The Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL), India, recently awarded Danieli a turnkey order for the supply a new bloom caster for its Durgapur steel plant.

The 9-meter radius, 4-strand machine will be designed to produce section sizes including 160x210 mm, 160x230 mm, 200x200 mm, 150x300 mm and 150x350 mm, in lengths from 3.4 to 10.0 meters.

The plant will be provided with a liftable ladle turret, liftable cantilever tundish cars, and stopper rods for protected casting technology with SEN or SES.

The caster will also be equipped with hydraulic oscillating tables and two types of moulds. The mould for blooms will be complete with foot rollers and will be suitable for future installation of an external stirrer. The second mould will be dedicated to production of mini-slabs, where stirring will be not required.

The moulds, designed for high-speed casting, will be equipped with multi-taper copper tube and low emission type radioactive mould level control. The caster will also be equipped with air mist type cooling technology for direct cooling of the cast product.

Danieli Automation will supply the Level 2 control and automation system.

Nominal rated production for the new caster will be 0.75 million tonnes per year of low carbon, medium carbon and low alloy steels with a potential to reach 0.9 million tonnes per year of cast blooms in future.

The new caster is scheduled to be commissioned in March 2006.