Siemens VAI Metals Technologies has received an order from Handan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. Ltd., a Chinese steel producer, to fit its three-meter plate mill in Handan with a new basic and process automation system.
After modernization, the mill will produce high-quality heavy plate for shipbuilding and pipeline construction. It is scheduled to be commissioned at the beginning of 2012.
The Handan Iron & Steel Co. three-meter plate rolling mill in Handan, China. Siemens will fit the mill with a new basic and process automation system.
The 3-m plate mill has been running at Handan Iron & Steel since the 1990s. Within the scope of the modernization project, Siemens will design and supply core components for a new basic and process automation system to replace the existing heterogeneous automation equipment. The scope of supply also includes the integration of new process models. These include, for example, a multipoint roll-gap setup, a temperature and mass flow model, and a profile and flatness control. Plan view pattern control will ensure that the plates are orthogonal. Models for taper and thermo-mechanical rolling fulfill the requirements for multi-piece rolling, so that modern types of steel can be produced. A mill pacing function will ensure a high throughput and optimum utilization of the rolling stand. The automation to be implemented at Handan Iron & Steel is based on the Siroll PM solution concept specially developed for plate rolling mills. Siemens will also be responsible for supervising the installation and commissioning.
A major reason behind winning this order was the good experience Handan had gained from previous projects with Siemens, which include the construction of the two coupled tandem pickling lines and a hot rolling mill.