Jan 6 2011
In October 2010, Siemens VAI Metals Technologies started up the finishing stand in the new plate rolling mill for the Chinese steelmaker Xiangtan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd, having successfully rolled the first plate on the roughing stand in September.
Siemens supplied a fully integrated mechanical, electrical and automation solution. The plant will produce up to 2.0 million tons per year at maximum finished width of 4.8 m. The 2 stand hot mill is designed to produce traditional plate grades, high strength plate grades such as X80 and ultra thick plate (350 mm) from heavy ingots.
Roughing stand in the Xiangtan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., plate rolling mill equipped by Siemens
Siemens engineered and supplied all key process technology for the new Xiangtan Iron & Steel two stand plate mill. This included the mechanical equipment for the roughing mill stand and finishing stand with Smart Crown rolls, a Mulpic® intensive cooling section, hot and cold plate levelers, as well as one shear line with double side, slitting and dividing shears. The scope of supply also included the instrumentation and automation technology, including all the process models, such as the microstructure monitor. The microstructure monitor originally developed by Siemens for strip rolling mills was used for the first time here in a plate rolling mill. The microstructure monitor enables the mechanical properties of the steel to be predicted in advance of final testing, even potentially avoiding the latter.
The complete solution for the entire rolling line was based on the integrated Siroll PM concept for plate rolling mills. The main drives on the finishing stand are equipped with three-phase synchronous motors, which are supplied with Sinamics SM150 DC link converters. There are also variable speed drives on the high-pressure pumps for the descaling sprays, which save energy and reduce water consumption. Siemens was also responsible for supervising the construction and commissioning, and providing the customer training.