Siemens to Supply Two Arvedi ESP Lines to Chinese Mill
06/28/2013 - A Chinese steel producer has placed an order with Siemens Metals Technologies for the supply of two Arvedi ESP (endless strip production) lines.
A Chinese steel producer has placed an order with Siemens Metals Technologies for the supply of two Arvedi ESP (endless strip production) lines. The energy consumption of this type of casting-rolling facility and the related costs are reduced by up to 45% compared to conventional casting and rolling processes. This also means a major reduction in CO2 emissions. The new plants are designed for an annual production capacity of 2 x 2.6 million tons of high-quality, ultra-thin, hot rolled strip products with widths of up to 1,600 mm and thicknesses down to 0.8 mm. Carbon steels, high-strength low alloyed (HSLA) grades and dual-phase steels will be produced. The steel producer will receive technical support and assistance for plant start-up and operations by personnel from the existing ESP plant at Acciaieria Arvedi SpA, Italy. These casting-rolling facilities will be part of a new steelmaking facility currently under construction in China. The plant is scheduled to go into operation in 2015.
The order placed for the supply of the two Arvedi ESP plants will allow the Chinese steel producer to better serve the highly attractive local and export markets for high-quality, thin-gauge strip products. The 180-m-long plants are far more compact than conventional casting and rolling mills.
Siemens is responsible for the engineering of the Arvedi ESP plants and will supply mechanical equipment, media-control systems, technological packages and automation systems. The entire line is controlled by completely integrated basic (Level 1) and process optimization (Level 2) automation, which fully regulate all casting and rolling operations. The project scope also features a comprehensive training and assistance package. This will be comprised of theoretical and practical training for the customer´s operational personnel on the existing ESP plant of Acciaieria Arvedi SpA in Cremona, Italy, in addition to start-up and operational support by specialists from Acciaieria Arvedi.
In the Arvedi ESP process hot-rolled coils are produced in a linked casting and rolling plant directly from liquid steel in a continuous and uninterrupted manufacturing process. The line commences with the casting of a thin strand that is subsequently rolled to an intermediate thickness of 10–20 mm in a 3-stand high-reduction mill positioned at the end of the caster. After reheating in an induction heater, rolling of the transfer bar to the targeted end thickness is performed in a 5-stand finishing mill followed by laminar strip cooling. Strip cutting is then carried out by means of a high-speed shear immediately prior to coiling to coil weights of up to 32 tons.
The layout and the expected results of the new plants are based on the performance of the existing ESP production line at Acciaieria Arvedi. This plant has been successfully operating since 2009. Thanks to the unique mold design and the installed technological packages, highly stable casting conditions are achieved that reduce breakout rates to only 0.07%. As a result of the endless strip-production mode of Arvedi ESP lines, repeated threading into the individual rolling stands is not necessary. This is the basis for the production of ultra-thin strip gauges down to 0.8 mm thicknesses. The tolerance values for the required strip geometry are fully met along the entire length of the rolled product. Endless production is also decisive for assuring the homogeneity of the steel microstructure, grain size, yield strength and tensile strength. Because the strip is continually under tension, the cobble rate is below 0.1%. Yield values exceeding 98% are reached because cropping of the strip head and tail ends is not necessary.
Pictured below: Existing Arvedi ESP plant at Acciaieria Arvedi SpA, Cremona, Italy
