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Siemens to Modernize Pickling Line Tandem Cold Mill at voestalpine Stahl

06/21/2012 - voestalpine Stahl GmbH has placed an order with Siemens to modernize the coupled tandem pickling line No. 1 at its Linz plant in Austria.

voestalpine Stahl GmbH, a company of the listed voestalpine Group, has placed an order with Siemens to modernize the coupled tandem pickling line No. 1 at its Linz plant in Austria. The flat-tank pickling process will be renewed, new mechanical components will be installed in some plant sections and the electrical, automation and safety technology will be updated according to the state of the art. This is intended to further improve the pickling process and also to boost operating reliability. The order volume is in the two-digit euro millions range. The project will be completed in September 2014.

The coupled tandem pickling line at voestalpine Stahl GmbH in Linz is designed for strip widths of up to 1,640mm and thicknesses from 0.3 to 3mm, and has an annual production capacity of 2.3 million tons of cold strip. It consists of a hydrochloric acid flat-tank turbulence pickling system and a five-stand tandem mill. The pickling line and tandem cold mill were already coupled and modernized in the mid-1990s with the contribution of Siemens VAI.
Within the scope of the current modernization project, the entry and coupling area will be provided with new bridle units to adjust the optimum strip tension. In the flat-tank pickling line, the pickling tanks 3 and 4 will be replaced and completely new piping for pickling acid feeding and discharge will be installed. To improve monitoring of process parameters, the instrumentation will also be renewed. Moreover, there will be a new pickling model for the pickling process and some still existing DC drives will be replaced with Sinamics S120 three-phase drive systems. The pickling process will be equipped with modern fluids technology, including low-pressure mill stand valve stands and valve stands for the pickling exit.
In the tandem mill, at the stands 4 and 5 the existing DC drives will be replaced with Sinamics SL synchronous drives, the main drive clutches will be replaced and the intermediate stand areas will be modernized. The existing three-phase supplies of the regulated auxiliary drives will be replaced with new Sinamics S120 units.
Siemens is also renewing the complete basic and process automation including the tandem pickling line's process models. To facilitate system diagnostics and to simplify operation, the visualization system will be updated and all main and local control desks will be replaced. Siemens is also responsible for the installation and commissioning of the modernization, and the necessary conversions will be implemented during four scheduled plant shutdown periods.