SIEMENS

Linz, Austria, December 22, 2009

Seven strands in total: Siemens puts four continuous slab casters into operation at Zhangjiagang Rong Sheng within four weeks

Siemens VAI Metals Technologies put into operation four continuous slab casters comprising a total of seven strands within just four weeks at Zhangjiagang Rong Sheng Co. Ltd. (ZRS), a Chinese steel producer. The CCM4, CCM5 and CCM6 two-strand casters and the CCM7 single-strand, thick-slab caster were equipped with modern key components and technological packages to enable ZRS to cast high-quality slabs for a multitude of industrial applications.

Siemens VAI provided basic and detailed engineering for the mechanical, electrical and media equipment and systems for the three identical two-strand casters and the CCM7 thick-slab caster. The scope of supply also included key technologies such as mold oscillators for the flexible adjustment of the mold-oscillation parameters, automatic breakout-prediction based on strand-shell friction monitoring, online slab-width adjustments, DynaGap Soft Reduction technology and the Dynacs secondary cooling model. The project also covered Level 1 and Level 2 automation. Advisory services for plant installation and commissioning rounded off the project scope for Siemens VAI.

ZRS can produce a wide range of different products on the new facilities. The CCM4, CCM5 and CCM6 casters have a casting radius of eight meters and a metallurgical length of 30 meters. Each machine is capable of casting 1.9 million tons of slabs per year with a thickness of 170 or 200 mm and in widths ranging from 850 to 1,600 mm. Not only can all standard carbon steel grades be cast, but also micro-alloyed, peritectic, high-strength, low-alloy (HSLA) steels, line-pipe grades and silicon steels. The CCM7 thick-slab caster has a casting radius of ten meters. It is designed to produce two million tons of slabs per year in thicknesses of 220, 250 and 320 millimeters and in widths ranging from 1,500 to 2,300 mm. Medium- and high-carbon, micro-alloyed, peritectic, HSLA and line-pipe steel grades can be cast.

Siemens VAI received the four caster orders in July 2007. The value of the orders is a mid-double-digit million-euro figure. Zhangjiagang Rong Sheng Co. Ltd., a subsidiary company of the Jiangsu Shagang Group, produces approximately 23 million tons of crude steel per year. It is thus the largest privately owned steelmaker in China and also the country's leading producer of electrical steel. During the past years, the Zhangjiagang plant in Jiangsu Province has been continually expanded to increase capacity. Siemens VAI had previously supplied the Continuous Casters Nos. 1, 2 and 3. A total of twelve strands, including those of the new casting facilities, were installed by Siemens in Zhangjiagang. These have a total casting capacity of 9 million tons of crude steel per year.