Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, Linz, has received an order from Wuhan Iron & Steel (Group) Co., Ltd. to supply the complete mechanical and electrical equipment for a new plate mill.

The plant, which will roll metal sheets with a width of up to 4250 mm, will be built at the Ezhou location in Hubei province. The new plate mill will enable Wisco to roll a wide range of product varieties, including high-grade carbon construction steel, low-alloy structural steel plate, pipeline steel plate, container plate, bridge plate and low-alloy high-strength steel plate. At the new plant, it will be possible to roll plate with thicknesses of between five and 150 mm and widths between 900 and 4250 mm.

The new plate mill is scheduled will be constructed in two phases. In the first phase, the finishing stand will be installed complete with work-roll shifting functions based on SmartCrown technology, a Mulpic intensive cooling section, hot leveler, warm leveler and three cooling beds. Connected downstream of these processes will be a shearing line consisting of crop shear, double side trim shear, divide shear and test-piece shear. The plant's production capacity in this stage of expansion will be around 1.2 million tonnes. In the second phase, a roughing stand with edger will be integrated into the plate line, along with another cooling bed and a cold leveler. Following completion of the second phase, production capacity will increase to 1.6 million tonnes.

In addition to the mechanical equipment, Siemens VAI will also supply the entire automation system, including sensors. Siemens VAI will also supply the two main mill AC motors and drive converters, each with a rated output of nine megawatts. The automation system comprises the basic automation, including the technological control systems, as well as operation and visualization equipment and the process automation functions. Due to the close interaction of analytical process models and technological closed-loop control systems, all the process parameters are kept within close tolerance limits. Process computers will control and monitor the entire production sequence in the mill area.

In addition to production of metal sheets of variable thicknesses, functions such as plan view pattern control and thermo-mechanical rolling are also part of the Siemens VAI solution. A rolling-sequence control system enables nested multi-plate rolling, which will enhance the rolling plant’s productivity. The system can be flexibly adapted to changes in the range of products or the quality requirements, thus safeguarding the original investment. A higher-level material-tracking system will ensure the smooth flow of material and correct correlation of plates and process data at all times.

Siemens VAI will also coordinate engineering and installation of the electrical equipment for the whole plate mill, including integration of automation packages for the rapid cooling system and levelers. All the components and systems used are part of “Siroll PM”, Siemens VAI’s integrated solution for plate mills. Siemens VAI is also responsible for commissioning and customer training. Wisco will provide – from local production – the majority of the low-voltage motors and converters, the power distribution system and the transformers, as well as the infrastructural electrical equipment, the reheat furnaces and the finishing shop.

The order volume is around 51 million Euros and production of the first plate is scheduled for August 2008.

Producing more than ten million tonnes of iron and steel per year, Wuhan Iron & Steel Corp. (Wisco) is one of the leading steel producers in China.

Metals Technologies (MT), a Division of the Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S) Group, is one of the world's leading engineering and plant-building companies for the iron and steel industry as well as for the flat-rolling sector of the aluminum industry and for open-cast mining. MT, which was created from the integration of Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau, Linz/Austria, plus the electrical engineering product business and automation solutions of Siemens, provides a comprehensive range of supplies and services for all related technological processes and integrated automation solutions for the entire life-cycle of metallurgical plants.

The Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services Group (I&S) is the integrator of systems and solutions for industrial and infrastructure facilities and global service provider for the plant and projects business covering planning, installation, operation and the entire life cycle. In fiscal 2006 (to September 30) I&S employed a total of 36,200 people worldwide and achieved total sales of EUR 8.819 billion.