hot to cold.

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The long standing problem of flatness measurement and control in aluminum hot rolling mills is now solved by ABB. Achievements in the field show yield improvements of 2 % and rolling speed improvements of 10%. Altogether this corresponds to millions of dollars on the bottom line. One reason for this is, as one of our customers put it, ”Good tail-out from the hot rolling mill results in high quality head-in to the cold rolling mill”.

The range of applications where the Stressometer system sustainably improves your business includes all kinds of cold rolling mills; and now also aluminium hot rolling mills. www.abb.com/stressometer

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

‹‹‹

52

››› INTERVIEW

60 years of intelligent solutions for rolling mills and strip processing lines In the middle of the 1950ies, two young clever German engineers founded the technology company BWG – today known for their sophisticated rolling mill equipment and strip processing technology. Let us look 60 years back in time with the managing director of BWG, Dr. Andreas Noé. He explains the breakthrough technologies developed by BWG, which are well reputed worldwide in industry. tell us about the begin› Please nings of BWG. When and how did the history of BWG start?

BWG Bergwerk- und WalzwerkMaschinenbau GmbH was founded in June 1955 by my father Oskar Noé and his partner Willi Manthey. The years after World War II saw the reconstruction of the steel and coal industries in Germany. The immense need of new machinery and plants and new ideas springing up everywhere created a climate that fostered the growth of the company. Ten years after the foundation of the company, we had already more than 60 employees.

BWG remained an independ› Has ent company till the present day?

Dr. Andreas Noé, owner and managing director of BWG Bergwerk- und Walzwerk-

BWG has been a family-owned company ever since the retirement of Willi Manthey. Today we are a medium-sized company with a staff of about 150 people.

During the first years of its existence, BWG manufactured conveyors used in underground mining. Apart from that, my father had developed and patented a hydraulically actuated prop made of aluminium. That patent was later on sold to Thyssen. In the 1960ies, the mining industry was hit by a severe crisis. We at BWG therefore decided to phase out the activities for the mining industry and concentrate entirely on equipment for the steel industry.

German word “Bergwerk”, › The which is part of your company name, means “mining”. Today, we generally associate BWG with rolling mill equipment. Can you explain why “Bergwerk” is part of your company name?

Maschinenbau GmbH

did BWG become a supplier › When of rolling mill equipment?

BWG Bergwerk- und Walzwerk-Maschinenbau GmbH, Duisburg, Germany Contact: www.bwg-online.de E-Mail: daniela.geier@bwg-online.de

MPT International 5 / 2015

BWG reaped first successes in the area of heavy-duty rolling mill equipment when we supplied a three-high rolling mill. That was followed by or-

ders for rail finishing equipment and skid beds for slabs. We supplied charging and discharging machines for slab reheating furnaces used in hot rolling mills, the associated roller tables and complete hot coil transport systems. A key development in this context was our patented walking beam conveyor, which has remained an integral part of our coil transport systems to the present day.

requirements from those › Which days paved the way for the further development of the company?

We were active players in what turned out to be the booming 1960ies of the international steel industry. We supplied numerous coil transport systems, upgraded cold rolling mills and

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eventually received first orders for the modification of strip processing lines.

Initially, the projects mainly aimed at increasing production capacities. Later on, the quality of the rolled or processed strips moved more and more into focus. Besides the material properties and the surface quality, strip flatness became an increasingly important issue. This actually marked our entry into rolling and temper rolling as well as strip levelling technology. My father’s groundbreaking inventions in the latter field laid the foundations for what to the present day has been one of BWG’s most successful products: our “Levelflex®” technology.

does the name “Levelflex” › What stand for?

“Levelflex” is the trademark for our strip levelling technology and the corresponding family of products. Originally, it was a special type of stretch levelling. The process involves the alternate bending and unbending of strip at high tension around smalldiameter stretch rollers in the elastoplastic range. As a result, waviness is removed from the strip. The year 1971 saw the world’s first application of this technology as a scale breaker in a continuous pickling line. We called this special version of the system “Levelflex Scalemaster”. In addition to improved strip flatness, the mechanical scale breaking effect also achieved an approximately 30% increase in pickling line throughput. To this day, we have been supplying these machines – of course, in constantly advanced designs – to the steel and stainless steel industries. They are often supplied together with an upstream temper mill, which gives the strip surface its desired surface finish. A further special version is the “Pure Stretch Levelflex” technology, which does completely without levelling rollers. It is used, for example, for levelling stainless steel and aluminium strips. This leveler has been designed to produce strips that have to comply with highest surface quali-

ty and flatness requirements and have to be completely relieved from residual stresses. To date, BWG has built a total of 76 Levelflex plants, for carbon and stainless steel strips as well as for strips made of aluminium, zinc or titanium.

BWG specialized just in this › Has particular rolling technology?

In addition to the supply of temper mills, either as inline stands, used for example in hot-dip galvanizing lines, or as offline stands complete with flatness control equipment, we also revamp reducing mills. However, being a medium-sized company, we do not supply any tandem mills.

are the developments of › What BWG in the field of strip processing lines?

Since the 1970ies, we have been supplying complete strip processing lines catering to the upper quality segment.

These include pickling lines, annealing and pickling lines, strip coating lines, Temper Levelflex® lines, inspec-

tion and side trimming lines. The aluminium industry has developed into a key market for us. It accounts for about 50% of our sales. Equipment going to that industry, for example, includes annealing lines for sectors such as automotive and aviation.

Our equipment covers a broad range of products: for example, strip thicknesses from 0.05 to 16 mm, strip widths up to 2,800 mm and yield strengths from 25 to 2,000 MPa. Besides the supply of new equipment, upgrades of existing plants represent a significant share of our activities. As a medium-sized company, we also specialize in the supply of sophisticated equipment units such as temper rolling stands, side trimmers, slab deburrers and stitchers.

In 2009, we introduced our proprietary strip floatation furnaces. Ever since their introduction, we have successfully employed these furnaces as lacquer curing ovens in strip coating and electric strip annealing lines and as annealing furnaces in aluminium annealing lines.

MPT International 5 / 2015

56

››› INTERVIEW

BWG Drap line – direct rolling, annealing and pickling line

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competences has BWG de› What veloped during its history?

We believe that our successful positioning in a fiercely contested market is due to our in-depth understanding of the processes and technologies that we offer and our capacity to build customer relations based on mutual trust by offering innovative approaches and customized solutions to problems.

Throughout the world, machines and plants made by BWG enjoy an excellent reputation. This is because they are intelligently designed and built to high engineering standards. We have developed process models that allow us to simulate in advance the processes in a true-to-life and time-saving procedure. When we design a product, our longstanding expertise allows us to take into account aspects such as potentially occurring operating states or maintenance requirements. In projects involving the modernization of existing plants, we have the necessary know-how to plan the implementation in such a way that downtimes are minimized and a reliable restart of the upgraded equipment is guaranteed. We also offer our customers competent and comprehensive service for the time after the FAC has been issued.

the first decades of your com› Inpany’s history, business was largely influenced by the deMPT International 5 / 2015

mand of the European industry.

What is the situation like today?

From which regions do you receive orders?

Europe, especially Germany, has remained an important market for our company to the present day, particularly for exacting revamping projects.

Due to the innovative character and high quality of our products, we have also succeeded in gaining strong footholds in North America, China, Korea, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

you please give us some › Could examples of recent reference projects in the steel industry?

An important recent project is a turnkey project for German flat steel producer Salzgitter Flachstahl, which involved the conversion of the entry section of the tandem mill from discontinuous to continuous operation.

This project for Salzgitter was particularly challenging because the entry section of the tandem mill was not to be arranged in a straight line, but at an angle of 90 degrees and as compact as possible. We solved this task by engineering a solution providing for the strip to change direction and by installing a high-capacity vertical looper. The solution worked out from the outset. We had no more than 12 days of plant downtime thanks to smart project planning.

Other important recent projects are the replacements of the hot coil transport systems at two hot strip mills of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe. In both cases, we replaced equipment BWG had supplied in 1969 and 1979, respectively. The project involved changing the coil transport mode from vertical, in other words with the coil eye up, to horizontal and designing the system such that heavier coils could be handled.

Another important order was the new off-line temper mill DR1600 for Outokumpu Nirosta in Dillenburg, Germany. The mill is used to skin-pass bright annealed stainless steel strips, complying with extremely exacting demands in terms of surface finish and strip flatness.

there also references for sin› Are gle equipment supplies?

Yes, for example, our high-capacity side trimmers. We recently supplied two tandem side trimmers to Posco for their No. 1 cold rolling mill in Gwangyang, Korea, and one tandem side trimmer to ArcelorMittal Florange in France. The machines are designed for “flying” width changes (automatic width control). By reducing the strip speed during the transition from one strip width to another, the machines can adjust to the new strip width. In order to minimize

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58

››› INTERVIEW

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shear forces at the knife heads, the adjustment of the knife heads’ angular positions to the changing strip width is synchronized with both the line speed and the speed of the transverse head movement. The tandem design guarantees that there is always one trimming unit equipped with fresh knives. This provides a great deal of operating flexibility, especially when producing soft IF and hard DP grades.

We have supplied a similar high-capacity side trimmer to ThyssenKrupp in Finnentrop, Germany.

A further very interesting machine is our “Cleanedge” slab deburrer, which produces completely burr-free slabs in a safe and reliable process. We recently supplied three such units to Posco, two to ArcelorMittal in Brazil and one to Dillinger Hütte in Germany. The latest version of this machine is also able to reliably debur slabs of high-carbon steels. We recently supplied one of these machines to Sumitomo, Japan, for their works in Wakayama.

MPT International 5 / 2015

you please also give us an › Could example of a project involving heat treatment equipment?

Yes, let’s take the continuous furnace for the new No. 2 continuous annealing line at the Linz, Austria, works of Voestalpine Stahl GmbH. The furnace is used to dry and cure insulating varnishes on finish annealed, siliconized steel strip. Besides the floatation furnace proper, which contains a floatation air cooler, the furnace plant designed by BWG also incorporates a regenerative post-combustion plant, which purifies the offgas arising from the drying process, keeping emission values securely below the permissible limits.

› Does BWG also offer services?

Our competence and expertise allow us to also be very active in the service area. Our service offer includes examinations of existing plants, the engineering of new plants, process

studies, and so forth. We often take care of the plants we supply also after we have received the FAC from the customer, for example, by optimizing processes in collaboration with the customer or by monitoring production or maintenance. With the expertise of our automation department, we also upgrade existing plants to the latest electrical engineering standards.

are BWG’s objectives for › What the next few years?

We constantly strive for and dedicate much of our time and resources to the development of new products. This will allow us to continue to offer further enhanced processes, machines and equipment and remain a premium supplier for our customers. We will place special emphasis on sophisticating our process models and expanding our service offer.

Dr. Noé, thank you very much for this interview.

www.vip-kommunikation.de

RELIABLE, ROBUST AND PRECISE

Heavy Plates Forming Presses

DISHING | STRAIGHTENING | BENDING For the production of heavy plates Siempelkamp offers forming presses with a press force of up to 720 MN. www.siempelkamp.com

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â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş COLD ROLLING â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

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High-performance grinding machine for roll shops Being suited for work rolls of up to 10 t weight, a new roll grinding machine features a centre width of 5,000 mm and a grinding diameter of up to 700 mm. Due to its highly specialized design, the machine achieves not only excellent grinding results, but also VKRUW KDQGOLQJ WLPHV DV ZHOO DV VKRUW VHW XS DQG PDFKLQLQJ WLPHV 7KH Ć&#x201A;UVW PDFKLQH RI this type has been supplied to the Chinese Baosteel Group.

For the first time in its 65 years of company history, Heinrich Georg Maschinenfabrik (Georg) delivered a grinding machine for work rolls in a cold rolling mill. The new roll grinding

Wieland H. Klein, Heinrich Georg GmbH Maschinenfabrik, Kreuztal, Germany Contact: www.georg.com E-mail: wzm@georg.com

MPT International 5 / 2015

machine ultragrind 700 R, with a centre width of 5,000 mm and a grinding diameter of up to 700 mm, machines rolls of up to 10 t weight. It achieves a high grinding quality in both conventional and CBN grinding.

The ultragrind 700 R was delivered to the Chinese Baosteel Group. It works fully automatically and offers a variety of design features. These include a headstock which can be moved as a whole, while the main axis stays fixed, and a

counterstay which is also movable. It also features a hydrostatic bearing of the grinding axis and the high-precision U-axis of the grinding carriage as well as a U1-axis for accurate horizontal roll alignment. Another feature is the comprehensive measuring and testing equipment. The new machine achieves excellent grinding results and short handling, set-up and machining times. All these features contribute to a long lifetime of the machine.

COLD ROLLING â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

â&#x20AC;šâ&#x20AC;šâ&#x20AC;š

61

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Closed simulation chain Instead of building several prototypes which are optimized step by step, the engineers at Georg have put the machine â&#x20AC;&#x153;into operationâ&#x20AC;? in a virtual environment. By means of FEM calculations, dynamic simulations and the simulation of all processes, the designers have closed the simulation chain between process, machine and control. This made it possible that even the very first machine operated extremely well from the outset, requiring only minor optimization.

The outcome of the development is a grinding machine which is characterized by high precision, efficient material removal, smooth and vibration-free running, short set-up and machining times as well as low life cycle costs. Advanced measurement and control technologies assure that the machine achieves highly accurate results.

Conventional and CBN grinding Georg developed the machine for both conventional and CBN grinding, making it suitable for new, highstrength materials and providing a high level of investment security for the future.

The machine operates with a tailor-made technology necessary for CBN grinding. The spindle bearing has been designed for high speeds. Georg furthermore uses high-pressure pumps and special needle nozzles for the coolant supply.

The highly rigid machine design allows for the use of hard grinding wheels. Thus the customer can fully exploit the advantages of CBN grinding, for example, higher surface quality while reducing machining times and grinding wheel wear. Although CBN grinding wheels are three to four times more expensive than conventional types, thanks to the design of

the new machine the economic potential of these wheels can be fully utilized.

Additionally, the machine is equipped with an optimized water supply for CBN grinding. An exhaust system for the oil mist can be supplied as an option.

Easy loading With its high degree of automation, the ultragrind 700 R achieves minimum cycle times: the entire process from loading the machine to final quality inspection runs automatically and without any manual intervention.

The fact that both the headstock and the counterstay are moveable in the longitudinal direction provides optimum accessibility during loading. In the loading position, both elements are so far apart that the roll can be loaded without any risk of collision with other machine components.

MPT International 5 / 2015

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››› COLD ROLLING – SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

As soon as the roll is supported on the steadies, the headstock and the counterstay move forward and couple automatically. After that, the horizontal roll alignment is measured. Then the roll is automatically aligned by means of the U1-axis parallel to the carriage. This way, even before the process starts, Georg securely prevents any errors that may arise from roll misalignment, at the same time reducing machining times.

Then, the roll measuring unit consisting of the A-probe and the swivelling B-probe, traverses along the length of the roll measuring its contour.

On the basis of the measured data, the control system calculates the optimum grinding programme.

During and after the grinding process, eddy current systems fixed to the

ulations during the development phase verified this approach: The beds are extremely rigid, which provides for a high long-time accuracy of the machine. Furthermore, this concept provides good shock-absorbing properties and allows for high surface qualities. In addition, the temperature stability of the complete machine design results in high process stability.

Georg does not move the faceplate of the headstock in the longitudinal direction, but the headstock as a whole, including the housing. This is how the design engineers avoid unnecessary bearing loads and backlash of moving components inside the headstock and at the roll drive system.

The headstock is equipped with a fixed main axis. Through this solution Georg achieves a high lifetime of

The quills of the steady rests are rectangular. The regular shape makes them more precise than round ones, at the same time offering much better bearing of the roll. They also take up side loads very well. The upper parts of the steadies are equipped with jaws in quick change design. Thus, it is not necessary to change the complete base jaw or the quill in the housing; only the upper chucks have to be changed for new roll types.

The steady rest on the tailstock side can optionally be provided with a U1axis, which in connection with the roll measuring system compensates any horizontal misalignment of the roll.

This further increases position accuracy of the roll parallel to the carriage, because direct measuring is superior to indirect, software-based positioning and correction.

The exact horizontal positioning ensures that the roll neck always rests completely within the radius of the steady jaws and that there are no edge girders.

Hydrostatic bearings

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base frame of the roll measurement unit inspect the roll surface and will identify any cracks. In case of surface cracks, the grinding programme will automatically be adapted.

High rigidity The machine beds are crucial to the achievement of high roundness and shape accuracy. Generally, Georg designs pyramid-shaped machines. As these machines are much broader at the bottom than machines from other manufacturers, they achieve significantly higher rigidity. The simMPT International 5 / 2015

the main bearings. The belt drive decouples and damps vibrations – one of the most important conditions for high-precision roll grinding. The faceplate comes with oscillating suspension, allowing it to smoothly carry the roll without any side loads. The counterstay, which is also moveable in the longitudinal direction, is adjusted horizontally and clamped onto the machine bed. Its quill is hydraulically adjustable. It is equipped with a calibration ring for automatic calibration of the roll measuring system and with an automatic diameter measuring system for the grinding wheel.

The carriage guideways and the grinding spindle run in hydrostatic bearings, which offer a significantly higher tolerance than hydrodynamic ones. Furthermore, the hydrostatic bearings damp vibrations much better. The U-axis has a resolution of 0.01 μm to achieve high accuracy, making it most suitable for CVC©, Smart Crown© and conventional grinding profiles.

The undivided upper carriage is also very rigid and has no cutting lines. Positioning is not performed by means of a tilting mechanism, but with an eccentric shaft, which has fewer joints and thus offers higher rigidity. The A-probe of the roll measuring unit is fixed directly to the bed slide. This way it is not necessary to implement a countermovement, when the upper carriage moves in the X-direction.

The measuring probe always remains in the same position relative to the carriage. As a consequence, the measuring accuracy is significantly increased.

For wheel changes, a quick change unit is provided. After a wheel change, the grinding wheels are automatically balanced by means of a balancing system integrated into the grinding spindle.

If you talk about environment and industries, say HOK . ®

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HOK® . Activated lignite. Flue gas adsorbent and catalyst.

First choice for gas cleaning in metallurgical processes.

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The choice is HOK®. HOK® is OK.

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Precise measuring technology Prior to the grinding process, the horizontal position of the roll and its diameter are determined by means of two measuring probes. The A-probe at the opposite side of the grinding wheel is mounted to a measuring arm made of CFK and optimized in terms of shape and weight. The probe has been specially developed for this new machine.

The actual measuring data sensor is safely located inside the measuring arm. The light yet rigid design remains stable at varying temperatures and withstands impacts from dirt and cooling lubricant.

The B-probe is installed directly at the upper carriage and is swivelled towards the roll for measurement. Both probes are positioned at grinding level preventing any angle faults. When the grinding process has been completed, the roll measuring unit checks the geometry of the roll. All measuring data are recorded in the control system and can be transmitted to a Georg roll shop management system.

The system is operated from a control desk, on which the parameters and the measuring data are displayed. The power unit, the drives and the S7 control are made by Siemens.

Innovative technologies

for the metals industry

Results Two examples prove the high precision of the machine: A HSS work roll of a hot rolling mill with a Shore-C hardness of 87, diameter of 671 mm, barrel length of 2,320 mm and total length of 4,830 mm was machined with a CBN wheel. The height of the CVC curve was 1.85 mm in diameter. The result: The geometrical accuracy showed a value of ±1.75 μm, no optical defects could be recognized.

A forged steel work roll of a cold rolling mill with a Shore-C hardness of 95, diameter of 430 mm, barrel length of 1,800 mm and total length of 3,248 mm was machined with a CBN wheel. The height of the CVC curve was 0.1 mm in diameter. The geometrical accuracy showed a value of ±1.0 μm, no optical defects could be recognized.

Low life cycle costs The machine with its exceptionally solid construction shows its benefits already after just a few years of operation. In comparison with lighter machine types or machines not completely equipped with hydrostatic bearings, it generates significantly less costs throughout its operating time. Features such as easy maintainability, low operating costs, the minimal wear of the hydrostatic bearings and the high reliability of the components contribute to the machine’s low life cycle costs. The wide machine beds and the exceptionally stable design of the machine result in extended maintenance intervals and thus reduced costs of operation.

The short machining times increase productivity and reduce unit costs. It may even become possible that time savings achieved are so high that one machine of the new generation could replace two machines of conventional design.

Cold rolling Strip processing Chemical processes Thermal processes Mechanical equipment Automation Extractive metallurgy www.cmigroupe.com DESIGN | ENGINEERING | COMMISSIONING | TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE & TRAINING | AFTER-SALES

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››› TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS

Open-die forging press RING FORGING A top floor open die forging press (TFP) with a press force of 200 MN generated by a hydraulic drive system with an installed power of 12,000 kW will be supplied by Wepuko Pahnke to China.

The main field of operation of the new plant will be the production of ring segments and discs for manufacturing pressure vessels for the nuclear power plant industry. The safety requirements in this industry are very stringent. This implies unique challenges for the press system. With this press, homogeneous parts for high pressure vessels with diameters of up to 9.5 m will be forged to highest quality and precision standards. Besides ring segments, the press will be designed to forge the large arced vessel bottoms in one piece. Forging such large parts, requires exceptional eccentric loading capacity and an additional manufacturing step, involving punching the flange connection ports into the vessel’s main body or the vessel bottoms.

Wepuko Pahnke utilizes FEM to evaluate the flexibility and fatigue strength of the press structure during the design phase. Digital design tools such as CAD/CAE allow the press system to be modelled prior to manufacturing and to finalize the design in collaboration with the customer.

The two-column open die press will be arranged at an angle, a design feature typical of Wepuko Pahnke presses.

This arrangement provides maximum workspace for large forgings and an unobstructed view of the press tooling area.

It also facilitates feeding of the work pieces into the press.

The energy-efficient oil-hydraulic Pahnke Modified Sinusoidal Direct (PMSD) drive system will involve 20 advanced

Digital model of the 200 MN forging press

and durable radial piston pumps. The system guarantees a uniform and smooth forging process with high-precision fast press strokes. Loading and unloading of bulky forgings and the forge tooling equipment will be supported by the long stroke of the moving table, which requires a special design solution resulting from the fact that due to the large dimensions of the ring forgings no manipulator will be integrated into the system. Instead, the rings will be moved by a rotating forging beam driven by a chain drive. The press is scheduled to go into operation in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Contact: www.wepuko.com

Increased life for bloom, billet and tube moulds CONTINUOUS CASTING A new compact gun has been developed to apply coatings to the inside of bloom, billet and round mould tubes. This development by Castolin Eutectic, through their Monitor Coatings business, will extend the durability and longevity of small moulds. Successful trials have al-

ready taken place in Monitor Coating’s workshop. The liquid fuel system and its applications are similar to, but have a more cost effective performance than other mould coatings. Another advantage is that the system, called compact HVOF gun, is compliant with European legislation such as the REACH direc-

tive, providing continuity and a cost-effective alternative to coatings that will soon become obsolete under the new regulations. Live trials of the coating are currently being prepared to be carried out on selected plants.

Contact: www.monitorcoatings.com

Bar rolling technology LONG PRODUCT ROLLING During an open day at their manufacturing facilities in Bremen, Germany, Friedrich Kocks GmbH & Co KG showed their latest development in reducing and sizing technology for SBQ products. Equipment presented and assembled in the workshop included a block of the newly developed SCS® RSB technology complete with the new dynamic modular drive concept. Also two 3-roll stands for SBQ production were presented, one with a nominal roll diameter of 370 mm and one of 500 mm for the so far biggest RSB that Kocks has ever made. A special feature of the 500 mm heavy-duty block is the drive MPT International 5 / 2015

concept which involves an own motor for each roll. Visitors were also demonstrated the calibration and operation of the computer-aided pass and guide adjustment system CAPAS. An online simulation of thermo-mechanical rolling with water boxes was presented to demonstrate the automation of the water cooling line. Also a live demonstration was provided of the KMS – Kocks microstructure simulation software, predicting and visualizing the temperature distribution along the mill line with resulting microstructure and mechanical properties.

Contact: www.kocks.de

MPT International

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Metallurgical Plant and Technology

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Metalurgia, Processos e Tecnologias

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ТоŃ&#x2026;нОНОгиŃ? кОнŃ&#x201A;Ń&#x20AC;ОНŃ? и Ń&#x20AC;огŃ&#x192;НиŃ&#x20AC;ОваниŃ? наŃ&#x201A;Ń?МониŃ? ĐżĐžĐťĐžŃ Ń&#x2039; в НиниŃ?Ń&#x2026; нопŃ&#x20AC;ĐľŃ&#x20AC;Ń&#x2039;внОгО ĐžŃ&#x201A;Мига (c. 34)

MetalĂźrji Prosesleri ve Tesisleri

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Also available as e-journal

68

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

Flame-cutting nozzles CONTINUOUS CASTING German flat steel producer Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH has been using Framag flame-cutting nozzles of the latest generation on two of the four slab casting lines. The FCN 300 nozzles of the Evolution series provide high process safety, especially in respect of possible cutting stops or cut interruptions, and a very good quality of the cut surface, raising the output of the downstream rolling lines. They reduce consumption of cutting gases and achieve very high cutting speeds, especially on the cast thicknesses of up to 350 mm produced at Salzgitter.

In addition to these benefits, the optimized design of the nozzle has enabled the cutting clearance to be minimized, thus reducing material losses during flame cutting and increasing productivity in the continuous casting lines.

Contact: www.framag.com

0Q\\NGU HQT Ć&#x192;COG EWVVKPI CRRNKECVKQPU KP EQPVKPWQWU ECUVKPI NKPGU

Hybrid metal analyzer with enhanced performance features ANALYTICAL EQUIPMENT Two new arc/spark optical emission spectrometers for high-performance metal analysis have been introduced by Spectro. The new Spectrolab metal analyzers deliver ultrahigh speed of measurement, extremely low limits of detection, ultimate elemental flexibility and excellent stability. The new hybrid analyzer combines analogue photomultiplier tube (PMT) detectors with digital charge coupled device (CCD) technology for simultaneous measurements in R&D, trace metal measurement and precious metals analysis. The analyzers feature a sealed, no-purge optical system for maximized light transmission stability, even in the far UV. Its software utilizes sophisti-

cated online drift correction measures. Depending on the application, trace values in single parts per million (ppm) can be easily ascertained. The coupling of a high-energy plasma generator with Spectroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dynamic pre-burn process provides extremely fast setup, accelerated sample throughput and exceptionally low time to measurement in many applications. An optional software-extendable configuration allows changes to the elemental setup without requiring calibration. UV-plus purification eliminates expensive argon purging or vacuum pumps.

Contact: www.spectro.com

Advanced quench and temper facility HEAT TREATMENT The new heat treatment line to be installed at Timken Steelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gambrinus complex in Canton, Ohio, USA, will combine induction preheaters and heating furnaces for both the austenitizing and tempering processes. Timken Steel has developed the AQTF (advanced quench and temper facility) together with SMS group. The line will be capable of processing up to 10 t/h of tubes and bars, ranging from 100 to 330 mm in diameter and in a variety of different steel grades of Timken Steelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s portfolio. The heart of the AQTF line will be the Quenching ShellÂŽ developed by SMS group, an advanced water spray system which can be used flexibly for different products and is characterized by its adaptability to changing process conditions. The new line is scheduled to go into operation in the second quarter of 2016.

Line layout combining induction preheaters and heating

Contact: www.sms-group.com MPT International 5 / 2015

furnaces

TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS

‹‹‹

69

Process control system STRIP PROCESSING LINES Specialist knowledge of strip processing lines coupled with an intelligent software forms the basis of CMI’s OPExSTM operation, process expert system.

The system analyzes all process and coil data to determine process and quality conditions and provides operational advice and guidance. The core of the software is the expert knowhow linked online with the process control system.

OPExSTM allows to optimize the line settings based on the analysis of data coming from processed coils as well as upstream data analysis and event reporting. It also provides line operators with context information as to the customer’s processing and product specifications. Information about corrective or preventive action to be taken is available in a matter of minutes after the coil has been processed. Mark-

ers indicate the origin of the problem to be solved and specify the manual intervention needed, if any.

The system also displays similar events for comparison.

This feature allows the system to learn by continuously completing the database with knowledge acquired from daily strip processing operation. The software can also be updated with additional specifications, for example, provided by customers. Other key features of the system include web accessibility for fast and customized intervention, a single wide screen for the display of all process data and evaluation of process and quality parameters via specific grading rules.

Contact: www.cmigroupe.com

Billet welding technology LONG PRODUCT ROLLING Endless welding rolling is a process involving flash-welding the tail end of one billet to the head end of the next billet as it emerges from the reheating furnace. It eliminates the billet gap, reduces cobbles and minimizes scrap.

CMC South Carolina, USA, and Tosyali, Algeria, have ordered new EWR® units from Danieli. These lines will be designed to operate at up to 180 t/h. Operation of the billet welders brings substantial benefits in plant productivity and efficiency, mainly thanks to the ex-

tra-rolling time coming from the elimination of roll gaps, and significant savings in plant manpower. The consequent positive effects on production cost will result in very short return of investment.

Contact: www.danieli.it

© Utz Peter Greis, Düsseldorf

Cartoon

MPT International 5 / 2015

70

››› LITERATURE SERVICE Ladle refractory monitoring 6 pages, English This brochure describes the features and the set-up of a ladle refractory monitoring system offered by Automation Technology. The system provides a fully automated inspection procedure, configurable ladle analysis, advanced data management, temperature trend analysis, etc.

Contact: E-mail:

www.automationtechnology.de info@automationtechnology.de

Heat treatment technology 16 pages, English A customer magazine published by Carbolite, presenting a selection of ovens and furnaces.

The magazine also presents high-temperature and vacuum applications carried out with Gero furnaces, a sister company of Carbolite, complementing the product portfolio with furnaces over 1,800°C and a large variety of furnaces for vacuum and other modified atmospheres.

Contact: E-mail:

www.carbolite.com info@carbolite.com

Cokemaking technology &RNLQJ 0DNLQJ 7HFKQRORJ\ t 6HUYLFH IRU WKH IXWXUH

6-page leaflet, English A concise information leaflet setting out the range of services offered by DMT in the field of cokemaking. The services include emission measurements, tests for coal blend optimization, monitoring of coke quality, analysis and carbonization tests with hard coking coal.

Contact: E-mail:

www.dmt.de kt@dmt.de

Laboratory furniture 152 pages, English A catalogue containing the complete product range offered by Echo Research & Development, suppliers of furniture and solutions for instruments and laboratory equipment. Based on an integrated system, the company supplies equipped workbenches, technical walls, suspended satellites, cupboards and cabinets complete with fittings and electric utilities.

Contact: E-mail:

www.echord.it info@echord.it

Reclaimed refractory materials 46 pages, English A comprehensive catalogue covering the range of reclaimed refractory materials supplied by Mineralmahlwerk Westerwald, a member of the Horn & Co. Group. Included in the catalogue are basic and non-basic refractory materials, metallurgical reagents and a wide range of mixes.

Contact: E-mail:

MPT International 5 / 2015

www.horn-co.de info@horn-co.de

LITERATURE SERVICE

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71

Chemical solutions 8 pages, English, German A brochure outlining the activities of Labmix24. The company offers a web shop for certified reference materials, recalibration samples and consumables. A database with search functions allows to easily find the desired reference material and a tool is available for custom-making chemical solutions.

Contact: E-mail:

www.labmix24.com info@labmix.com

Steel bar straighteners 4 pages, English A product brochure featuring the ASV 2000 automatic straightening machine offered by MAE. The machine straightens round and square bars with up to 500 mm cross-section and 30,000 mm length. The brochure describes machine components and the functions of the controller unit.

Contact: E-mail:

www.mae-goetzen.de sales@mae-goetzen.de

Industrial CCTV systems 6 pages, English, German A brochure outlining the CCTV camera systems offered by Pieper for monitoring processes in high-temperature areas. In addition to the cameras, descriptions are provided of combustion chamber probes, control and media cabinets, retraction devices, protective housings, etc.

Contact: E-mail:

www.pieper-video.de info@pieper-video.de

Furnace transformers 4 pages, English A concise brochure setting out the range of transformers built by Transformers & Rectifiers.

Apart from furnace transformers up to 120 kA, the company also manufactures power transformers, rectifier transformers, distribution transformers and special transformers.

Contact: E-mail:

www.transformerindia.com marketing@transformerindia.com

Dust discharge valve 4 pages, English A product brochure featuring a dust discharge control valve developed by Paul Wurth. The valve is based on the proven pulverized coal control valve and has been adapted for use in the blast furnace dust extraction system. Description of the valve’s key technical characteristics, benefits and main components.

Contact: E-mail:

www.paulwurth.com paulwurth@paulwurth.com

MPT International 5 / 2015

72

››› IN THE NEXT ISSUE…

Modernization Hot and cold strip mill refurbishments at ArcelorMittal Temirtau ArcelorMittal Temirtau, Kazakhstan, has revamped a tandem cold rolling mill and the finishing stands of a hot strip mill. The six-stand tandem cold mill was upgraded to enable the rolling of wider strip. The work on the hot strip mill involved the geometrical re-alignment of the finishing stands by on-site machining of the mill housings and the alignment of a brand new mill stand. Refurbishing the three finishing stands by machining the mill housings was completed during a shutdown of only 10 days.

Continuous casting – Special equipment Precise and rugged measurement system to increase the economic efficiency of steel production To minimize material losses, measurement systems which control the cutting length are mandatory. Often, however, the inaccuracy inherent in the working principle – caused, for example, by slippage, wear or dirt – is the reason that producers have to add a significant surplus quantity to the minimum length of the product which is guaranteed to the customer.

This, however, means that with each cut the producer „gives away“ a certain quantity of material. Thanks to high-precision, non-contact measurement systems, which withstand also the rough operating conditions directly above the redhot strand, this savings potential can be used and the economic efficiency of the plant can be considerably increased.

Hot rolling Tailor made drive train upgrade The steel markets show a trend towards more and more high-strength rolled products. As a consequence, due to the higher rolling forces required, drives and drive trains of hot rolling mills are exposed to higher loads. In the framework of a study, the mechanical and electrical components of existing drive trains were analyzed. Innovative solutions have been developed to upgrade the mill drive system with powerful and reliable components.

Cold rolling Rolling-oil treatment technology In the framework of the modernization of its 20-roll cold strip mill at the Krefeld (Germany) site, Outokumpu will revamp the existing rolling-oil treatment plant. A part of the equipment will be retained and continued to be used. Key equipment to be newly installed includes a dirty-oil tank with automatic pre-separation and a new ultra-fine filter system.

This preview may be subject to change.

Published by: Verlag Stahleisen GmbH P.O. Box 10 51 64, 40042 Düsseldorf, Germany e-mail mpt@stahleisen.de Publisher: Steel Institute VDEh Executive Member of the Management Board: Dr.-Ing. Peter Dahlmann Internet: www.mpt-international.com Editorial Staff: Chief Editor: Dipl.-Ing. Arnt Hannewald

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Offering the highest quality of service in the graphite electrode industry we provide personalized consultations to maximize the total value for our customers.

We also manage individual partnership projects as ongoing support for your process improvement efforts. Mutually agreed projects, with defined targets and cost impacts, aim to reduce process variability using Six Sigma methodology.

Please visit our website to learn more about the types of services we offer and how we can add value to your operation.

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