Siemens VAI to Supply Simetal Quantum EAF for Talleres y Aceros
02/13/2012 - Siemens VAI Metals Technologies has received an order from Mexican steelmaker Talleres y Aceros S.A. de C.V. to supply a new compact steelmaking plant with a capacity of 1.2 million tons of steel per annum for its Ixtaczoquitlan site.
Siemens VAI Metals Technologies has received an order from Mexican steelmaker Talleres y Aceros S.A. de C.V. (Tyasa) to supply a new compact steelmaking plant with a capacity of 1.2 million tons of steel per annum for its Ixtaczoquitlan site. The value of this order is reportedly in the mid-double-digit million euro range.
The Simetal EAF Quantum electric arc furnace with a tapping weight of 100 tons reduces the specific conversion cost for the electric production of steel by around 20%, according to Siemens. The project also involves the provision of secondary steelmaking facilities and a combination continuous caster. It is scheduled to be completed by mid 2013.
The secondary steelmaking facilities include a 100-ton double ladle furnace and a 100-ton double vacuum degassing plant. The plant will have a capacity of around 1.2 million tons of killed, low, medium, and high-carbon steels per annum. The steel it produces will be cast in a six-strand combination continuous caster into billets with cross-sections ranging from 130 x 130 mm to 200 x 200 mm, as well as rough profiles with dimensions of 300 x 200 x 80 mm. The new plant will enable Tyasa to increase its production capacity substantially and widen its product range.
Newly developed by Siemens, the Simetal Quantum EAF combines proven shaft furnace technology elements with a new scrap charging process, an efficient preheating system, a new tilting concept for the lower shell, and an optimized tapping system. This enables tap-to-tap times of 36 minutes to be achieved. Total CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 30% per ton of crude steel in comparison to conventional EAFs, the company claims.
A dry dedusting system with evaporation cooler, a quenching tower, an automated pulse-jet-type filter-bag house, and an induced draught fan will be installed to minimize the emissions of the steel works. The dedusting system will clean the off-gases from the electric arc and ladle furnaces, as well as from the material handling system. The dedusting system will have a cleaning capacity of around 1 million cubic meters per hour, and reduce the dust content of the off-gases to less than 10 milligrams per cubic meter.
The project also includes a double circuit water cooling system for the EAF, the secondary steelmaking facilities, and the casting plant. Drinking, process, and extinguishing water circuits will also be installed. A water treatment plant with mechanical and chemical stages is also planned for construction.
The scope of supply from Siemens includes electrical and automation systems and components such as the power distribution, the basic and process automation, as well as process models for the steel works and the continuous caster.
Talleres y Aceros S.A. de C.V. was founded in 1985 and is privately owned. The company currently has two production sites, one in Ixtaczoquitlan near Orizaba in the State of Veracruz, the other in Mérida, the capital city of the Mexican State of Yucatán. Tyasa produces around 450,000 tons of billets per annum, which are then further processed in its own rolling mill to make wire and bar steels, as well as building materials, such as rebars and nails. The total capacity for rolled products is around 700,000 tons per annum.
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is a leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly products and solutions for industrial customers. With end-to-end automation technology and industrial software, solid vertical-market expertise, and technology-based services, the Sector enhances its customers’ productivity, efficiency, and flexibility. With a global workforce of more than 100,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the divisions Industry Automation, Drive Technologies, and Customer Services as well as the Business Unit Metals Technologies.
The Metals Technologies Business Unit (Linz, Austria), part of the Siemens Industry Sector, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of plant construction and engineering in the iron and steel industry as well as in the flat-rolling segment of the aluminum industry. The business unit offers a comprehensive product and service portfolio for metallurgical plants and equipment as well as integrated automation and environmental solutions covering the entire lifecycle of plants.
