Siemens VAI Metals Technologies will supply a five-strand combi-caster to Handan Steel Works, part of Handan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., China. The new plant will be capable of producing a total of 1.45 million tons of beam blanks and blooms per year and is scheduled commence production operations in the summer of 2011. The order is worth approximately ten million euros. During the past four months Siemens VAI had already received orders from Handan Iron & Steel for the supply of a rod and a bar mill.
Beam blank: Siemens VAI supplies a combi-caster to Handan Iron & Steel Co.
Handan Iron & Steel Co. is part of Hebei Iron & Steel Group Co. Ltd, which is one of China's leading steelmakers and produced over 33 million tons in 2008. The new continuous caster for the Handan Works will cast structural steels, high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels as well as bloom sections for rails. The caster will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including machine heads outfitted with hydraulic oscillators, dynamic secondary cooling and DynaGap Softreduction. It will be able to cast blooms with rectangular sections of 325x280 mm and 380x280 mm, and beam blanks in three different formats: 446x260x85, 450x350x90 and 750x370x90 mm.
Siemens VAI will provide basic data and engineering for the casting plant in addition to the design and supply of core components. These will include the complete machine head and also the plate molds, electromagnetic stirring devices and the spray-cooling system. Basic and process automation, together with technological packages, will be comprised of the automatic LevCon mold-level control system and DynaFlex mold oscillators that enable the flexible adjustment of the oscillation parameters during casting. Siemens is also providing detail engineering for the tundishes and tundish cars, strand-guide systems as well as for the withdrawal and straightening units.
The machine is designed to produce highest-quality products. For example, a high internal quality of the cast strands will be made possible by the DynaGap Soft Reduction system. This technological package ensures precise control of the soft-reduction stands on the basis of the calculated strand-temperature and solidification data provided by the Siemens Thermex 3D monitoring system. Moreover, the Dynaspeed secondary cooling system and the VAIQ quality-control system will also be installed to enhance product quality. The project scope is rounded off by the provision of supervisory services for erection, start-up and commissioning.