welded tube - sms-group.com

newsletter

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SMS group GmbHOhlerkirchweg 6641069 Mönchengladbach, GermanyPhone: +49 2161 350-1515Fax: +49 2161 [email protected]

THE RIGHT PROCESS TO MEET EVERY REQUIREMENT

www.sms-group.com

WELDED TUBE AND PIPE PLANTS

Even better quality, more flexible and more cost-

effective processes, more challenging dimensions

and closer pipe tolerances - these are your goals.

And we are your partner!

… in all processes for welded tube and pipe

production – no matter whether high-frequency (HF)

or submerged arc welded, longitudinally or spirally

welded.

As a result, you benefit from high cost-effectiveness,

narrow product tolerances, and a broad field of

application. Even more: all this substantially boosts

your competitive edge. Let’s add value along the

entire value chain, together.

ERW - welded tube plants.

Spiral pipe plants.LSAW - large-diameter pipe plants.

Leading partner in the world of metals

Welded Tubes_A4_e.indd 1 15.02.18 09:39

THE SMS GROUP MAGAZINEISSUE 02 / 2018newsletter

MODERNIZATION SSAB, Finland, enhances quality and productivity by modernized gear units. 74

INNOVATION SMS group expands plant portfolio by innovative SMX pipe forging lines. 100

COMMISSIONING Two new plants at North American Stainless produce 95,000 tons of steel strip for the U.S. market. 80

Current trends and developments help to master the

big challenges of digitalization and Industrie 4.0 in the

tube and wire industry.

IN FOCUS

ALL SET FOR THE FUTURE

http://sms-group.com

The SMS group communication app is available in the App Store and at Google Play.

Cover: PQSC® technology patented by SMS group

newsletter

THE

SMS

GR

OU

P M

AGAZ

INE

ISSU

E 02

/ 20

18

SMS group GmbHOhlerkirchweg 6641069 Mönchengladbach, GermanyPhone: +49 2161 350-1515Fax: +49 2161 [email protected]

THE RIGHT PROCESS TO MEET EVERY REQUIREMENT

www.sms-group.com

WELDED TUBE AND PIPE PLANTS

Even better quality, more flexible and more cost-

effective processes, more challenging dimensions

and closer pipe tolerances - these are your goals.

And we are your partner!

… in all processes for welded tube and pipe

production – no matter whether high-frequency (HF)

or submerged arc welded, longitudinally or spirally

welded.

As a result, you benefit from high cost-effectiveness,

narrow product tolerances, and a broad field of

application. Even more: all this substantially boosts

your competitive edge. Let’s add value along the

entire value chain, together.

ERW - welded tube plants.

Spiral pipe plants.LSAW - large-diameter pipe plants.

Leading partner in the world of metals

Welded Tubes_A4_e.indd 1 15.02.18 09:39

THE SMS GROUP MAGAZINEISSUE 02 / 2018newsletter

MODERNIZATION SSAB, Finland, enhances quality and productivity by modernized gear units. 76

INNOVATION SMS group expands plant portfolio by innovative SMX pipe forging lines. 102

COMMISSIONING Two new plants at North American Stainless produce 95,000 tons of steel strip for the U.S. market. 82

Current trends and developments help to master the

big challenges of digitalization and Industrie 4.0 in the

tube and wire industry.

IN FOCUS

ALL SET FOR THE FUTURE

EN_000 Umschlag.indd 1 23.03.18 14:07

Fast modernization of gear unit Cooperation with SMS group improves product quality and reduces costs at SSAB. 74

STRIP PROCESSING LINES AND FURNACE TECHNOLOGY

Stainless steel strip for the U.S. market SMS group supplied cold rolling mill and stainless steel bright-annealing line to NAS. 80

Investment in the future Ilsenburger Grobblech orders heat treatment line with MultiFlex-Quench®. 98

FORGING TECHNOLOGY Pipe forging line – Innovation from a single source SMS group expands plant portfolio. 100

Expansion of recycling capacity Aludium Amorebieta orders multi cham-ber melting furnace from Hertwich. 104

STANDARDSPhoto Highlight 04 Retrospect – Outlook 06 Performance Modules 56 News 58 Events 115

Imprint 117

PRODUCTIONTwo new wheel sets for twin-drive gear unit The two output wheels supplied by SMS group are the biggest case- hardened gears in the U.S.A. 106

TECHNICAL SERVICEEarly warning system against plant downtimes Genius CM® monitors condition of components prone to wearing. 109

Successful partnership confirmed Mahshahr Pipe Mill Company signs modernization contract. 110

106

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80

Follow us on twitter @SMS_group_GmbH

CONTENTS 02/2018

20

SMS group newsletter 02|20182

PROCESS CHAINELECTRICAL AND AUTOMATION SYSTEMS

New concepts for plant automation Holistic X-Pact® Process Guidance concept. 52

Production excellence with X-Pact® Drive Modular drive solution for integration into automation systems. 54

IRONMAKING PLANTS Production start at BPSL No. 2 blast furnace of Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd. is up and running. 61

Top technology first Shandong Steel Rizhao commissions blast furnace equipped with Paul Wurth systems. 62

METALLURGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

Successful implementation of world‘s first HD spray system AcelorMittal Bremen banks on secondary cooling technology from SMS group. 64

Japanese delegation visits SHARC furnace Hellenic Halyvourgia welcomes visitors to electric arc furnace plant built by SMS group. 65

Much-sought after continuous casting technology Saarstahl AG commissions SMS Concast for supply of continuous casting plant. 66

FLAT ROLLING MILLSHigh-quality production Use of CVC®plus bending and shifting systems. 70

IN FOCUSSMS group as a strong partner for wire and tube producers:

Production start in Texas Tenaris produces the first seamless tubes on new high-tech PQF® plant. 10 Smart coating PERFECT spray® protects metal and non-metal surfaces against wear and corrosion. 20 On the road to a successful future SMS group has upgraded existing bar mill at Hyundai Steel Pohang. 32 The digital way to maximizing quality The PQA® quality assurance soft-ware is a powerful tool adapted to the needs of the metals industry. 46

302|2018 SMS group newsletter

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RUBRIK RUBRIK

XXL WHEEL SETGERMANY

On behalf of an American aluminum producer, the staff of SMS group manufactured ready-to-install wheel sets in its Hilchenbach work-shop. Each wheel set has a diameter of four meters and a weight of 130 tons which corresponds to that of a full-grown blue whale. Since case-hardened gear wheels of that size cannot be manufactured in the U.S.A., both wheel sets were made in Germany and then shipped to the United States. Read more on page 106. ◆

Klaus Lazzaro [email protected]

PHOTO HIGHLIGHT

4 SMS group newsletter 02|2018 02|2018 SMS group newsletter 5

TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE FUTURE

WORLDWIDE

Digitalization and Industrie 4.0 are the main focus of SMS group at this year’s Tube and wire.

• At this year’s Tube and wire SMS group introduces future- oriented solutions for the tube and wire industry.

• In addition to additive manufacturing, this also includes auto-mation technologies and smart service.

The topics digitalization and Industrie 4.0 are key challenges that are set to profoundly change the tube and wire industry in the years to come. At this year’s international trade fair for tube, wire and cable, SMS group is turning the spotlight on these key issues for the future and will be looking from a number of different angles at how digitalization is changing the whole value-added chain and enabling greater efficiency, higher quality, and more flexibility to plant operators.

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

The first impetus arising from digitalization and Industrie 4.0 concerns the design and manufacture of machines and com-ponents for the production of tube and wire itself. At the fair, SMS group will be demonstrating this using among others the example of a mill stand for a cold pilger mill, which is made with the aid of additive manufacturing processes. The compo-nent geometry of a mill stand, which up to now has been made by machining techniques, was optimized in terms of the stresses generated so that the number of strokes and thus the productivity can be enhanced significantly. Further exam-ples of SMS group’s activities in the additive manufacturing growth market, which are to be shown at the fair, are the competence center for 3D printing, which is being built in Mönchengladbach, as well as 3D printed components. These components show an enhanced functionality, they weigh less and have shorter delivery periods. An example in this context is the successful development of additively manufactured spray heads for closed-die forging presses.

PRECISE MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY

The second topic includes the possibilities that digitalization offers for the production process. The aim of the “smart mill” is to use data and the corresponding parameters as a basis for business and process control-related decisions. A realistic mapping of the process with precise measurements is re-quired for the collection of reliable process data. This type of measuring system for tube, wire rod, bar, and section mills is to be displayed by SMS group at Tube & wire in cooperation with TBK Automatisierung und Messtechnik GmbH, an SMS group company. During the rolling process the system meas-ures up to 5,000 contours per second with laser light-section sensors. Local atypical anomalies on the surface can be de-

tected on the basis of the 3D models, generated by high res-olution cross-sectional measurements. The direct transfer of the measurement readings to the mill stand control system allows roll setting adjustments to be made during ongoing production and thus saves time and money by directly moni-toring the production process.

SMART SERVICE SOLUTIONS

Digitalization is also creating new opportunities for plant ser-vice. “Smart Maintenance Solutions” are aimed at enhancing the availability of the plant and the quality of the end prod-ucts on a long-term basis by combining software solutions. The creation of a digital plant structure will offer maintenance teams centralized access to all the relevant parameters in fu-ture. The information required will be provided, for example, by the electronic parts catalog eDoc, the Genius CM® system (Condition Monitoring), or the IMMS® (Integrated Mainte-nance Management System).

Electronic parts catalog eDocThe electronic parts catalog maps the plant documenta-tion of the entire project scope of supply as a cloud solu-tion. For large-scale projects the data is based on a

RETROSPECT – OUTLOOK

6 7SMS group newsletter 02|2018 02|2018 SMS group newsletter

RETROSPECT – OUTLOOK

total of thousands and thousands of BOM items and drawings, and single documents from SMS group Divisions involved and from all other suppliers of individual parts or assemblies which now can be called up via just one tool by editing them in a consolidating and structural manner. In this way, SMS group customers receive a tool enabling them to identify and request parts easily and quickly. The data are continually updated and tedious searching for the required information is now a thing of the past. Func-tions such as displaying common parts across all plant ar-eas provide the plant operator with the desired transpar-ency, thus contributing to increasing efficiency and reduced inventory level.In addition to that, the electronic parts catalog forms the basis for other digital products. As the virtual image of the plant it enables linking digital services to the purchasing process. Technical information needed is immediately available for all applications and can be transferred di-rectly to the procurement process. When e.g. a compo-nent failure is predicted by means of Condition Monitor-ing, information on common components, inventory and

delivery time can be checked and the required part be procured.

Genius CM® (Condition Monitoring)The Genius CM® (Condition Monitoring) system is a modu-larly designed online monitoring system of the plant. The system controls and documents the current condition of components subject to wear and failure. Compared to tra-ditional inspection and maintenance methods the advan-tage is the permanent monitoring of plant components. Operators are permanently informed on the actual condi-tion and warned in case of critical situations. Consequent-ly, Genius CM® opens up entirely new possibilities for opti-mizing quality and availability.Sensors are installed at critical plant components along the process chain, regularly transmitting measured data to Genius CM® such as torques, vibrations, temperatures, forces, oil flow, particles and viscosity.

IMMS® - Integrated Maintenance Management SystemTo allow its customers to focus fully on their core business

Sensors generate data. For manufacturing tubes, wire and bars, up to 5,000 contours per second are detected by laser light-section sensors generating a high-resolution 3D model during ongoing production.

The quality management system PQA® (Product Quality Analyzer) is another digital product to be presented at Tube & wire 2018.

SMS group provides a customer-specific maintenance sys-tem to its customers. With the Integrated Maintenance Management System (IMMS®) SMS group combines com-puter-aided maintenance with valuable data and thus comes up with a plant- and customer-specific, all-encom-passing package.

DIGITAL PRODUCTS AND PLATFORMS

At the fair stand visitors will obtain an insight into “smart” training courses using augmented reality. Digital products and platforms will round off the range of presentations by SMS group at Tube & wire 2018. They form the basis for intel-ligent, digital services, and implement for example the secure, digital exchange of information between SMS group and its customers. One example is the platform for PQSC® piercer plugs for seamless tube rolling mills, through which you can process orders and check the status of each order 24 hours a day. Not only that, a comment function ensures easy commu-nication, as notes referencing the relevant customer orders and the relevant SMS group employees can be entered. The option of order-based communication means the whole pro-cess is more transparent, change requests are easier to fol-low, and orders can be split if different delivery times for par-tial deliveries are required.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

More and more SMS customers’ plants employ the PQA® sys-tem (Product Quality Analyzer), a quality control system jointly developed with MET/Con Metallurgical Plant & Process Con-sulting, a subsidiary of SMS group. The PQA® system collects and assesses quality-relevant process parameters across the entire process chain from steelmaking through to the final product. Process parameters can be measured values and events but also complex criteria applied for quality assess-ment. For further information, see Page 46.

X-PACT® MES 4.0

The holistic, modular solution for planning and controlling of all production plants is called X-Pact® MES 4.0. Due to its highly comprehensive and adaptable functionality for all plant types of the metallurgical process chain, the Manufacturing Executive System (MES) has a special position within the product portfolio of SMS group. This includes e.g. equipment in steelworks, continuous casters, flat rolling mills, tube plants, section mills and strip processing lines. Special char-acteristics of different types of material from simple carbon steels through to special steel and aluminum are also consid-ered in this concept.

LEADING PARTNER

However, it is not just technological boundaries that will be redefined by digitalization. The way we work with customers and other partners will change, with cooperation becoming even closer in future. As the “Leading Partner in the World of Metals” SMS group is getting together with customers to pres-ent projects at this fair that highlight this successful way of cooperating in the areas of new plant construction, revamps, and service. Some examples of these successful projects are available on the following pages. ◆


IN FOCUS

PRODUCTION START IN TEXAS

U.S.A.

PQF® seamless tube production underway in advanced Texas plant.

• The new PQF® tube mill from Tenaris manufactures about 600,000 tons of tempered oil country tubular goods (OCTG) per year for natural gas and crude oil production.

• Cutting-edge technology is employed in the plant. A high lev-el of digitalization ensures complete traceability laying the foundation for Industrie 4.0 applications at the same time.

• A recycling rate of 95 percent makes the seamless tube mill of Tenaris the most sustainable tube mill in the world and it has been awarded the label “Minor Source of Emissions” by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Tenaris has successfully started production at its seamless tube mill in Bay City, Texas, about 80 miles southwest of Houston. The company invested a total of 1.8 billion dollars in the plant, located near the most active shale plays in the United States. The plant manufactures tempered oil coun-try tubular goods for use in the production of natural gas and crude oil. The new PQF® tube mill, erected by SMS group, is designed to produce 600,000 tons per year preci-sion seamless tubes with diameters of up to 9 5/8 inches.

The high-strength PQF® seamless tubes produced at the new mill are mainly used for casing applications as well as line pipes. With its Rig Direct® strategy, Tenaris is synchro-nizing its tube manufacturing with customer drilling opera-tions to reduce storage, maintenance and inspection costs. In the past, the U.S. had to import a significant portion of the tubes required for shale gas production from Asia and other parts of the world.

“Our goal is to make the tube and pipe industry more effective and to drastically reduce imports for our market,” says Germán Curá, President of Tenaris North America.

IN FOCUS

The new PQF® tube mill, erected by SMS group, is designed to produce 600,000 tons per year precision seamless tubes with diameters of up to 9 5/8 inches.

BENEFITSTo this end, SMS group has equipped the new PQF® seamless tube plant with a wide range of automated, state-of-the-art tech-nology. Norbert Theelen from SMS group: “Our advanced level of digitization allows Tenaris to make substantial time savings and achieve optimum transparency as regards the current plant and production status. This is further enhanced by a host of other added value sources that boost efficiency levels. For example, we have installed a secure WiFi network throughout the whole plant. This gives the operating crew access to information they need via mobile panels and thus also creates completely new ways of working.” Complete traceability and monitoring offers optimal conditions for predictive maintenance. Tenaris is there-fore a pioneer for modern digital plants.

11SMS group newsletter 02|2018 02|2018 SMS group newsletter10

IN FOCUSIN FOCUS

Analysts and market experts see huge opportunities for success in the strategy being pursued by Tenaris, which may also give the company a significant competitive advantage.

SMS group has worked very closely with Tenaris on the installation of state-of-the-art production technology for seamless tubes that satisfies the challenging requirements concerning both quality and tolerances as per API stan-dards. Speaking of the new plant, Germán Curá goes on to say: “It is the most advanced production facility in our indus-try worldwide.”

CLOSE PARTNERSHIP FOR WORLD’S MOST ADVANCED TUBE PLANT

In 2008, SMS group erected a PQF® seamless tube plant for Tenaris at its mill in Mexico. Norbert Theelen, Head of Long Products at SMS group, adds: “We had already built a seven inches PQF® plant for Tenaris in Veracruz, Mexico. Building on our experience from this, our experts worked closely with the customer‘s teams to set out objectives for the new plant and had already agreed their planned course of action during the engineering phase. There was intensive coopera-tion among all parties involved, that is, between Tenaris, our Tube and Pipe Plants Division in Mönchengladbach, SMS Innse in Milan, and SMS Elotherm in Remscheid. We got to-gether for regular steering committee meetings to ensure there was a continuous exchange of information and ideas. It was this close partnership that enabled us to meet Tena-ris’s precise requirements.”

During the construction phase, an average of 1,400 skilled specialists, fitters, technicians, and engineers were deployed on site, which covers an area of 110,000 square meters. The first tube was rolled in October 2017, and the plant was officially inaugurated in December. Thanks to the very close proximity to the customer and the cooperative development of new plants and processes for new materi-als, SMS group is bringing its motto of “Leading Partner in

the World of Metals” to life. The cooperation with Tenaris was an example of this.

SMS group supplied the plant technology and related engineering for its construction, and was responsible for the erection and commissioning supervision, including cus-tomer training. The main units of the PQF® plant include:

Billet preparation section and saws Rotary hearth furnace Barrel-type piercing mill with Diescher disks, equipped for the first time with a hydraulic adjustment system

PQF® rolling mill of BCO design Extracting mill Induction furnace for shell reheating 24-stand stretch reducing mill Cooling bed and batch layer saws

COST EFFICIENCY THANKS TO EXTENSIVE AUTOMATION AND MAINTENANCE-FRIENDLY DESIGN

Compared to previous industry standards, the new Tenaris plant is twice as efficient when it comes to high-quality seam-less tube production. This is made possible thanks to, among other things, the high degree of automation and the use of robots, which convey the steel from one station to the next in a fully automatic process. Most of the crew works in the con-trol room, in adjacent buildings, or below the production line, where they have easier access to the machine components for maintenance purposes. “Our process is fully automatic”, says Curá. In addition, every tube is given an identification mark, similar to a barcode, meaning the customer can trace the precise specifications using a scanner or smartphone.” In view of the challenging conditions in oil or gas fields, this smart means of tracing tube documentation is making a sig-nificant contribution to total quality assurance.

To this end, SMS group has equipped the new PQF® seamless tube plant with a wide range of automated, state-of-the-art technology. Norbert Theelen from SMS group: “Our advanced level of digitization allows Tenaris to make substan-tial time savings and achieve optimum transparency as re-gards the current plant and production status. This is further enhanced by a host of other added value sources that boost efficiency levels. Tenaris is a trailblazer for modern plant and equipment that combine the benefits of digitization. For ex-ample, we have installed a secure WiFi network throughout the whole plant. This gives the operating crew access to infor-mation they need via mobile panels and to completely new ways of working.”

The basis for the automation used at Tenaris Bay City is provided by the Carta® (Computer-Aided Rolling Technology Application) technology system, which is used as a techno-logical production planning and process control system for

the entire hot rolling section of the seamless tube mill. Carta® consists of three modules. The process-planning module prepares the rolling mill settings and the tool design. The process management module controls the rolling process in real time, and saves and analyzes the process data. The tool management module is responsible for the precise and time-ly use of the tools. So the benefits of Carta® are numerous. This technology system offers not only increased output but enhanced tube quality and optimized mill utilization, too.

The measuring data used by Carta® to monitor the quality are provided by systems such as CaliView®, which is supplied by SMS group. This is a newly developed inline system of measuring rolls and passes which are installed in the mill. A camera is used to take fast, precise and non-contact mea-surements of the stands inline, and to align them perfectly. Time-consuming, manual measurements are no longer re-quired. CaliView® ensures there is direct feedback to a mobile control device, meaning the rolls can be precisely adjusted during the measurement. What’s more, the system detects wear on the work rolls and logs the data for producing infor-mative statistics.

SMS group also implemented a holistic tracking solution for material and individual tube tracking. Production and quality-related tube parameters are measured at every ma-chine during this process. The Identification Database soft-ware tool uses data gathering terminals (DGT) to collect the relevant information at each specified station and assigns this automatically to the tube number.

The system provides production and quality reports in real time, statistical reports for identifying quality-related prob-lems or production bottlenecks, and a comprehensive data-base for developing production and process know-how.

It is not just the tubes and production processes that are continuously tracked, the tools are too, especially the mill stands and mandrels, and for this they are equipped with around 850 chips and are monitored throughout with a fully automatic tool tracking system with RFID technology. In addi-tion to this, Tenaris also has a comprehensive condition mon-itoring system for the main drives, gears, motors, and saws. This online monitoring system is used in particular for moni-toring parts that optimize preventive maintenance, increase the plant’s availability, and reduce operating costs.

MODERN, ECO-FRIENDLY WORKSTATIONS

The building is eight stories higher than usual and this im-proves the airflow inside the building and creates a pleasant, climate-controlled working environment. Ninety-five percent of the waste materials created during production are to be recycled on site, according to Tenaris. And this makes Tenaris not only one of the most advanced but also the most sustain-able tube mills in the world. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has categorized the new Tenaris plant as a “minor source of emissions”. ◆

Contact [email protected]

Technical Data Annual capacity: 600,000 tons of seamless tubesTube diameter: between 4 ½″ (114.3 mm) and

9 5/8″ (244.5 mm)Tube wall thickness: between 5.7 and 25.4 mmProduct range: OCTG tubes as per API, carbon steels,

low alloy and high-alloy steels with a chromium content of up to 9 % and 13 % respectively

The SMS group team after rolling the first tube.

The new PQF® seamless tube plant has been equipped with highly automated state-of-the-art technologies.


• Different runtimes produce temperature differences from pipe to pipe. The consequence: Products of inferior quality and production stop in the worst case.

• Through inductive reheating the temperature level can be in-dividually raised and the axial temperature profile can be compensated during the ongoing process.

• A modular reheating system examines the individual pipe sections pyrometrically and adapts the temperature as needed.

During the production of seamlessly rolled pipes, different runtimes from the furnace up to the final production step lead to temperature differences between the workpieces. Each delay in the production chain is immediately notice-able in a blank or pipe temperature drop which may entail a production stop in addition to products of inferior quality.

Depending on the respective production step, runtime variations may also result in an unfavorable temperature profile or undesired temperature gradient across the blank or pipe length.

Another challenge in producing seamlessly rolled pipes is uneven workpiece cooling. Depending on the geometry, in particular the relation between length and wall thickness, the ends cool down more quickly than the rest of the blank or pipe.

INDUCTION ESTABLISHED AS EFFICIENT REHEATING METHOD

Raising the temperature level and compensating the tem-perature profile inline in the ongoing process are desirable. Due to its high power densities (up to ten times compared to conventional furnace installations) and dynamic control be-havior, the inductive heating offers a solution. However, high throughput speed and flow rates in pipe production also place the highest requirements on sensor systems, control and inverter technology. Thanks to developments in these areas over the past few years, induction has established itself not only as powerful reheating method in pipe production but also in other fields such as hot rolling mills.

INDUCTION PLANT ILLUSTRATES NEW DEVELOPMENTS

In the following example, an induction plant is introduced which has been integrated in a seamless pipe mill for reheat-ing between roughing and finishing mill at a throughput speed of one meter per second. Consequently, these new develop-ments provide a solution for the above-described problems in the rolling mills.

The result is a modularly designed reheating system com-prising eight individual modules. Each module consists of an inverter with a nominal capacity of 1,400 kW and a reso-

WORLDWIDE

INDUCTION PLANT SETS NEW STANDARDS

Inductive, highly dynamic inline reheating for the production of seamless pipes by means of cutting-edge control and inverter technology.

Materialdurchflussrichtung

Layout of inductive reheating.

Inductor

Temperature measurement (optics, pyrometer)

Throughput speed approx. 1 -1.5 m/s

Transport direction

1502|2018 SMS group newsletter14 SMS group newsletter 02|2018

IN FOCUS

Further informationwww.sms-elotherm.com

alarm is released by the operator. The maximum speed is calculated such that the set temperature level and profile can be reached. The operator then has the choice to decide either for a set temperature level or profile at the expense of the speed or to choose the other way around or to out-feed the pipe.

DETAILED MEASUREMENTS

The above illustration shows the behavior of the exampled plant during operation. The pipe reaches the inductive re-heating section with a temperature gradient and at the entry section it is at that time subjected to a temperature measure-ment. Then, an inline comparison of process model and actu-al temperature is started before the head end of the pipe leaves the heating section again 15 seconds later. The mea-suring signal of the exit pyrometer indicates a successful tem-perature lift and compensation.

In the upper part of the figure the temperature gradient is clearly visible when the pipe is entering the reheating section (blue, red graph) which has been fully compensated at the outlet at simultaneously increased temperature level (light and dark green graph).

The dynamic control of the inverter voltage and thus the heat output are illustrated in the lower part of the figure. The tail end of the pipe leaves the inductor plant at an even tem-perature profile after a little more than 45 seconds. The devi-ation measured reaches 25 K and includes e.g. also measur-ing errors caused by scale. In this case, a total capacity of about 6,000 kW is only required while the output is not evenly distributed among all modules.

To check the measured values for plausibility and reduce malfunctions of the plant to a minimum the temperature measurement is redundant on all positions required for pow-er calculation and control.

By redundant and permanently updated correction values the plant can be operated safely even in the case of failure or

obvious measurement errors of individual pyrometers due to steam and scale. Measurements of pipe speed at the in- and outlet ensure that safe transport monitoring is available and overheating of pipes is ruled out if feed problems occur.

SUPERIOR QUALITY OF END PRODUCT

As regards control dynamics the induction plant for reheat-ing described herein sets new standards in the production of seamless pipes and places highest demands on inverter technology and control. The inductive heating plant is an in-tegral part of a pipe mill newly built by SMS group. Offline simulation of sequences and processes made customer training possible already prior to commissioning, in which future operating staff could familiarize itself with the func-tioning of the plant. As a result, the commissioning phase was significantly reduced and all pipes were within close temperature tolerances already at the beginning of the ramp-up curve.

The dynamic control of inductive heating allows a target-ed increase and homogenization of the pipe temperature. Advantageous to follow-up processes are particularly opti-mal, reproducible running-in conditions demonstrated by higher product quality of the end product. By reducing scrap and recycled material energy savings can also be realized with simultaneously increased productivity of the whole plant. Other process and quality improvements are possible by setting specific, optimized temperature profiles. ◆

Simulation of chronological temperature

profile.

Operating Data.

nant circuit designed and made of a condenser battery and inductor. Each module output can be freely controlled up to the rated inverter capacity and independently of other mod-ules. For maintenance work or in case of a fault individual mod-ules can be removed from service. The control system is capa-ble of compensating a failure of individual modules. In this case, the output of the remaining modules is automatically adapted.

COMPACT PLANT

The illustration on the previous page illustrates the layout of the compact plant with its most important sensors. The ma-terial flow direction is from right to left according to the in-ductor numbering. For calculating the power distribution across the pipe length each pipe is first of all divided into sections of equal length. Based on temperature values mea-sured in front of the plant, the amount of energy to be in-duced for each pipe section and inductor is calculated in a forward-looking way. After each inductor the heating prog-ress is checked pyrometrically and the measured value com-pared with the calculated value. In case of deviations the pre-viously calculated amount of energy to be induced is recalculated and adapted automatically up to the pipe outlet for the then remaining modules on the basis of reheating.

At a speed of one meter per second each pipe section runs through an inductor in less than one second, while a total run of a pipe section through the plant is just over ten seconds. In terms of the control system the length of an indi-vidual pipe section was selected as short as possible to make

sure that high resolution and thus optimal adaptation of the actual and target temperature profile is achieved.

The temperature of each pipe section is measured in front of the inductor at approx. 1.40 meters, thus calculating an individual heating profile for this section. After each sec-ond inductor the temperature reached is checked und com-pared with the target profile. Deviations are included in the power control of inductors still remaining so that a given tar-get temperature is exactly reached when exiting inductor 8. The control system is capable of monitoring and managing even two pipes independently. Each pipe receives a dataset with measured temperatures and performances and is therefore optimally documented as regards quality assur-ance.External influences are considered automatically in a short- and long-term calculation correction with different weightings. A lower weighting of short-term changes of exter-nal influences ensures the stability of the control system.

WARNING SYSTEM SUPPORTS OPERATOR

The figure below illustrates a typical temperature profile and shows calculated forward-looking temperatures of in-line control in an exemplary fashion. Already after the sec-ond inductor an approximation to the desired final state is shown. After the eighth inductor an absolutely even profile is attained.

When the forward-looking calculation of the required energy recognizes that the installed power of the plant is insufficient due to a pipe with too low a temperature level to bring it to the required temperature at a given speed an

~ 45 Sec.

Time (S)

Tem

pera

ture

(°C

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~ 15 Sec.

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length of tube

final profileafter 6th inductorafter 4th inductorafter 2nd inductorinput profile

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pera

ture

(°C)


IN FOCUS


NEW DESIGN FOR EXPANDER LUBRICATION RINGS

WORLDWIDE

A special combination: combining conventional and additive design.

For manufacturing large-diameter pipes the pipes are cali-brated by means of a mechanical expander with regard to their concentricity and dimensional accuracy following outer and inner seam welding. During each expansion process, high surface pressure and thus friction between segment surfaces and wedge occurs. Friction decreases by defined lu-brication. To direct the lubricant to the respective points the lubricating ring serves as lubricant distributor and forwarder.

In particular for expander tools with small pipe diameters (e.g. 14 inches or smaller) the conventional manufacture comes to its limits. This is due to the small space in the lubri-cating ring, making positioning and manufacture of fluid holes difficult.

NEW POSSIBILITIES THANKS TO ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology opens up new pos-sibilities, however, the often filigree structures associated with additive manufacture are hardly ever applied particular-ly in heavy engineering. The reason for this is that very rough operating conditions often prevail and high forces are re-quired for plastic deformation resulting in solid construction of the components.

Solid design has also been considered during the prod-uct development process when a new lubricating ring with hybrid design was created combining conventional and ad-ditive manufacturing. The layered application is based on a steel ring where holes are manufactured with conventional means for forwarding fluids to the wedge. The ring is aligned and installed in the printer’s assembly space. Then, the structure is created by additive manufacturing technology. Owing to a compact arrangement of the fluid channels, the applicable level of coating is merely 70 millimeters. Com-pared to the original construction, the maximum dimensions of the outer diameter have been reduced by ten percent and they have been decreased by almost 30 percent in the overall component height which also results in downsized

surrounding components. With the help of additive manu-facturing technology, the channels can be manufactured completely independently of the contour of the manufactur-ing tools and can be designed in a highly compact manner in small assembly spaces.

NEW DESIGN REDUCES NUMBER OF POSSIBLE LEAKAGE POINTS

The SMS group design is characterized by the two surround-ing common rails (cf. the above illustration). The rails supply the individual channels to the dual-line distributors where a precisely defined quantity of lubricant is then ejected. Lube oil supply for the two common rails only takes place via two channels which is highly advantageous to the number of nec-essary seals or possible leakage points, reducing it by 17 per-cent. Consequently, the need for special seals is also eliminat-ed. Lubricant supply via merely two channels additionally simplifies the construction of adjacent components such as the conventionally manufactured disc. Designing with Additive Manufacturing is defined such that the expenditure for sub-sequent post-processing is kept as low as possible. To achieve this, all angles in Z direction are selected in such a way that the need for support structures is eliminated.

Hybrid design provides a solution for expander tools when calibrating small longitudinally welded large-diameter pipes. In future, the hybrid will be tested in a plant for practical use in cooperation with a customer as part of a development project.

The combination of conventional and additive technolo-gies convinces not only from a technical aspect but also eco-nomically and will play an important role in heavy engineering in the future. ◆

AM-Area

Conventional steel

Lubricating ring of hybrid design.

Lubricating ring with dual-line distributors.

Lube oil supply for common rail.

Conventional manufac-ture of fluid holes.

IN FOCUSIN FOCUS


WIRE ARC SPRAYINGWire arc spraying involves feeding two metallic wires into a spray gun at a controlled feed rate. Electric current is applied via copper, conductive wires. Once the wire feed starts, the two spray wires move forward until they touch each other. At the touch point, the wires are heated due to a high short-circuit current. This melts the coating material. A gas jet, usually consisting of compressed air, atomizes the molten material, acceler-ates the particles, and deposits them onto the surface to be coated.


• Pipelines transporting oil, gas or drinking water are partly ex-posed to extreme conditions. Proper corrosion protection is thus essential.

• With the new thermal spraying system PERFECT spray® metal and non-metal surfaces can be treated such that they are pro-tected against wear and corrosion.

• Coating is almost pore-free. Moreover, the materials of differ-ent melting temperatures can be conveyed homogeneously enabling constant arc resistance to be set.

About 1.8 million kilometers of oil and gas pipelines are rout-ed underwater or overland across the whole of Europe. At 4,700 kilometers, the longest pipeline worldwide transports oil from Siberia up to the Pacific coast. The global network of long-distance pipelines includes more than three million kilo-meters and it is growing each year by approx. 25,000 kilome-ters. Pipelines which are lifelines supplying the whole world with vital natural resources are indispensable for transport-ing oil, gas or drinking water over long distances and they are partly subject to extreme conditions. Whether laid on above-ground pipelines, underground or underwater – proper cor-rosion protection is the essential thing with regard to longev-ity and resistance of the pipes. Here, the wire arc spraying is used – a method characterized by high deposition rates and low energy consumption.

WIRE ARC SPRAYING SYSTEMS OF THE LATEST GENERATION

The welding technology experts of SMS group have taken a closer look at it bringing together two promising technolo-gies: wire arc spraying and the fully digital current-voltage source PERFECT arc® developed by SMS group coordinating the control of all electric-arc processes for welding and coat-ing methods without changing the hardware. As a result, the new thermal spraying system PERFECT spray® came into be-ing for treating metal and non-metal surfaces.

With the new wire arc spraying system for thermal spray-ing acc. to DIN EN 657, SMS group opens up entirely new markets in the areas of corrosion and wear protection as well as for maintenance. Due to control-oriented or design-relat-ed disadvantages of the wire arc systems available on the market today, end users had to previously accept major re-strictions with regard to the attainable coating quality and process efficiency. Through new approaches in electric-arc control, a new open linear construction type and the devel-opment of a new SMS-own burner concept with pres-sure-loss-optimized, turbulence-reduced and high-ex-

SMS wire arc spray system in practical application during robot-controlled coating of turbine blade.

SMART COATING WITH PERFECT SPRAY®

WORLDWIDE

The SMS group develops innovative coating solutions for functionalization of metal and non-metal surfaces.

IN FOCUS

THERMAL SPRAYINGDuring thermal spraying the wire-shaped filler metals are always fully molten. Due to its cost-effectiveness and relatively safe handling this method has become well-established in many industrial branches for corrosion and wear protection. Process-typ-ical applications are repair coatings for example after wear damage to plungers and gearcases. In the offshore area these applications serve for corrosion protection e.g. of pipelines or boiler walls.


CAD representation of optimized wire arc burner PERFECT GUN (open linear construction type; image below) compared to classical standard spray burner LD/U2 with closed design and high pressure loss (image top).

panding nozzle system significant improvements can be achieved in process efficiency and coating quality.

The new wire arc system is of modular design and fea-tures ceramic internal flow contours, adapted to the relevant coating task, which were designed to take account of the gas dynamics and can be adapted to the desired gas volume or mass flow rate. There is the option of directing the flow on the wire ends well within the supersonic range (gas flow speeds greater than Mach 1) or of decelerating the gas - de-pending on the material or application - to subsonic speeds. Almost all metal materials available in wire form can be pro-cessed. Through the option of separately controlled wire feed rates it is also possible to process different materials on the cathode and anode sides to generate alloys or pseudo-al-loys during the process (e.g. steel/nickel or aluminum/copper combinations).

THE MORE HOMOGENEOUS THE SPRAYING PROCESS, THE BETTER THE COATING QUALITY

PERFECT spray® offers: an innovative nozzle concept for generating a high-speed gas jet, a wear-resistant and reliable wire contacting concept, precise and ultrafast process control, full parameter control of power supply for processing different wire materials and diameters as well as, maintenance-friendly burner and durable highly functional materials for all system components.

The highlight of the PERFECT spray® system is the active pro-cess control by means of fully parameterizable current-volt-age source in connection with active adjustment of the char-acteristics, depending on each corresponding wire-shaped, metallic filler material.

THERMAL SPRAYING METHOD CONQUERS NEW MARKETS

Current questions and problem definitions of a politically mo-tivated energy turnaround bring coating methods such as wire arc spraying to the fore of such technologies which can ensure a cost-, energy- and material-efficient long-term corro-sion protection. Material systems suited for this task definition are alloys based on aluminum-zinc (Al-Zn) which can be pro-cessed as pre-alloyed Al-Zn wire or by using different wires (anodic: zinc; cathodic: aluminum). PERFECT spray®, the coat-ing system of SMS group applies a virtually pore-free coating. Due to the possibility of controlling wire feed velocities of cathode and anode separately, materials of different melting temperatures can be conveyed homogeneously, thus setting a constant electric-arc resistance (minimal length variation). In

Frank Lichtenthäler [email protected]

addition, these coatings are post-treated with a specific Sol-Gel-based sealing method ensuring corrosion protection for more than 20 years according to current standard specifica-tions even with heavy seawater exposure depending on coat-ing thickness.

Wire arc sprayed coatings can also be found in numerous other industrial sectors, such as in automotive industry for coating interior cylinder walls, especially lightweight-con-struction crankcases in combustion engines, in turbine con-struction for the application of adhesive primer coats for plasma coating, for repair and maintenance tasks (e.g. for reconditioning shafts and bearing seats), for coating polymer or fiber-reinforced materials (e.g. for improving shielding at-tenuation characteristics acc. to EMC), in medical technology (among others for antibacterial surfaces), in the aerospace industry (e.g. for wear protection of leading edges), for the polymer industry (heat-conductor layers for local extruder temperature control), in the field of energy production (high-temperature corrosion protection of incineration plants) and in generative manufacturing (coating and func-tionalization of 3D printed light metals & polymers).

The future-oriented PERFECT spray® predestines the spraying plant not only for applications in the industrial envi-ronment but qualifies the plant also for science and research to open up new resource-saving applications and markets. At the largest specialist conference in the field of thermal spraying (International Thermal Spray Conference ITSC-2017) the inverter technology of SMS group and different coating burners were presented to an international expert audience. A specialist lecture in the so-called Industry Forum rounded off this successful event and established SMS group as fu-ture-oriented plant manufacturer with innovative products. ◆

IN FOCUS

ELEKTRIK UND AUTOMATIONIN FOCUS

Mr. Reisner: How has your company devel-oped in recent years and which products do you chiefly manufacture?Reinhold Reisner: voestalpine Tubulars produces seamless steel pipes for the oil and gas industry as well as other industries – such as automotive, me-chanical engineering, construction and petrochem-ical. There have been a number of R&D projects together with our customers for tailor-made solu-tions, which resulted in new materials and thread connections to better meet our customers’ needs.

Thanks to the investment you are now in a po-sition to offer an extended range of products. What made SMS group the right partner for your investment?Helmut Jungbauer: More than 35 years ago SMS built a large part of our hot rolling mill, with many other parts having been added over the years, such as two straighteners and now SMS was invited to provide us an offer also for the heat treatment mill expansion. For us it is very important that we have a long-lasting relation-

So what made you decide right now, during the current times, to invest into your new equipment? Reinhold Reisner: Oil and gas exploration and pro-duction have become increasingly challenging and critical, changing the requirements of our custom-ers. These requirements drove the need for pipes with unique properties and new steel grades, which require state-of-the-art heat treatment processes. The heat treatment expansion enables us to meet these requirements.

INTERVIEW

voestalpine Tubulars GmbH & Co KG based in Styria, Austria, has placed an order with SMS group for the supply of a new heat treatment line and a hot tube straightening machine in 2015. After successful commissioning Reinhold Reisner

and Helmut Jungbauer talk about the project.

LONG-TERM EXPERIENCE ON BOTH SIDES

DIVERSE SOLUTIONS

voestalpine Tubulars supplies seamless tubular products with an outside diameter of up to 193.7 millimeters (7 5/8 inches). In addi-tion to the seamless tubular prod-ucts used in the drilling and com-pletion of oil and gas wells, voestalpine Tubulars produces hollows for redraw, mechanical tubing, boiler and heat exchanger tubes, pressure tubing and line pipe. These pipes are used in the automotive, petrochemical, con-struction, mining, tunneling and fluid transportation Industries.

REINHOLD REISNER, VOESTALPINE TUBULARS

HELMUT JUNGBAUER,VOESTALPINE TUBULARS

Top and bottom right: The cross-roll straightener with ten individually con-trolled rolls has a very sturdy design and allows rapid roll changing for minimum standstill times. The line is controlled fully automatically.

Bottom left: The heat treatment line supplied by SMS group consists of a walking beam type austenitizing furnace, an SMS Quenching Head, a cooling table for normalizing, a tempering furnace, also of walking beam design, a cooling bed and two sawing stations for sample cutting.

ship with SMS and we have seen that they deliver us with proven quality and machinery. Further-more has the cooperation with SMS group been always very structured and based on long-term experience on both sides. And it is very import-ant for us, that SMS group has always met the agreed delivery dates. ◆


24 25SMS group newsletter 02|2018 02|2018 SMS group newsletter24

INNOVATION IN COMBUSTION PROCESS

WORLDWIDE

The SMS-ZeroFlame burner reduces emissions and boosts the performance of heating furnaces.

• Strict environmental regulations call for innovative solutions to reduce the contamination caused by furnaces. For this rea-son, SMS is going to market low-emission burners under the brand name SMS-ZeroFlame.

• The ZeroFlame burner is an effective tool for furnace opera-tors to manage the combustion process with tremendous flexibility and excellent performance.

SMS group offers the tube and wire industry a broad range of reheating and heat treatment furnaces. The portfolio in-cludes pusher furnaces for small billets as well as large walk-ing beam furnaces for reheating of big size blooms or slab. Furthermore, SMS group also delivers a broad variety of ro-tary hearth furnaces for seamless pipe mills or forge shops, as well as provides a strong know-how in combustion tech-nology. Most of these reheating furnaces make use of direct flame burners having typically a rating from 500 to 3,000 kW.

With ever stricter environmental regulation and increas-ing need for environmental protection SMS group is always seeking to contribute by researching innovative technologies for containing the pollution generated by its furnaces.

One of its efforts in this direction is the designing, proto-typing, testing and patenting of a remarkable new type of low emission burner, now commercialized under the product name of SMS-ZeroFlame. This burner follows the steps of a long line of flameless burners present in the market since the last 20 years, but boldly surpasses the performances of any akin by offering unprecedented features.

Flameless combustion occurs when fuel and comburent jets mix in the following conditions (referred to as natural gas combustion):

Oxygen concentration in comburent jet is less than 13 volume percent. Temperature of the mixed jet is above 670 degrees celsius.

The dilution of oxygen in the air jet is obtained by “entrain-ment”, that is the phenomenon that occurs when a free jet is developing in a gas volume: the free jet sucks particles of the external gas because of a momentum exchange with the still gas. The overall entrainment is called recirculation.

Theory and experiments both show that an effective re-circulation depends on the diameter of the jet nozzle, once that the temperatures of the two gases (the jet and the flue gas inside the furnace chamber) are set. However, the flame-less burners have some limitations, i.e.:

there is an upper limit to the power that can be supplied by the burner.

the flames produced by the burner are very long. the turn down of the burner is limited.

SMS-ZEROFLAME BURNER

The SMS-ZeroFlame burner was developed specially to over-come the limitations of the flameless burners available on the market, providing the following performances:

stable low NOx flame at low furnace temperature. flameless condition with ultra-low NOx emissions for fur-nace temperature above 750 degrees celsius.

booster function: increasing of the rating without increas-ing the flame length keeping the NOx emissions low.

flame length modulation: limitation of the flame length at any rating keeping the NOx emissions low.

increasing of turn down range.

The result is obtained by the integration of two different flames (see illustration below) having the following character-istics:

an inner flame, swirled, visible and stable, produced in un-der-stoichiometric conditions. an external flame, over-stoichiometric, not visible and diluted.

Flame vs. flameless combustion, process conditions.

Integration of the two flames in the ZeroFlame burner.

IN FOCUS


200 t/h walking Beam Furnace.

Due to the swirl, the inner flame is shorter than the external one so, also if it supplies the same rating, the total length of the flames is defined only by the flameless condition.The SMS-ZeroFlame flameless design allows integrating these two flames having different characteristics and at the same time leaving the overall NOx production unchanged. This feature allows the burner to supply an overboost with-out increasing the flame length, by adding the inner flame to the flameless working mode. The flexibility of the burner al-lows a finer control with respect to a usual flameless burner that has a limited turndown.

Another innovation the SMS-ZeroFlame burner brings to the users is the possibility to control the flame length, making possible the installation of large-size burners even in small furnace chambers, and to supply more power without in-creasing the flame length.

By a precise modulation of the combustion air and fuel distribution between the two sub-burners it is possible to modify and control the flame length at the same rating (figure on the right). In the past, this feature was obtained by double

Der Hubbalkenofen von Sidenor Basauri in Spanien hat eine Leistung von 85 Tonnen pro Stunde und ist der erste, der mit SMS-ZeroFlame Brennern ausgestattet wurde.

air burners, but in that case the short flame, produced by a strong swirled external air, produced very high NOx emis-sions because, in any configuration, a stable flame was pro-duced. The turndown can reach up to 25 percent of the total available rating by acting on the distribution of the flames, always favouring the flameless condition to minimize NOx emissions.

The new ZeroFlame burner of SMS group provides fur-nace operators with an effective tool for managing the com-bustion process with tremendous flexibility and outstanding performance. ◆

IN FOCUS

100 %

50 %

Usual flameless burner

100 % (external und internal)

SMS-ZeroFlame Shorting mode

50 % (external)

25 % (external)

SMS-ZeroFlame Booster mode

150 % (external und internal)

100 % (external)

50 % (external)

Effect of transition between flame flameless mode in NOx generation.

Improvements in rating control provided by SMS ZeroFlame.

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]09.50.24 10.04.48 10.19.12 10.33.36 10.48.00 11.02.24 11.16.48

Time

O2 [%] NOx [ppm]

The usual turndown of a flameless burner is in the range from 50 to 100 percent, because below the 50-percent limit flames start to emerge and then NOx emissions will increase. The new integrated version allows the lower limit of the turndown range to be extended up to 25 percent, in fact 50 percent can be supplied by the inner burner that has a range from 0 to 100 percent, while the other 50 percent are supplied by the outer, flameless burner that has a range between 50 and 100 percent. So, the total turndown of the burner is 25 to 100 percent leaving NOx emissions untouched.

The walking beam furnace at Sidenor Basauri, Spain, has a capacity of 85 tons per hour and is the first furnace entirely equipped with SMS-ZeroFlame burners.



IN FOCUSIN FOCUS

NEW HIGH-SPEED WIRE ROD MILL FOR JIANLONG BEIMAN

HIGH-QUALITY BAR PRODUCTS FOR THE US MARKET

CHINA

U.S.A.

Jianlong Beiman Special Steel Co., Ltd., based in Qiqihar, Chi-na, has awarded SMS group an order to supply core compo-nents for a high-speed wire rod mill for quality steel.

The centerpiece of the new wire rod mill, which has an annual capacity of 500,000 tons, is the ten-stand wire rod finishing block. To comply with the high metallurgical re-quirements of the finished products, the wire rod mill has been designed for low-temperature rolling.

ACCURATE ROLLING

Low-temperature rolling is achieved by installing a cooling and equalizing loop upstream of the block. The rolling schedule includes wire rod with diameters between 5.5 and 25 millimeters, and rebar with diameters ranging from 6 to 16 millimeters, which are finish-rolled at speeds of up to

Nucor Steel Kankakee Inc., based in Illinois, U.S.A., has cho-sen SMS group as the primary technology supplier for its new 500,000 tons per year merchant bar mill. The new facility will be installed at its existing bar mill located in Bourbonnais, Illi-nois, with production scheduled to commence in 2019.

This plant will be designed to produce a wide range of merchant bar products to complement the existing line, in-cluding equal and unequal angles in a range from 3 to 7 inch-es, channels from 3 to 10 inches, flats up to 12 inches, rounds up to 3 5/8 inches and rebar from #14 to #18. The roll pass design developed by SMS group will allow the mill to use a wide variety of starting billet sizes, ranging from 6.25 inches square to 5.5 inches x 11.5 inches.

The new merchant bar mill supplied by SMS group will consist of 16 total stands, including five dual-drive convertible stands, all equipped with quick-changing device. It will also be equipped with three shears along the mill, with provisions for automatic sampling collection, and an automatic sampling area at the cooling bed.

Additional highlights will be a multi-line straightening ma-chine with automatic bar positioning and feeding device and automatic roll changing system, as well as a 700 tons cold shear. Two cold saws will have a capability to use either abra-

Among others, SMS group will supply to Jianlong Beiman a loop layer for its high-speed wire rod mill.



115 meters per second. In addition to the wire rod finishing block, the scope of supply includes two cantilever compact roughing stands, the shear group upstream of the block, and the loop laying head including pinch roll unit. What’s more, SMS group will also supply the design for the LCC®

(Loop Cooling Conveyor) with three-fan technology, as well as the coil handling system.

To allow the plant to be extended at a later date, space has also been set aside for further water boxes and a MEERdrive®PLUS block, ensuring the plant is equipped to handle closer tolerances. Commissioning will take place in spring 2019. ◆

sive or metallic blades. Maximized flexibility will be reached thanks to an 80 foot automatic magnetic stacker with four independent 20 foot sections. The new generation high-pre-cision profile gauge MEERgauge® with surface defect detec-tion capability allows Nucor Steel Kankakee a contactless pre-cision measurement for optimal bar production processes.

LESS DOWNTIME, MORE EFFICIENCY

A high degree of efficiency is also guaranteed thanks to the technology systems and quick-changing equipment: Size changes and adjustments to the product lengths can be performed quickly, while downtimes are reduced to a mini-mum. Besides the mechanical equipment, SMS group will supply the entire electrical and automation system.

„This new MBQ mill is right in line with our long-term strategy for profitable growth. It builds on our market lead-ership position by further enhancing our product offerings of merchant bar, light shapes and structural angle and channel in markets in the central U.S.,“ said John Ferriola, Chairman, CEO & President of Nucor. The American Mid-west region is one of the largest markets for merchant bar mill products. With this new modern merchant bar mill, Nucor Steel Kankakee, Inc. is ideally positioned to offer its customers a full range of the highest quality bar products. ◆

Jianlong Beiman commissions SMS group to supply core components for high-speed wire rod mill.

Nucor Steel Kankakee, Inc. selects SMS group for new merchant bar mill.


IM FOKUS

ON THE ROAD TO A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE

SOUTH KOREA

SMS group has upgraded the existing bar mill for Hyundai Steel Pohang with a five-stand PSM®. This is an impressive evidence of how old technology can be

used efficiently by targeted supplementation of hightech components.

The five-stand 3-roll PSM® sizing block (Precision Sizing Mill).

A view of the five-stand 3-roll PSM® (Precision Sizing Mill).

MODERNIZATION

3332 SMS group newsletter 02|2018

• The automotive industry demands ever closer tol-erances from steel producers such as Hyundai Steel. To satisfy the requirements the company re-cently started relying on a five-stand PSM® from SMS group.

• The hydraulic adjustment features the technology at Hyundai Steel. The rolling gap can be changed during the rolling process within milliseconds and the result is a considerably more precise diameter tolerance.

IN FOCUS

Since the eighties, Hyundai Steel has originally produced only rebars in its Pohang plant. In the course of time, the product range has been en-larged by SBQ grades. In order to meet the latest requirements of the automotive industry with re-gard to close tolerances, place has been created for the five-stand PSM® by shifting four stands in the intermediate train. With this relatively small extent of conversion work, Hyundai Steel was able to make the plant fit and profitable for the automotive sector. With the PSM® many different SBQ grades in the diameter range from 25 to 83 millimeters can be rolled economically on the ex-isting cooling bed in small batch sizes and with high precision.

The existing roughing and intermediate train.

PSM® with downstream rebar mill stands.

View of rake-type cooling bed.

34 SMS group newsletter 02|2018 3502|2018 SMS group newsletter

MORE PRECISE THAN REQUIRED BY DIN STANDARDS

A particular feature of PSM® is the hydraulic ad-justment under load enabling the rolling gap to be changed during the rolling process within mil-liseconds. The 3-roll PSM® achieves a diameter tolerance which is six to ten times more precise than requested by the DIN standard, namely temperature-independent over the total length of the bar. The requirement for near-net-shape rolling is thus fully satisfied. Another advantage is the rolling in free-size mode also enabling all intermediate sizes to be produced. Consequent-ly, Hyundai Steel is able to consider e.g. the peel-ing dimension of a bar, reducing it to a minimum.

ELECTRICAL AND AUTOMATION SYSTEMS

In addition to mechanical equipment, the scope of supply of PSM® also included electrical and

IN FOCUS

automation systems. A fully automated rolling process is monitored and controlled by electri-cal and automation systems of SMS group. The core element is the performance module TCS – Technological Control System, controlling the hy-draulic roll adjustment. A clearly structured user interface graphically visualizes all parameters. The automation system of SMS group is de-signed in such a way that existing measuring equipment of Hyundai Steel could be seamlessly integrated.

ROLL CHANGE AND ROLL SHOP

For a roll change the prepared PSM® mill stands are transported on a change car from the roll shop equipped by SMS group to the change po-sition. As soon as the stands are available in ex-change position the change procedure can be-gin. In the event of minor dimension changes,

MODERNIZATION

PSM® during assembly in SMS group workshop.

View into the control stand.

IN FOCUS

Exchange unit ready for replacement.

A film on the topic of conver-sion can be found under www.sms-group.com/nl2018-video- hyundai-steel-pohang

New Year Company equipment Modernization2016 Jiangyin XingCheng Special Steel Works Co., Ltd., China PSM® 450/4 ✔

2016 Lech-Stahlwerke GmbH, Germany PSM® 380/4 ✔ 2015 OEMK, Russia PSM® 380/4 ✔

2014 Hyundai Steel Pohang, South Korea PSM® 380/5 ✔

2013 Qingdao Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., China PSM® 380/5 ✔ 2013 Kardemir A.S., Turkey PSM® 380/4 ✔ 2013 Jiangsu YongGang Group Co., Ltd., China PSM® 380/4 ✔ 2012 SDI Pittsboro, U.S.A. PSM® 380/4 ✔

2011 Xining Special Steel Co., Ltd., China PSM® 380/4 ✔ 2011 Fujian WuHang Stainless Steel Products Co., Ltd., China PSM® 320/4 ✔ 2009 Timken - Harrison Rolling Mill, U.S.A. PSM® 480/5 ✔

2006 Deutsche Edelstahlwerke, Germany PSM® 420/6 ✔

MODERNIZATION

Worldwide references


not all five stands have to be exchanged reduc-ing work and expenses. Extension and retrac-tion of the stands is fully automatic. What’s more, automation is already properly preset since the position of the roll rings has been transmitted from the roll shop in advance. A di-mension change or exchange of used stands can therefore be completely finished within a few minutes.

ASSEMBLY

The conversion work at Hyundai could be per-formed in a short period of time because each PSM® had been completely manufactured and already assembled in the SMS group workshop in Mönchengladbach. In just two large portions, the mill was transported directly to the con-struction site. Consequently, on-site assembly could take place quickly, reducing downtimes specifically for modernization projects to a mini-mum as in the case of Hyundai Steel. ◆


www.sms-group.com/nl2018-video-hyundai-steel-pohang

www.sms-group.com/nl2018-video-hyundai-steel-pohang

IM FOKUS

NEW GENERATION OF MEERDRIVE®PLUS WIRE-ROD FINISHING BLOCK

WORLDWIDE

With the successful installation of the new MEERdrive®PLUS wire-rod finishing block at the Neunkirchen plant of Saarstahl AG, another step towards rolling of

wire-rod diameters with close tolerances has been implemented.

In comparison with the first generation which has been successfully assembled for the first time at ArcelorMittal Ruhrort, Germany, the new genera-tion of four-stand MEERdrive®PLUS wire-rod finish-ing blocks has been extended by a quick-change stand, special stands and speed adjustment for tension control.

Together with the modified roll pass design ap-proach, the first bundle at Saarstahl Neunkirchen achieved a tolerance of ±0.05 millimeters at a di-ameter of 16 millimeters.

Thanks to horizontal positioning of the four drive motors on one side, a quick-change stand could be realized by means of a change car.


Further informa-tion on this topic is provided by this film.

MEERDRIVE®PLUS-BLOCK REDUCES DOWNTIMES

The MEERdrive®PLUS block is designed for spring steels with an inlet temperature of 750 degrees Celsius. The fist two stands are of the CL 230 UHD type, characterized by high load-bearing capacity.

For the special roll pass design in this block where the two final passes are executed as „round – round“ it is important to arrange the two last stands as close as possible to each other to make sure that twisting is prevented. To achieve this, stands of the CL 160S type were developed and no guide is required between the mill stands.

Consequently, static guides are only needed in front of stands 1 and 3 and a roller guide is re-quired in front of stand 2. On demand, remote ad-justment under load can be integrated in all stands. Since all finished sizes in the MEERdrive®PLUS block are finish-rolled a so-called “one-family rolling“ can be realized in the rolling mill reducing the required downtimes in the mill. ◆

IN FOCUS

TWO MORE CUSTOMERS RELIED ON MEERDRIVE®PLUS TECHNOLOGYWith Arlenico S.p.a. (formerly Caleotto) and Feralpi Siderurgica S.p.a., two of the most important Italian wire-rod producers, ordered a four-stand MEERdrive®PLUS block from SMS group. Both blocks are integrated in the existing plants. At Arlenico, the focus is on much better tolerances and thermome-chanical rolling, whereas Feralpi emphasizes on a possible expansion of and increase in production and on the mechanical properties of the material.

The opportunity of “one-family rolling“ generates additional cost savings for both plant operators.

Thanks to horizontal positioning of the four drive motors on one side, a quick-change stand could be realized by means of a change car.

Arrangement of stands 3 and 4 with MEERdrive®PLUS.

MEERdrive®PLUS

block during stand change.


https://www.sms-group.com/code/221520332618/qrcode.html

IN FOCUS

SOUTH KOREA

Modernized medium section mill for Hyundai Steel – precision products for the automotive industry.

FIT FOR THE FUTURE

MEDIUM SECTION MILLThe semi-continuous medium section mill comprises furnace, high-pressure descaler and downstream breakdown mill stand. During reversing rolling, the positioning of rolled material into vari-ous roll grooves is realized by a dis-placement and bloom reversing device.

MODERNIZATION

4140 02|2018 SMS group newsletterSMS group newsletter 02|2018

After having been in operation for more than 25 years, SMS group upgraded the existing medium section mill at Hyundai Steel at the Pohang site to make sure that the old plant also meets today’s requirements – particularly the high standards of Hyundai Motor regarding quality and precision.

To achieve this, the intermediate and finishing stand group has been equipped and rebuilt with four new hydraulically adjusted stands and associated automation and control system. In addition to that, the profile measuring device PROGAUGE has been integrated and new roll changing units were installed. ◆


LANGPRODUKTE LANGPRODUKTEIN FOCUS

INTERMEDIATE AND FINISHING STAND GROUP The intermediate and finishing stand group in operation for more than 25 years consists of a total of twelve stands. For maximum flexibility, stands in UD design – i.e. usable as universal and two-high stands – as well as tilting stands are employed.

HCS-STANDSModernization experts of SMS group have analyzed the entire process and developed an investment-friendly solu-tion for Hyundai. Only the last four of the twelve finishing stands had to be replaced by HCS stands (Hydraulic Compact Stand) with hydraulic adjust-ment to assure that the required toler-ance values of Hyundai Motor are at-tained. Due to customized engineering the base plates could be reused to keep foundation costs as small as possible.

FIVE ROLLING MODES FOR PRODUCTIONWith four new and eight remaining stands Hyundai Steel operates the plant in five rolling modes for the production of H-beams, unequal and equal-sided angles, tank-track ele-ments and precision round bars. After the upgrade, especially the rounds reveal a dimen-sional accuracy corresponding to one fourth of the specified DIN tolerance range.

LASER LIGHT CUT MEASURING Compliance with the tolerances and the surface quality is scanned completely by means of non-contact PROGAUGE laser technology. Up to 500 scans per second are done. PROGAUGE controls the hydraulic adjustments of stands 11 and 12 in closed loops fully automatically to compensate deviations in the rolled material within fractions of a second. In addition to that, PROGAUGE provides a system for surface flaw detection called SURFTEC.

MODERNIZATION


LANGPRODUKTEIN FOCUS

ROLL WORKSHOPThe roll workshop was also structured more efficiently with new techniques. The withdrawal device of the universal stands simplifies roll changes significantly.

SHORT DELIVERY TIMEIt took SMS group a delivery period of only about eight months and downtimes of approx. four weeks to equip the plant with the latest technologies.

MODERNIZATION

4544

RELIABLEHigh reliability and longevity of SMS group equipment: the rolling mill was first assembled in Belgium in 1969 and then relocated to Korea in 1994.

THE DIGITAL WAY TO MAXIMIZING QUALITY

WORLDWIDE

PQA® (Product Quality Analyzer) perfectly combines the comprehensive process know-how of MET/Con and an efficient quality assurance software particularly adapted to the needs of

the metallurgical sector to form a powerful solution for the metal industry.

MET/CON MET/Con offers advisory services based on vast metallurgical and oera-tional expertise. Employing more than 230 industry experts, MET/Con is the right partner for all advisory services in the fields of production and further pro-cessing of steel, aluminum and other NF metals.


ADVANTAGES OF PRODUCT QUALITY ANALYZERS (PQA®)

Quality is not a matter of the last process step, but is generat-ed along the entire production route. PQA® reveals its full potential when used along the entire pro-duction and process chain. Nevertheless, the system will come with benefits and savings, if just parts of the process chain or individual lines like galvanizing or annealing lines are analyzed.

Saving production costs Since critical quality deviations are identified early, the further processing of substandard materials is blocked. This saves energy, resources, manpower and time. In addition, the sys-tematical support helps reduce the workload of the staff.

Increased yield and improved quality at every process stage Early reallocation of substandard material or provision of re-pair recommendations increases the yield and the quality level at every process step.

Transparent production process Consistent material tracking and remote access to the system through web-based reports make the production process more transparent and speed up optimization processes. Moreover, long-term storage of process-relevant data helps understand and trace the origin of quality problems.

Creating confidence The transparent and quality-oriented production process makes sure the material supplied to the customers will be of constant quality, and it creates confidence that for each pro-cess step all quality-relevant data are documented and stored.

• Expertise is usually transferred in writing or verbally, but this involves the risk of getting lost in many places.

• PQA® serves to transfer the knowledge online and related to the respective application, for example in the form of quality rules or production information, thus providing first-class de-cision support paired with clear recommendations to act for production.

• The PQA® rules can be adapted to the individual needs of the customer. Responsibility for that task is with the experts of MET/Con, a company of SMS group.

Traditional advisory services in the fields of know-how, pro-cess and quality are based on the transfer of expertise to customers on site either in writing or verbally. However, this method has the disadvantage that knowledge may get lost in many places, for example, when an employee leaves the company or the knowledge does not reach all of the staff members needing it in their daily routine.

PQA® solves this problem by providing the knowledge online and related to the respective application, in the form of quality rules and production information, and by present-ing professional advice directly during the production pro-cess. PQA® thus offers first-class decision support and gives clear recommendations to act for production and along the whole process chain.

PQA® was developed by MET/Con Metallurgical Plant & Process Consulting GmbH, a company of SMS group. The MET/Con team prepares the PQA® rules in cooperation with the customer, based on empirical values and the vast ex-pertise of the MET/Con specialists.

RULE-BASED INSTRUCTIONS

PQA® supervises, documents and safeguards process and product quality over the entire processing chain from steel-making up to the refined cold strip or other intermediate and finished products. To that end, all relevant production and process data are recorded and continuously analyzed according to preset rules. In the case of quality deviations, the system will provide clear instructions permitting possi-ble defects during the production process to be indicated and corrective action to be initiated in due time. For that purpose, the products are checked after each process step to see whether they are suitable for the next process step and for achieving the desired final quality.

PQA® effectively supports the user in making up his de-cision on the quality of a pre-, intermediate or finished product and to block or release it for the next processing step respectively for supply. A further result of this analysis

is a freely configurable quality report for all product key pa-rameters, which may be set against the order data. The product purchasers thus benefit from a continuously con-trolled quality standard and a consistently documented production process.

REPUTED PRODUCERS RELY ON PQA®

The PQA® know-how, quality assurance and software tech-nology have been developed over the past five years and applied in the plants of reputed steel producers worldwide.

The PQA® system is the centerpiece of the new CSP® minimill at Big River Steel, U.S.A. Here, quality is controlled to this approach from steelmaking to the finished hot or cold rolled and galvanized product. After an implementa-tion period of eight weeks, the system presented Big River Steel considerable cost savings and quality improvements.

Furthermore, PQA® is used in the new flat steel complex of Shandong Iron and Steel in Rizhao, China. In this

IN FOCUS

The PQA® is of modular design with the flexible software structure suited to group various modules depending on the respective application. In addition to the func-tions required for quality control, supplementary modules also cover applications in the field of Big Data analysis and Artificial Intelligence (AI). This makes it possi-ble to show previously unknown, new correlations with the aid of various intelli-gent, mathematical evaluation methods including pattern recognition options.

DIS – Data Integration Studio DIS is the foundation of PQA®. It serves to structure the collected data and keep them ready for further processing.

PDW – Production Data Warehouse PDW is a database for intelligent structuring of information from different plants to facilitate the analysis of fault causes along the entire process chain.

LD – LogicDesigner LD is used to concentrate and combine to PQA® quality rules all the knowl-edge spread over several automation levels, written on paper, or existing in-side the heads of employees and at MET/Con.

QM – QualityMonitor The QM serves to continuously assess the product on the basis of rules at constant quality.

WR&A – Web Reporting & Analysis The WR&A module creates freely configurable reports and makes them avail-able in a browser application.

SPC – Statistical Process Control SPC is the traditional, statistical analyzing tool for quality and process evaluation.

DC – DataCorrelator DC is an advanced analyzing tool to perform a fault cause analysis in a pro-cess chain and, on the basis of the results thereof, to create new intelligent rules to improve quality.

PPS – Proactive Process Supervision The PPS continuously supervises the condition of the plant. It identifies devi-ations and provides clear instructions to the staff to prevent any quality is-sues and unplanned downtimes.

PQA® system modules and their functions


Thomas Hüper [email protected]

greenfield project, production of automotive grades is controlled throughout the complete process. In addition, PQA® is integrated in the company’s new heavy-plate and Steckel mills.

In China, PQA® was also implemented in the new high- performance hot-dip galvanizing line at Benxi Steel.

Moreover, the system will be installed in Indonesia at PT Krakatau Steel’s new hot strip mill in the near future.

Recently, long product producer Swiss Steel at Emmen-brücke, Switzerland, awarded an order to MET/Con cov-ering the supply of a PQA® system for quality manage-ment along the complete production chain. The system

will be applied to produce engineering steel and bright steel products (for further information please refer to page 50). ◆

Experienced experts help determine the quality rules to be integrated in the PQA® for each quality-relevant process step and to be applied whenever required.

Learn more about PQA® in the new,

comprehensive brochure.

www.sms-group.com/pqa

IN FOCUS

http://www.sms-group.com/pqa

http://www.sms-group.com/pqa

IM FOKUS IM FOKUSIN FOCUS

SWITZERLAND

Swiss Steel Emmenbrücke implements PQA®.

ORDER FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Nucor Steel Gallatin places supplementary order with SMS group for X-Pact® MES 4.0 production planning system.

U.S.A.

PRODUCTION PLANNING IN LINE WITH INDUSTRIE 4.0



X-Pact® MES 4.0 is an important component in the transformation to a learning factory.

Production planning for Industrie 4.0 with the X-Pact® MES 4.0 system from SMS group.

The PQA® quality management system from MET/Con is designed to enhance the quality level, stabilize the production process, improve on-time delivery performance and secure competitiveness.

Nucor Steel Gallatin in Ghent, Kentucky, U.S.A., has commis-sioned SMS group to supply an X-Pact® MES 4.0 production planning system for the pickling and galvanizing line it or-dered recently.

Nucor Steel Gallatin chose the MES (Manufacturing Exe-cution System) from SMS group as this production planning system features a state-of-the-art software architecture and modular, extendable structures that offer economic bene-fits to a modern, highly productive company at a time of growing digitization.

Nucor also chose SMS group as its supplier because the X-Pact® MES 4.0 can be seamlessly integrated in the X-Pact® automation solution it has already ordered for its strip pro-cessing line. The scope of integration ranges from basic auto-mation (level 1), through process automation (level 2), right up to the production planning system (level 3). At the same time, X-Pact® MES 4.0 is an extremely important component in the successful transformation to a learning factory along the lines of Industrie 4.0.

In addition to the basic system for recording and storing the production data, the scope of supply includes the connection to the automation systems, such as level 2 for example, and to the customer’s ERP system, as well as the following modules:

Swiss Steel, member of the SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH Group, produces about 600,000 tons per year of engineering steel at Emmenbrücke, part of which is further processed within the Group at bright steel manufacturer Steeltec. These special steels are used in sectors such as automotive and mechanical engineering.

The new PQA® Product Quality Analyzer from MET/Con is going to be implemented at Emmenbrücke as a pilot for a group-wide Industrie 4.0 initiative. With this quality manage-ment system, Swiss Steel aims to further enhance the quality

Technical Order Generation, used to generate the relevant pro-duction orders from the customer orders; the Plant Sequenc-ing System, used to determine the optimal sequence for the strips to be produced; and the Business Intelligence Reporting system, which offers interactive, web-based reporting for ob-taining information from the production data.

The equipment will undergo an integration test and also be commissioned together with the previously ordered X-Pact®

automation system from SMS group.Commissioning of the new system with its unique “Heat-to-

Coat” technology supplied by SMS group is scheduled for 2019. The “Heat-to-Coat” technology is characterized by its compact, user-friendly U-shape design, its turbulence tank pickling line, high-performance induction heating system, FOEN® galvanizing equipment, and the Drever cooling system. With a high production rate of 180 tons per hour and a large strip section (up to 6.35 millimeters thick and up to 1,854 milli-meters wide), the line is setting a global standard in hot strip galvanizing lines. The pickling and galvanizing line has an annu-al capacity of 500,000 tons. ◆

Wilfried Runde [email protected]

Mirko Jurkovic [email protected]

level along the entire production chain, achieve more stability in the production process, further improve ontime delivery performance and optimize the company’s competetiveness in the long run.

MET/Con, a company of SMS group, was commissioned to supply an integrated IT solution operating on know ledge-based expert rules. Use will be made of an advanced software and database solution from Aachen-based QuinLogic, an SMS group company. Solutions based on this approach have been successfully implemented at selected flat steel producers with a great variety of downstream processes.

The PQA® system carries out online analyses of process, production and quality data from steelmaking, casting and rolling, right down to the drawing processes. The PQA® expert quality rules, which can be freely configured and fed with spe-cific knowhow, take into account customer- and order-specific information in the quality assessment process and for the block-or-release decisions for the next downstream process-ing step.

The modular software consists of a LogicDesigner for flex-ible rule adaptation, a quality assessment module and web-based reporting. The centerpiece of the quality management system is the DataCorrelator software module, which covers latest features such as “Big Data” analyses and artificial intelli-gence (AI). Various intelligent mathematical evaluation meth-ods, including pattern recognition options, identify and indi-cate correlations that can be directly used for process optimization.

With this project, Swiss Steel, Steeltec and MET/Con want to set a milestone showing how the performance, efficiency and quality level of the mill can be further improved by gaining total process and production transparency. ◆

ELECTRICAL AND AUTOMATION SYSTEMSELECTRICAL AND AUTOMATION SYSTEMS

SETTING NEW STANDARDS IN PLANT AUTOMATION

Introduction of the holistic X-Pact® Process Guidance concept.

WORLDWIDE

GENERAL X-PACT® PROCESS GUIDANCE MODULES Examples of general modules

Tracking module This module displays the current status of the plant. Which product is being produced, in which quality and under which conditions?

Reporting module This module captures all data necessary to pro-duce detailed reports. As well as the acquisition of data, the editing of data is another key fea-ture of this module. Data editing is aligned to the system visualization. Additionally, prepared PDF files are provided for data editing purposes.

Example Casting Machine In this case, the Main Module tracks the material flow and transformation (molten metal, strand, slab) and guides the operator along the entire cast-ing process (from the preparation (set-up) of the machine down to the end of the sequence (dis-charging). In doing so, it generates a twin of the product-related tracking data in the data cloud.

SPECIALTY: PROCESS SLIDERThe Process Slider is the plant operator’s central HMI unit. This unique operating screen provides intelligent, process-oriented and situation-specific operator guidance. The process is chronologically displayed from left to right. When the system is in a process phase, the sequence of steps within this phase is worked off one after the other from the top to the bottom. This guidance ensures that the operator receives only information needed for a particular process step. Besides the main sequence path, the operator is also provided with a full list of out-of-the-normal scenarios commonly associated with each individual process step.

5302|2018 SMS group newsletter52

Production processes in the steel industry have been and are becoming increasingly challenging, the reasons being the growing flexibility in pro-duction, the ever smaller batch sizes that are possible as a result of this flexibility and the in-creasingly wider production mixes. Besides these factors, the continuing further develop-ment of automation technology is an indispensi-ble requirement to stay competitive and to sup-port the staff in production with the latest available automation solutions.

Along with the increasing degree of automa-tion in the works, it is becoming more and more important to have systems capable of providing support in case of out-of-the-normal scenarios. Such support has to be designed in a way that every operator, no matter how experienced he may be, will be able to handle such extraordinary

situations, even if they occur extremely seldom. The new plant automation concept X-Pact® Process Guidance has been designed to cope with this kind of challenges. The previous separa-tion between level 2 and level 1 has been com-bined into a process guidance oriented approach. Thanks to the modular structure, classic modules, such as reporting, tracking or material handling, and metallurgical models can be easily integrated. The Realtime Private Data Cloud, which supports all common Industrie 4.0 communication stan-dards such as OPC UA and MQTT, makes it possi-ble to connect new sensors in virtually no time or conveniently transfer data between authorized systems, such as energy management, plant con-dition monitoring, etc.

As well as the modularity of the system and the Realtime Private Data Cloud, X-Pact® Process

52

Guidance comes with a wide range of virtualiza-tion features. Virtualization supports the cre-ation of redundancies to increase plant availabil-ity and provides independence from the system hardware.

VISUALIZATION

Operation and visualization are based on the X-Pact® Vision concept, which always places the operator in the focus of interaction. Specific dia-logs have been developed for specific categories of users, for example line operators, metallur-gists, maintenance personnel, production man-agers, etc., while focusing on their individual con-

Paul-Christian Hopp [email protected]

text of activities. X-Pact® Vision also provides a multitude of tools, such as Breadcrumbs, Wizards or context-sensitive help tools.

A PROVEN CONCEPT

X-Pact® Process Guidance has already been im-plemented in various metallurgy projects. Elec-tric and BOF steelmaking shops as well as reduc-tion plants have been equipped according to this concept. ◆

SMS group newsletter 02|2018


Many plants have been successfully com-missioned with the X-Pact® Drive module, a new module added to the range of X-Pact® products. The modularity of the concept has proved very successful during the com-missioning activities.

Also during running operation, the sys-tem has performed excellently, last but not least due to its robust design. More than 99.5 percent availability of the drives over a period of more than a year speaks for itself. A milestone achievement was the commis-sioning of the synchronous motor for the

The coiler of the CSP® plant at Big River Steel in the U.S.A.Power inverter module for the coiler.

achieve correspondingly higher power ratings. Currently, the same solution is being implemented at MMPZ-group (Miorskij Metalloprokatnyi Zavod). In this case, it is for 2,500 kW coiler drives with 150 percent overload. Unlike a synchro-nous motor, an asynchronous motor has to be fed with ap-parent current. Accordingly, a higher-dimensioned frequency converter is required.

QUICK SPARE PARTS SERVICE AND EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER TRAINING

Customers highly appreciate the spare parts service and the operator training provided by SMS group. Courses on mainte-nance and repair take place under hands-on conditions in SMS group’s modern test and training center in Hilchenbach. Here frequency converters can be flexibly coupled with differ-ent motors. In the same facilities, also tests of more complex and drive-related control systems are performed. By linking the frequency converters with a central control system, it is guaranteed that each drive can be separately controlled. ◆

ADVANTAGES OF X-PACT® DRIVE AT A GLANCE:

High power density of 5 MW per converter system

Cost-efficient solution through standardized cabinet design

Short commissioning time, resulting in a faster ramp-up

One common application software for all plant types

Easy maintenance due to cartridge system

Optimized spare parts inventory

AC and DC bus systems

Synchronous motor and asynchronous motor applications

UL or CE certified

REFERENCES IN FIGURES:

59 line-ups (total length of the control cabinets: approx. 1,300 meters)

1,418 drive units

3,019 motors

installed motor power rating from 1 to 2,500 kW

Volker Paersch [email protected]

coiler mandrel drive of the CSP® plant at the customer Big River Steel in the U.S.A. With a power rating of 1,000 kW and 200 percent overload, this unit is one of the higher-ca-pacity motors in the low-voltage range.

For coilers that handle thin-gage strip, it is very important to use synchronous mo-tors because they have much lower inertia than asynchronous motors. This avoids necking of the strip head at the start of wind-ing. For a synchronous motor, the frequency converter only needs to feed the pure active current. Thus, the frequency converter can


WORLDWIDE

The modular drive solution X-Pact® Drive for low-voltage frequency converters has been integrated in the automation systems of numerous plants.

SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTION WITH X-PACT® DRIVE

X-Pact® Drive solution for the pickling line/tandem cold mill at the customer Big River Steel in the U.S.A.

RUBRIK

SMS group is continuously developing a multitude of solutions to substantially improve the competitiveness of plants at mod-erate investment costs. These technologies, components, automation solutions or services are classified as Performance Modules. Each individual module helps customers improve the performance of their plants in one or several dimensions and hence achieve a competitive edge in a tough market environment. This means the modules will not only increase plant pro-ductivity and product quality, but also reduce operating costs and permit new, high-margin products to be introduced. Every production line experiences minimal anomalies that are caused by the ingoing material, minute damage to the rolls or roller guides, or incorrect pass settings among other things. All this has an influence on the product quality and productivity. Produc-ers are facing two challenges: firstly, the defects on the hot surface need to be detected and located; secondly, the cause of the defects needs to be identified and eliminated. Whether it’s tube, rail, bar, wire rod, beam, channel or other sections: SMS group offers the right measuring system for all rolled metal products. ◆

E

EfficiencyProduction

P4.0

Industrie 4.0Quality

Q

PERFORMANCE MODULESImproving competitiveness with

affordable investments.

WORLDWIDE


PERFORMANCE MODULES

Section mills

Quality- Reduction of out-

of-tolerance rolling- Stable measurement

result

Productivity- Increase of available

rolling time up to 2 %- Time and cost

benefits through optimization of production

Performance Checkbox

QP

MEERGAUGE® PRECISE MEASUREMENT OF TUBES, BARS AND WIRE ROD Challenges

Demand for higher dimensional accura-cy of the rolling stock and continuous monitoring of the rolling process

Solution Online measuring system based on laser light cut technology

Synchronous, contact-free measure-ments over the entire cross-section by four sensors

Measuring equipment in the immediate vicinity of the roll stands

Technical advantages Transfer of measured values to roll stand control system (closed-loop control) High density of measured data: up to 20 million measured points per second

Seamless tube plants, bar and wire rod mills

Quality- Short exposure time

and absolute syn-chronicity of the measuring heads

- Corrective roll adjust-ment during running production

Productivity- Increasing available

rolling time up to 2 %- Time and cost

benefits through optimization of production


QP

SURFTEC DIAMETER MEASURING SYSTEM FOR SURFACE DEFECT DETECTION Challenges Detecting surface defects on the basis

of cross-section measurements

Solution Measurement with higher data rate

(up to 5,000 cross sections/second) Reconstruction of entire product

surface

Technical advantages Classification of the defect enables

an immediate intervention by the operating personnel

Seamless tube plants, bar and wire rod mills

Productivity- Online surface

detection with reduc-ing of “bad” products

- Reduction of after- treatment costs

Quality- Overfills & seams

can be recognized immediately at the hot bar with exact location and size of the defect


QP4.0

CALIVIEW®

INLINE MEASURING AND POSITIONING OF CALIBERS Challenges

Incorrect pass alignments and misalignment of stands

Solution Precise contact-free inline measurement and alignment of rolls and passes in mills

Flexible solution for PQF® / MPM mills, stretch reducing mills, sizing mills, piercer and the toolshop

Technical advantages Visibility of the alignment of the rolls

to the passline Direct feedback via the mobile Control

Device for the adjustment of the rolls during the measurement

Wear of the rolls can be shown

Seamless tube plants

Quality- Perfect alignment

of the mill- Exact roll wear

measurement- Optimized mainte-

nance and production- Consistent tube

quality


Q

PROGAUGE

IN-LINE MEASUREMENT OF SECTIONS AND RAILS Challenges

Real cross-section measurement for in-line control of the finishing section

Solution The gage consists of 4-8 “laser section” sensors capable of performing up to 5,000 scans per second. A true-shape cross-section is generated by up to 4,000 synchronous measured points.

Technical advantages Static system, no oscillation Synchronic scanning Recording of total cross-section Shared coordinate system High measuring speed Measurement of various contours


NEWS


Officials from SMS group in North America and Arkansas Northeastern College administrators met to finalize and sign an agreement creating the Arkansas Steelmaking Academy which will begin of-ferings in 2019. Doug Dunworth, President and CEO of SMS group’s North American operations, met with Arkansas Northeastern College president Dr. James Shemwell to finalize an agreement creat-ing the Arkansas Steelmaking Academy (ASA). The

partnership announcement was made during a visit to ANC by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.

With the opening of Big River Steel, northeast-ern Arkansas has one of the highest regional con-centrations of steelmaking in the United States. SMS group, in 2017, opened a new local workshop in Osceola, Arkansas. This new facility allows the local customers, in many cases, to save on trans-portation costs as SMS brings maintenance ser-

Karsten Weiss [email protected]

From left to right: Dr. James Shemwell,

President of Arkansas Northeast-

ern College; Asa Hutchinson, Governor of

Arkansas, and Doug Dunworth, President and CEO, SMS group

North America.

vices utilized by these customers closer to them. The Osceola workshop is housed in what was a vacated but fairly new 5,000-square-meter indus-trial building. SMS group prides itself on being a leading partner in the world of metals not only in North America but throughout the world. SMS’s largest market is the steelmaking and processing industry. The company provides world-class new equipment and actively supports operators by de-vising solutions throughout the process from melting and casting to rolling and finishing. With SMS servicing clients such as Nucor Steel, Big River Steel, Tenaris, and TMK-IPSCO locally as well as many other manufacturers across the country, it made sense for the company to consider a pro-posal by ANC to offer North American-based train-ing centrally located in Arkansas.

SMS TECADEMY BRANCH FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN MARKET

“Before now, the state-of-the-art steel technology training offered through the SMS TECademy has only been available in Germany,” said Shemwell. “By partnering with SMS group, the Arkansas Northeastern College can become a satellite train-ing hub for North America as a cost-effective way to gain knowledge of cutting-edge techniques in steel making and processing.”

The agreement between ANC and SMS group will allow companies to save the costs of overseas travel by providing a local option for the renowned TECademy training. Dunworth echoes these senti-

TRAINING CENTER FOR STEEL TECHNOLOGY

U.S.A.

Arkansas Northeastern College (ANC) and SMS group sign agreement creating the Arkansas Steelmaking Academy (ASA).

ments “We are both pleased and excited about this partnership between ANC and SMS group. Not only will this help our customer base in North America, but the ASA can be a launching point in training the future generations of steelworkers with knowledge in the latest technology in steel-making and processing.”

The Arkansas Steelmaking Academy will be housed in the College’s 8,500 square meter Center for Allied Technology currently under construction. By utilizing the new facility, the ASA will be located in a world-class complex featuring technologi-cally-equipped seminar classrooms and hands-on training laboratories for steel technology.

The Center for Allied Technology is slated to open in August with ASA offerings anticipated to begin in 2019. Arkansas Northeastern College is currently one of very few colleges in the U.S.A. of-fering Steel Industry Technology programs and the only one in the state of Arkansas. Shemwell noted, “We were proud to have Governor Hutchin-son, a champion for economic development in Arkansas, present for today’s unveiling of ASA. The agreement with our SMS colleagues an-nounced today will advance ANC’s capacity as providers of steel technology training to the next level, a global level.” ◆

8,500square meters will be the footprint of the Center for Allied Techology of Arkansas Northeastern College. The new facility will also house the Arkansas Steelmaking Academy’s seminar classrooms.


INDIA

RUSSIA

Design and engineering for this completely new ironmaking unit have been executed by Paul Wurth. Orders for the equip-ment supply were placed mainly in 2014. The furnace is de-signed for a daily hot metal production of 4,450 tons. With a hearth diameter of 9.6 meters, it has an inner volume of 2,015 cubic meters and is fitted with two tapholes and 25 tuyeres.

Since this blast furnace is completely of Paul Wurth design, it has a closed loop water cooling system with staves (both copper and cast iron) over the entire height of the BF shell. It is furthermore equipped with a Central Feed type Bell Less Top®

charging system, a modern gas cleaning plant with axial cy-clone and annular gap scrubber, the company’s tuyere stocks and TMT’s tapping machinery. Important sub-plants of Paul Wurth design are the INBA® slag granulation and the pulver-ized coal injection.

Big attention has been given to proper process control. This is supported by a number of TMT’s probes and an exten-

UC RUSAL announced the signing of a cooperation agree-ment with German company SMS group. The cooperation en-visages collaborative establishment of a manufacturing facility for innovative equipment to produce wire rods, based upon the unique technology of combined casting, rolling and extru-sion processes developed by RUSAL. The created technology is RUSAL’s know-how, it provides an absolutely new approach to wire rod production and enables to produce high-quality products of special grades. According to the agreement, a joint enhancement of the production line installed at IrkAZ, Irkutsk, is planned for subsequent commercial sales of the equipment worldwide on the base of SMS group capacities.

“Partnership with one of the largest industrial companies in Europe is an important step for the development of the engineering and technological potential of both UC RUSAL

No.2 blast furnace of Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd. at Rengali, Odisha, commenced operations in November 2017.

The agreement covers the establishment of a manufacturing facility for innovative equipment to produce wire rod.

PRODUCTION START AT BPSL

COOPERATION WITH RUSAL

sive package of BFXpert® models and modules including the SACHEM® advisory system.

The construction of the blast furnace and its auxiliaries was carried out by BPSL. The above mentioned technologies and systems and some other critical items like carbon blocks for the hearth have been delivered by the Paul Wurth group. Our teams also provided continuous supervision services to en-sure the quality of work in accordance with standards speci-fied by Paul Wurth.

After the furnace has been successfully built, tested and blown in, Bhushan Power & Steel and Paul Wurth are now jointly working on a fast and smooth production ramp-up. ◆

and Russian intellectual development in general. I am sure that cooperation with SMS group will become a powerful in-centive for the popularization of Russian technologies abroad,” commented RUSAL’s Technical Director Victor Mann.

“Intellectual leadership has long been a guarantee of com-petitiveness and business efficiency, so today’s event is aimed at strengthening the company’s position in the global market. Developing its own technologies, SMS group is always focused on providing its customers with the most unique develop-ments, including in cooperation with our partners,” said Pat-rick Schneider, Head of Sales, SMS group. ◆

Contact www.paulwurth.com

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION The project involved services and supply executed by Paul Wurth teams coming from the company’s subsidiaries in India, Luxembourg, Italy, Germany, China, Russia and the Czech Republic.

Gas cleaning plant, furnace top structure and hot blast stoves, BF 2, BPSL.

Patrick Schneider [email protected]

Dmitry N. Makarov, Director General at RUSAL ETC LLC, on the right side, and Patrick Schneider, SMS group, after signing the agreement.

IRONMAKING PLANTSNEWS

IRONMAKING PLANTS

In December 2017, Shandong Steel Group Rizhao blew in their first Blast Furnace at a new production site which shall help to phase out older ironmaking facilities in the group. Just a few time later, the first hot metal has been tapped from the fur-nace for which Paul Wurth supplied top charging and slag granulation technology.

The current phase of construction consists of two Blast Fur-naces with 5,100 cubic meters inner volume each. They become some of the largest BFs to be equipped with an original Central Feed type Bell Less Top® charging system. Furthermore, at each furnace, Paul Wurth’s INBA® cold water systems with 2 dewater-ing drums will ensure reliable slag sand production.

The commissioning of BF2 is foreseen for summer this year. Paul Wurth also designed the coke batteries for this plant pro-ject and delivers the SOPRECO® single oven pressure control valves and SUPRACOK™ L2 automation packages. ◆

Contact www.paulwurth.com

INBA® dewatering drum placed close to the casthouse.

METALLURGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY


CHINA

Shandong Steel Rizhao commissions first Blast Furnace and applies Paul Wurth systems.

TOP TECHNOLOGY FIRST

PMB Silicon Sdn. Bhd., based in Sarawak, Malaysia, has awarded SMS group the contract to supply two submerged arc furnaces for the production of silicon. The planned pro-duction capacity is 32,000 tons of silicon per year. Commis-sioning is scheduled for autumn 2018.

SMS group‘s scope of supply includes the basic and de-tail engineering as well as the equipment for the 24-MW submerged arc furnaces, which essentially comprises two furnace-rotating gear units, the furnace vessels, gas hoods, the installation of a power supply and mains voltage com-pensation system, and the supervision of the erection and commissioning.

MALAYSIA

PMB Silicon commissions SMS group to supply two submerged arc furnaces for the production of silicon.

SILICON PRODUCTION

A special feature is the rotating furnace vessels, which pre-vent carbide precipitation in the furnace mix. With this plant PMB Silicon is securing its in-house silicon production. Silicon produced in this way is used as a main alloying element for the production of aluminum alloys in Press Metal Berhard machinery. ◆

Martin Köneke [email protected]

Poh Ming Koon, CEO of PMB Technology Berhad (center, standing), his team, and the SMS group team get together for the kick-off meeting.

METALLURGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY METALLURGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

GREECE

In December 2017 a delegation from the Iron and Steel Insti-tute of Japan visited the SHARC electric arc furnace plant (Shaft Arc - electric arc furnace with scrap preheating in the shaft) at Hellenic Halyvourgia (HLV) in Volos, Greece. The delegation comprised 19 representatives of eight Japanese electric steel producers. It was headed by Shigehiro Oi, Director, Member of the Board, Managing Executive Officer of Sanyo Special Steel. The delegation was welcomed by Andreas Metzen , Technical Director of Hellenic Halyvourgia. He and his team of engineers showed the delegation around the electric steel plant. The delegation was organized with the aim of exchanging ideas and information on the cost-effective production of steel, with special emphasis on steel production with low-grade scrap in the SHARC electric arc furnace.

HOMOGENEOUS HEAT DISTRIBUTION IN THE FURNANCE SHELL

The SHARC at HLV is a 54-MW direct-current electric arc fur-nace with a tapping weight of 100 tons. It features two symmet-rically arranged preheating shafts for drying and preheating the scrap. Other available scrap prehe ating systems are asym-metrical and have just one shaft. The design of the SHARC, however, generates a fully symmetrical distribution of heat, meaning that also in the furnace shell the heat distribution is homogeneous, producing minimum thermal load.

Especially the SHARC’s unique two-shaft design, which dou-bles the available volume, allows the use of inexpensive, low-density scrap. The shafts with the built-in post-combustion systems make the furnace not only highly productive and effi-cient, but also easy on the environment. With a potential charge of up to 65 percent of hot briquetted iron (HBI) in the shafts, the SHARC can also be used for the production of high-quality long and flat products.

The delegation observed several heats using the SHARC pro-cess with low-density scrap of 0.25 tons per cubic meter. The SHARC features the most economic and efficient scrap preheat-ing technology of all electric arc furnace types. It is the only elec-

Cost-effective steel production with low-grade scrap.

JAPANESE STEEL DELEGATION VISITS SHARC PLANT

tric arc furnace in the world operating with two shafts. Thus it can be charged with the least expensive scrap available in Greece, currently at a purchase price of USD 15 per ton. The price advan-tage varies depending on where in the world the scrap is pur-chased. In Turkey, for example, the same scrap grade costs around USD 30, in certain regions of China up to USD 50 per ton.

Over the past ten years, in Greece the market volume for long products has decreased from 2.2 million tons to 350,000 tons annually. Nevertheless, Hellenic Halyvourgia has been able to maintain its profitability thanks to liquid steel produc-tion in the SHARC furnace. The SHARC achieves maximum en-ergy savings compared to conventional electric arc furnaces - without any coal in the charge. With less than 280 kilowatt hours and an electrode consumption rate of 0.57 kilograms per ton of liquid steel, the SHARC process is a very cost-effec-tive steelmaking route. Not only that, due to the symmetrical design of the SHARC, the coal rate for foaming slag is only nine kilograms per ton. Interested customers may coordinate a tour of Hellenic Halyvourgia with SMS group. ◆

Delegation from the Iron and Steel Institute of Japan in front of the SHARC electric arc furnace at the Hellenic Halyvourgia plant.

Jan Bader [email protected]


The new HD spray technology from SMS group was implemented and successful-ly commissioned in the two-strand slab caster at ArcelorMittal Bremen in No-vember and December 2017. SMS group retrofitted the two strands of the vertical bending caster one after the other and put them back into operation within one month of one another. The goal of the retrofit was to improve secondary cool-ing and slab quality.

Kai Küstner, Project Manager for the caster retrofit at ArcelorMittal Bremen: “We are very satisfied with the HD spray technology. The SMS group team was very committed and supported our trusting cooperation. This enabled smooth commissioning.” The HD spray system developed by SMS group is a scalable water distribution and control system which – compared to conventional solutions – requires far less space and pipework. The SMS group concept of control circuits across the width of the slab that can be individually activated

GERMANY

SMS group successfully designs and installs the world’s first High Definition spray system at ArcelorMittal Bremen.

SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF WORLD’S FIRST HD SPRAY SYSTEM

and deactivated is already being suc-cessfully applied in a wide variety of sys-tems.

Pneumatically operated pressure control valves and the related automa-tion system form the centerpiece of the HD spray system. The secondary cooling water is distributed and controlled only just before the cooling nozzles. This makes negative influences such as long control lines or pressure losses a thing of the past. What‘s more, the use of HD spray in combination with an air-water cooling system reduces process air con-

sumption by 30 percent. SMS group’s scope of supply com-prised the entire basic and detail engineering, delivery and erection of the HD spray system and the new segment piping, as well as supervision of the commissioning. ◆

The continuous caster at ArcelorMittal Bremen has been equipped with the new HD spray technology.

The team of ArcelorMittal Bremen celebrated the successful retrofit together with SMS group.

Dirk Austermann [email protected]

METALLURGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGYELEKTRIK UND AUTOMATION

CHRONOLOGY OF THE CONTINUOUS CASTERS

S02004116150 x 150 180 x 1804.00 2.50yesyesyesyesAir-mist cooling, 5 zones

Commissioning:Casting radius:Number of strands:Formats [mm]:

Casting speed [m/min]:

Hydraulic oscillation:Mold electromagnetic stirrer:Strand electromagnetic stirrer:Metallurgical soft reduction:Spray cooling:

S3200910.55240 x 240 265 x 3401.25 0.90yesyesyesyesAir-mist cooling, 4 zones

S1201910.55180 x 180

2.50

yesyesyesyesAir-mist cooling, 5 zones

6702|2018 SMS group newsletterSMS group newsletter 02|201866

• The soft reduction technology entails gentle forming of the strand shell in the final solidification stage, when the cast strand has reached a solidification ratio of approximately 0.3.

• The resulting mixing effect has a positive influence on the segregation behavior and reduces the microporosity of the cast products.

• Saarstahl AG has used solidification models developed by SMS group ever since caster S0 was brought on stream.

Saarstahl AG, a world leading producer of wire rod, bar steel, semi-finished products and forgings in a wide range of de-manding grades, has chosen Zurich/Switzerland-based SMS Concast as suppliers for its new continuous casting plant S1. This is the third continuous caster order in a row Saarstahl has placed with SMS group, after the casters S0 and S3.

Saarstahl holds a very prominent position among long product manufacturers. The company has been consistently pursuing a clear-cut quality improvement strategy. At Völk-lingen in Germany, Saarstahl produces 2.7 million tons of semi-finished products and 2.5 million of long products of sophisticated grades, including ball bearing, spring and quench/tempered steels as well as cold-upsetting grades. The company is world leading especially in the field of con-tinuous casting technology.

SOFT REDUCTION TECHNOLOGY

As early as in 2002, SMS group had supplied continuous cast-er S0 to Saarstahl. That plant was the first billet caster in the world to consistently apply the technology of soft reduction. This entails gentle forming of the strand shell in the final so-

lidification stage, when the cast strand has reached a solidifi-cation ratio of approximately 0.3. This forming effect has a positive influence on the segregation behavior of the cast steel, as it presses the liquid steel in the final solidification zone up against the casting direction, causing a mixing effect between the segregated steel of the sump and the less seg-regated liquid steel. Additionally, a harder reduction in the fi-nal solidification stage reduces the microporosity in the cast product. The success of soft reduction depends on how pre-cisely the process controlled and tracked because the soft reduction modules can only work properly if correctly adjust-ed relative to the solidification point. Therefore it is crucial to know the exact position of the solidification point. For this, Saarstahl has used a solidification model developed by SMS group ever since caster S0 was brought on stream.

PLANT TECHNOLOGY OF CASTERS S0 AND S3

Caster S0 is designed to cast 150 x 150 millimeter and 180 x 180 millimeter billets in six strands, all of which feature soft and hard reduction modules. The roller pairs (top and bot-tom rollers) are combined in double modules of two pairs

MUCH SOUGHT-AFTER CONTINUOUS CASTING

TECHNOLOGY

GERMANY

Saarstahl AG commissions SMS Concast for supply of new continuous caster S1.

METALLURGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGYMETALLURGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY


each. With the modules, each upper roller can be adjusted separately. The double module design provides the advan-tage that the distance between the rollers can be kept very small. This makes is possible to adjust the soft reduction pa-rameters with utmost precision. After caster S0 was success-fully commissioned in 2004 and after introducing the soft reduction technology in billet casting, Saarstahl started to use soft reduction also in bloom casting.

In 2007, SMS Concast received the order for the con-struction of a new casting plant S3 in place of an existing one which was no longer needed. The number of strands was re-duced from six to five because of the greater section sizes and for better accessibility. The new caster is designed to cast 240 x 240 millimeter and 265 x 340 millimeter blooms.

All strands are fitted with high-performance soft reduc-tion modules. The greater section sizes require higher forces. Therefore the roller pairs are arranged in single modules.

PLANT TECHNOLOGY OF CASTER S1

In 2017, Saarstahl ordered a third continuous casting plant, named S1, from SMS Concast, continuing the excellent co-operation that has existed between Saarstahl AG and SMS group for 15 years. The new caster will be designed to pro-duce 180 x 180 millimeter billets in length between 6 and 13.5 meters. The annual production capacity will be 850,000 tons. Commissioning is planned to take place in the third quarter of 2019. It will also be erected in place of an existing older one and feature state-of-the-art technology.

The plant concept will take into account the experience from the operation of the casters S0 and S3, resulting in a combination of existing operating know-how and further

Dr. Stephan Feldhaus [email protected]

developed technology. The new caster will have the same number of strands as S3. The machine head will come with the same proven design as caster S0: Convex molds with a high-precision, spring-guided hydraulically actuated oscilla-tion system.

The soft reduction modules will integrate the positive fea-tures of previous designs. Particular emphasis will be placed on keeping the distance between the rollers small while achieving very high rigidity of the modules. This will be achieved by arranging the rollers within reinforced double modules. Like the casters S0 and S3, also caster S1 will be equipped with mold and strand stirrers. The automation and communication systems for the new caster will be consist-ently in line with Industrie 4.0 standards.

SMS group will also provide the complete discharge equip-ment, including the turn-over cooling bed, for the project. The cooling bed will be designed to ensure that at the end of the bed the billets will have reached a temperature suitable for safe railway transport. The local space conditions called for the joint development of a suitable construction concept, includ-ing a solution to bridge caster S0. ◆

Continuous caster S3 in operation.

Continuous casting plant S3, bow segment.

6902|2018 SMS group newsletter

FLAT ROLLING MILLS FLAT ROLLING MILLS

HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCTION

WORLDWIDE

The use of CVC®plus bending and shifting systems in finishing stands of hot flat rolling mills.

Manufacture of a CVC® system in the SMS group workshop.

Short-stroke CVC® system with integrated backup roll balancing system and a shifting stroke of ±150 millimeters.

7102|2018 SMS group newsletter70

• The CVC® system of SMS group combines a simple and effi-cient operating principle with robust and reliable mechanical equipment.

• Over the years, manifold requirements paired with results from practical experience have led to constant advancement and increased lifetime.

The market for hot rolled strip is characterized by constantly growing demands on quality and a continuously rising share of newly developed, higher-strength steel grades. Coupled to the condition of having to produce flexibly and cost-effective-ly, this leads to ever higher requirements on equipment and process technologies. Ensuring high plant availability and high stability of the rolling process are the prerequisites for economical production, in particular when high-strength, thin hot strip is concerned. The technology concept of SMS group, comprising various interlinked modules, offers a broad basis to satisfy all these requirements.

CVC®PLUS

One example of such a technology module combining me-chanical actuators, control systems and process models, is the Profile, Contour and Flatness Control model PCFC®, with the patented CVC®plus work roll bending and shifting system being its most effective profile actuator.

In 1980 already, the basic principle of CVC® (Continuously Variable Crown) was invented to perfectly supplement the established work roll bending system. It allowed work rolls with a special contour to be axially shifted and the resulting roll crown and hence the roll gap profile to be continuously influenced. Parallel to the first use in practise, a pertaining technological process model (PFC) was developed on the ba-sis of physical-mathematical approaches. This process mod-el calculates, among others, the set values for the CVC® shifting and work roll bending systems.

The main mechanical components of this actuator are the CVC® bending and shifting blocks integrated in the finish-ing stands of hot flat rolling mills, CSP® plants and Steckel mills. In addition to other products, such as hydraulic adjust-ing system, gear units, gear-type spindles, loopers and coiler mandrels, CVC® blocks belong to the core products SMS group manufactures in its own workshops. Following the invention of the CVC® basic principle in the 1980’s, SMS group equipped its own workshop with all mechanical ma-chine tools required for that purpose.

Long-stroke and short-stroke CVC® systems.

Block operating side entry section

Long-stroke shifting block Short-stroke shifting block

Bending cylinder

Locking device

SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT

Within the next few years, the CVC® system was integrated in a large number of various types of hot rolling mills due to its simple and efficient operating principle combined with ro-bust and reliable mechanical equipment. As to the mechani-cal systems, distinction is made between the so-called long-stroke system with movable bending blocks and the short-stroke systems with stationary bending blocks. The type of system to be used depends on the required shifting stroke. Oval-shape pressure hulls allowed the cylindrical


OVERVIEW OF CVC® SYSTEMS DEPENDING ON THE SHIFTING STROKE.

Shifting stroke:±100 – 150 mm±150 – 250 mm

CVC® system:Short-stroke systemLong-stroke system

NUMBER OF CYLINDERS IN REFERENCE TO THE DIFFERENT CVC® SYSTEMS.

Type of cylinder:

Bending cylinders:Locking cylinders:

Number of cylinders in short-stroke system:

44

Number of cylinders in long-stroke system:

88

100plants worldwide have been equipped with the CVC® system by SMS group since 1984.

RUSSIA

Reconstruction of the finishing train to expand product mix, improve product quality, and reduce operating and maintenance costs.

COMPREHENSIVE REVAMP OF HOT STRIP MILL

Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK), Russia, has commis-sioned SMS group to revamp hot strip mill 2500 at its plant in Magnitogorsk. In particular, the order includes the extensive modernization of the finishing train equipment and the in-stallation of a new automation system.

Pavel Shilyaev, CEO of MMK PAO, summarizes the goals of the project: “The revamp of our hot strip mill 2500 is part of our strategy for 2025. We will gain a number of advantages from this modernization: We will expand our product portfolio, we will be able to reduce our production costs, and our rolling mill capacity will be increased by 500,000 tons.”

CUSTOMIZED REVAMP CONCEPT

The customized revamp concept, on which MMK and SMS group worked closely, represents a further milestone in the mutual trust and cooperation between the two companies. The revamp strategy proposes to complete the revamp in four shutdown periods by mid-2020.

Hot strip mill 2500 was built in the 1960s and supplied by a Soviet manufacturer. As part of the modernization, the finishing stands will be fitted with new hydraulic adjustment systems and work roll bending systems. These powerful ad-justment actuators will enable MMK to produce strip within close geometrical tolerances. In addition, SMS group is to

renew the drive technology in the finishing train and will supply six main drives, including converters, two new spur gear and six pinion gear units, as well as new drive spindles. SMS group will also install new work and backup roll chang-ing equipment and a new high-pressure hydraulic system for the finishing stands.

The plant automation system is also to be thoroughly updated by SMS group. This includes the Level 1 systems, process models such as the Pass Schedule Calculation (PSC) for the roughing and finishing stands, Profile and Flatness Control (PCFC®), Cooling Section Control (CSC), a pacing sys-tem for the entire hot strip mill, the X-Pact® Vision operating and visualization system, and an extensive range of measur-ing equipment and technology. SMS group will perform a Plug & Work test on the automation system before the re-vamp. At the same time, the automation system is to be in-stalled in a test center, then tested and pre-optimized un-der realistic conditions. ◆

The project teams after signing the contract (left to right): Konstantin Valuev (SMS group Liaison Office Director Magnitogorsk), Sergey German (Equipment and Services Purchasing MMK), Wolfgang Fuchs (Head of Hot Rolling Mills SMS group), Ralf Mackenbach (Electrical and Automation Systems SMS group), Marina Keller (Commercial Sales SMS group), Sergey Nenashev (Member of the Managing Board MMK) and Igor Gubanov (SMS group Moscow Liaison Office Director).

MODERNIZATION


Ralf Setzer [email protected]

Ralf Mackenbach [email protected]

bending cylinders so far employed for a shifting stroke of ±100 millimeters in the short-stroke system to be used for an adjustment range of ±150 millimeters, too. The new design, however, required the advancement of the manufacturing processes to make sure the new pressure hull contour was provided with the necessary high surface quality and surface properties. So, new manufacturing methods and processes, including pertaining machines and special tools, were imple-mented to meet these requirements.

In addition to their different structures, the two CVC® sys-tems come with different numbers of cylinders. Manifold re-quirements in numerous implementations paired with re-sults from practical experience have led to constant advancement and increased service life. Furthermore, the short-stroke system offers the advantage of integrating the backup roll balancing unit in the fixed block.

ESTABLISHED IN THE MARKET

Its robust design, the low number of individual parts and less tolerance-related components impacting the window clear-

ance made the short-stroke CVC® system successful on the market. Several plant operators conduct a first inspection about five years after system installation.

All process stages like design and accompanying mea-sures such as FEM analyses, manufacturing and installation work as well as quality control were planned in-house, ad-vanced and optimized to reach product maturity. Also includ-ed are, after-assembly in the workshop, all function tests on test facilities specially developed and built for that purpose.

CUSTOMERS SEE BENEFITS

This led to an extremely reliable product ensuring high plant availability on the one hand and hot rolled strip of extraordi-nary product quality and close tolerances on the other. And that is the reason why, over the last few years, SMS group has received a constantly rising number of inquiries and orders by customers who want to replace their work roll bending and shifting systems supplied by other suppliers with new short-stroke CVC® systems including the PCFC® Profile, Con-tour and Flatness Control model.

FAST IMPLEMENTATION BY LOCAL PROXIMITY

To enable the experts of SMS group to quickly implement the customer-ordered modernizations and to ensure short deliv-ery times, all trades and processes involved in the product already start to coordinate and cooperate in the sales phase. Apart from this organizational measures, it is the local pres-ence and the cooperation of sales, order handling, develop-ment, design, production and service departments at all of SMS group’s locations that support the successful product management of one of the most important actuators in the finishing stands of hot flat rolling mills. ◆


A key success factor of the good cooperation with SSAB is continuously implemented concept engineering. This was applied also to SSAB’s gear units when preparing them for future required performance. During the last downtime in November 2017, SMS group replaced main gear unit F1 and mill pinion gear unit F3, including pertaining couplings and intermediate shafts. The results of the previously conducted concept engineering were implemented at the plant in par-allel. SMS group completely revamped the first three mill stands and partly equipped them with new components. Thanks to perfect preparation and close cooperation with the customer, it was possible to substantially shorten the given downtimes.

100-TON REDUCTION GEAR UNIT

All components were manufactured in the Hilchenbach workshop of SMS group in compliance with extremely high quality standards. The over 100-ton reduction gear unit is one of the heaviest, single-stage reduction gear units ever made by SMS group. This gear unit had to be designed to exactly fit in the former place. Unfortunately, local condi-

FINLAND

Over the past few years, SMS group, together with its customer SSAB in Raahe, Finland, has made strong efforts in the fields of improving quality, increasing

production and minimizing costs.

FAST MODERNIZATION OF A GEAR UNIT

tions did not permit the gear unit to be installed the usual way by means of bay crane. Despite the additional effort for transportation, positioning and alignment, it was possible to manage installation ahead of schedule.

MILL PINION GEAR UNIT IN ADVANCED GEAR DESIGN

The mill pinion gear unit in advanced gear design is a cutting-edge mill pinion gear unit able to transmit substan-tially higher torques at the same overall size. Using the same space and existing anchor bolts, this gear unit offers the customer a longer lifetime and more safety for the new drive elements. ◆

The gear unit was transported by truck and ship.

Optimized manufacture in the SMS group workshop.

Karl-Friedrich Müller [email protected]

CONCEPT ENGINEERINGConcept engineering has proven an efficient tool in developing the best-possible technical and cost-ef-fective solution for the customers of SMS group on the basis of a systemat-ical holistic plant analysis. The examination includes equipment, production process as well as maintenance.

MODERNIZATION


FLAT ROLLING MILLSFLAT ROLLING MILLS

7702|2018 SMS group newsletter76 SMS group newsletter 02|2018 02|2018 SMS group newsletter

READY TO ROLLSLOVENIA

Upgraded cold rolling mill for aluminum strip successfully commissioned at Impol d.o.o., Slovenia.

rolled strip, and provide flexibility in operation for treadplate production.

The ancillary equipment for the coil handling and the utility systems were also part of the up-grade. This included the integration of new coil cars, a pallet conveyor system for coils, including a strapping machine, and media systems for the hy-draulics and pneumatics. For SMS group, a huge challenge with this upgrade was integrating the design plans for new components and units into the existing space, while at the same time assisting Impol to ensure compliance of the upgraded equipment with the latest European machinery safety standards. However, the close cooperation of all parties involved was a significant factor in safeguarding the future viability of the aluminum cold rolling mill at Impol in Slovenia to such an ex-tent that it compares well with a new plant. ◆

On November 25, 2017, Impol d.o.o., Slovenia successfully rolled its first aluminum strip on the upgraded cold rolling mill at its site in Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenia. In summer 2016, Impol Slovenia awarded the contract for the upgrade of their over 40-year-old cold rolling mill to SMS group Technical Services (UK) Ltd..

With this upgrade Impol has invested in the fu-ture viability of the plant and has brought about significant improvements. The range of coil dimen-sions has been extended, including larger coil di-ameters and increased width, with maximum coil mass doubled. Higher strip tensions now allow thicker strip to be rolled. What’s more, the strip quality conditions, particularly the thickness and flatness control, have been improved. To top it off, the strip dryness system was also optimized.

FLEXIBLE PRODUCTION

To attain all this, SMS group adapted the founda-tion and completely replaced the entry and exit equipment. New mandrels complete with out-board bearing supports were provided on the new uncoiler and coiler to ensure larger, heavier coils can be safely handled. New change-speed gear units on the uncoiler, coiler and main drive mean thicker material can now be rolled with a higher torque.

New strip threading equipment was also in-stalled. The uncoiler was equipped with a new strip centering system by EMG Automation GmbH, a company of SMS group, for example, which guides the strip through the mill in a centered po-sition – a prerequisite for a stable, perfectly wound coil and optimum process control. As part of the reconfiguration of the exit end, a new belt wrap-per, configured for over- and under-winding, was integrated to enhance the coiling quality of the

Rüdiger Roger Wiechmann [email protected]

The first alumnum strip was successfully rolled on November 25, 2017.

The project team is delighted about the successful upgrade of the aluminum cold rolling mill, which is ready and able to meet the challenging rolling tasks ahead.

MODERNIZATION


Klaus [email protected]

CHINA

On December 21, 2017, Tianjin Zhongwang Aluminium Co., Ltd. granted FAC of two cold

rolling mills from SMS group.

ACCEPTANCE GRANTED

With fast steps the second construction phase of the alumi-num production complex of Tianjin Zhongwang Aluminium Co., Ltd. was moving towards completion. At the end of 2017, Tianjin Zhongwang took the first cold rolling mills on own au-thority and granted SMS group, the supplier, the so-called fi-nal acceptance certificate (FAC).

Tianjin Zhongwang can now expect the full performance of the two cold rolling mills “CRM 4” and “CRM 5”, correspond-ing to a total annual capacity of 528,000 tons per annum. Both single stands in six-high design with CVC®plus are pro-cessing a large scale of aluminum grades and aluminum al-loys in widths of 1,000 up to 2,150 millimeters. In terms of rollable thickness range they differ from one another. “CRM 4” is capable of rolling strips with maximum incoming thick-ness of 10 millimeters. The minimum attainable final gauge is 0.2 millimeters. The maximum entry thickness of the “CRM 5” with 0.8 millimeters is slightly thinner. It realizes a minimum final thickness of 0.1 millimeters.

Both cold rolling mills are equipped with all available state-of-the-art rolling technologies and the X-Pact® electrical and automation system AluControl® by SMS group, ensuring prime quality, high yield and efficient plant operation. Each of the mills is additionally provided with a Multi Plate® filter for the efficient cleaning of the used rolling oil. ◆

Entry side view to “CRM 4” (in the front) and “CRM 5” (in the background).

FLAT ROLLING MILLS

BANDANLAGEN


STAINLESS STEEL STRIP FOR THE U.S. MARKET

U.S.A.

SMS group has supplied a 20-high cold rolling mill and a stainless steel bright-annealing line to North American Stainless (NAS). The facilities have an annual capacity of 95,000 tons each of cold rolled and bright-annealed steel strip. So, NAS, a subsidiary of the Spanish Acerinox

Group, has the most powerful plants in the U.S.A. producing such material.

20-HIGH COLD ROLLING MILLThe 20-high cold rolling mill is a MonoBlock mill, type MB 22B-54“, and processes hot strip thicknesses of up to 6.2 millimeters. The compact and robust plant comes with high mill stand rigidity. Featuring a maximum rolling speed of 800 meters per minute and a maximum rolling force of 8,000 kilonewtons, it can achieve thickness reductions of up to 90 percent. Auxiliary and ancillary equipment is also included in the scope of supplies. A regenerative SUPAFINE® filter system makes sure the rolling oil is eco- friendly purified and cooled. Ecological plant operation is further supported by a fume exhaust system meeting most stringent environmental provisions of the local authorities. To reduce non-productive times, an uncoiling station, including flattener and crop shear, is integrated in addition to two reversing reels.

The mill stand is equipped with hydraulic roll gap control and crown adjustment for backup shafts B/C and F/G as well as with inner intermediate roll shifting.

The new, stainless steel bright-anneal-ing line of NAS stands out for its high efficiency, flexibility and product quality.

The hydraulic valve stands arranged on the mill stand platform are easily accessible and greatly simplify maintenance work.



BRIGHT-ANNEALING LINEIn the bright-annealing line the strip first runs through the cleaning section. This step is followed by recrystal lization annealing in an oxygen-free inert gas atmosphere with high hydrogen content, in an all-electric vertical furnace from Drever International, a company of SMS group. The annealing process is performed at a temperature of up to 1,250 degrees Celsius in an inert gas atmosphere (up to 90 percent hydrogen) under overpressure to thus generate a perfect glossy surface. The exit section of the facility is equipped with a four-high skin-pass stand and a tension leveler for strip post-treatment. A side trimmer serves for strip edge straightening and cuts the strip to the desired width.

All process parameters in the

furnace are automatically set

for high produc-tion and low

resource consumption by a

mathematical model.

A four-high skin-pass mill stand is integrated in the exit section of the facilities to improve surface and flatness as well as the metallurgical material properties. Strip flatness is then perfected by a downstream tension leveler. Thereafter, both strip edges may be straightened by a side trimmer.

In a two-stage cleaning section, the cold rolled strip is efficiently freed from rolling oil and other dirt particles.

The technological highlight of the bright-annealing line is the all-electric vertical furnace from Drever International. Due to its high efficiency, the energy consumption of about 220 kilowatt hours per ton is 60 percent lower than that of a conventional line concept with muffle furnace.



The bright-annealed strip is characterized by a mirror-finish surface. Typical applications are household appliances and kitchen utensils, but the materials are used in many other fields demanding high-quality, glossy surfaces in addition to the material properties of stainless steel; for example in medical engineering or in the transport sector.

Dieter Gruchot [email protected]

In the entry and exit sections, maximum strip speed reaches 75 meters per minute, whereas in the process section the material goes through at maxi mum 50 meters per minute.



like TBEA, ABB, Siemens and General Electric. The products are widely used in 500-kV, extra- and ul-tra-high voltage (EHV and UHV) transformer man-ufacturing, and there is a major breakthrough in the project of State Grid Corporation of China to develop and manufacture an AC transformer with 1,000 MVA/1,000-kV.

What is approximately the percentage of high grain-oriented material concerning your total grain-oriented production? We’re producing all of our materials with the “low-temperature plus nitriding” technology and we’re producing 100 percent high-grain oriented mate-rial!

INTERVIEW

SMS group delivered seven lines for the production of silicon steel strip to Beijing Shougang Co., Ltd. in Qian‘an, China. Between 2011 and 2013

all lines went into operation. Qi Jiebin, Deputy Director and Metallurgical Equipment Engineer of the silicon steel business unit at Beijing

Shougang Co., Ltd, on the cooperation with SMS group, the technology and the silicon steel market.

“THE STRIP PROCESSING LINES MEET ALL REQUIREMENTS”

Mr. Qi, when you look back at 2011, how was the start-up of the new lines? On the whole, the commissioning process went very smoothly. All parties worked hard and hand in hand. Furthermore, the quality of commission-ing was ensured even in a very tight project schedule. That was the basis for the later-on safe and stable operation. Also the Plug & Work inte-gration test was very beneficial; it is a very ad-vanced and convenient process.

When you look back, what was crucial for your decision to select SMS group as supplier of your new production facility? First of all, SMS is for sure a metallurgical player with long-standing experience and a large num-ber of successful references. In addition, the ap-propriate design concept and know-how of SMS was recognized by us through the technical ex-change meetings. We also appreciate the earnest attitude and pragmatic spirit. All these things made us choose SMS eventually.

What do you appreciate about the cooperation with SMS group?Every team member took his job conscientiously. Everyone shared the typical German spirit of me-

What kind of products are you producing today? Today, Shougang produces the full range of silicon steel strip products. Non-grain-oriented silicon steel has formed four series which cover 86 prod-ucts. In 2016, our output of non-oriented electrical steel strips reached 1.29 million tons. This made Shougang the biggest producer of non-grain-ori-ented silicon steel in China and worldwide.When it comes to grain-oriented grades, Shougang implemented low-temperature heating technolo-gy, which made us globally one of very few compa-nies applying this process. Our products cover the thickness range of 0.30, 0.27, 0.23, and 0.20 milli-meters in the quality range from 20SQGD070 to 30SQG120 according to our product nomencla-ture. Also, small batch production of materials with a thickness of 0.18 millimeter is possible. With our high grain-oriented products we rank among the first-class suppliers for the transformer industry. Our products have gained the certification of worldwide well-known transformer enterprises

ticulousness and exquisiteness. The team had rich work experience and strong ability of trou-bleshooting. Any problem during project execu-tion was solved in time. The project management of both parties established effective communica-tion mechanisms, ensuring consensus on major issues as soon as possible. In conclusion, I am very satisfied with our cooperation and it is an im-pressive memory for me.

High-permeability grain-oriented material is for sure very difficult to produce. How much time did it need to get into the market for the high-grain oriented material?The silicon steel production process is very long and difficult, but the processing lines by SMS meet all requirements of high grain-oriented silicon steel production. Certain local optimizations and adjustments have been carried out, based on the fact production technology has been adjusted. The first coil of high grain-oriented strip was successfully produced in March 2012. The first 500-kV-transformer was placed in network opera-tion in 2014, and in 2015, the production line reached the design capacity of 150,000 tons. In 2017, successful application in the first 1,000-kV- transformer was accomplished.

QI JIEBIN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND METALLURGICAL EQUIPMENT ENGINEER OF THE SILICON STEEL BUSINESS UNIT AT BEIJING SHOUGANG CO., LTD.

“I am very satisfied with our cooperation, and it is an impressive memory for me.”



Which industrial sectors are provided with the silicon steel strip you’re producing right now? Shougang electrical steel products serve the complete life cycle of energy saving, emission re-duction and environmental protection. The prod-ucts are widely used in power generation motors, transformers, air conditioning compressors, re-frigerator compressors, EI iron cores, small and medium-size micro motors, and so on. At present, one of two domestic inverter air con-ditioners is made of Shougang electrical steel. These air conditioners are also exported to over 20 countries worldwide.

How do you expect the market for non-grain- oriented material to develop? Do you feel an increased demand due to the e-mobility trend?With the rapid growth of electrical vehicles in China and worldwide, we expect that the demand will further increase. Also, the growing air condi-tioning industry leads to an increased demand for non-oriented electrical steel.

And how will the market for grain-oriented material develop?In China, the National Energy Administration issued the plan of construction and transformation of the distribution network, and put forward that the in-vestment in the distribution network should be no less than two trillion yuan (approx. 250 billion Eu-ros) from 2015 to 2020. At the same time, the Inter-national Energy Agency disclosed in the world ener-gy investment outlook from 2014 to 2035, that the investment in the global power field will reach 16.4 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide. In many areas in the

world efforts focus on extending the power grid and making it more efficient. Thus, the demand of grain-oriented electrical steel will gradually in-crease; especially the market for high-magnetic thin products will grow. ◆

Michael [email protected]

Left: In two flattening and coating lines the high grain-oriented material gets its final treatment.

Below: Entry section of one of three decarburiz-ing and coating lines.

SMS delivered seven lines for the production of silicon steel strip to Shougang: Two annealing and pickling lines, three decarburizing and coating lines, and two flattening and coating lines.

Due to its magnetic properties, silicon steel strip, also called electrical steel strip, is widely used in electrical engineering. With its beneficial magnetic prop-erties it contributes to improve the energy efficiency in electrical systems and thus helps save resources. Differentiation is made between non-grain-oriented and grain-oriented strip. In non-grain-oriented strip, the grain distribution is ir-regular so that the material features isotropic properties. It is therefore used in rotating machines such as electric motors and generators. In grain-oriented strip, the grains are oriented in cold-rolling direction. Owing to the high per-meability and the lower losses in the direction of magnetization grain-orient-ed strip is used for static applications, for instance in transformers. Grain-oriented strip is usually classified by its degree of orientation into con-ventional and high grain-oriented strip. The production route of grain-oriented material is highly complex and features several steps which require sophisti-cated treatment concepts.

GRAIN-ORIENTED AND NON-GRAIN-ORIENTED SILICON STEEL STRIP


The new electrolytic tinning line of Tosyali Toyo Çelik A.Ş. suc-cessfully started production in the steel mill for the produc-tion of packaging materials in Osmaniye, Turkey. Now, Tosyali Toyo granted SMS group the Final Acceptance Certificate (FAC) for this line. SMS group supplied the complete line to the Turkish-Japanese joint venture between Tosyali Holding and Toyo Kohan. The line is designed for the production of 255,000 tons of tinplate per year. During the process, a very thin steel strip is electrolytically coated with a fine layer of tin as corrosion protection. The final material is used for the pro-duction packaging for beverages, food or aerosols.

SMS group delivered this line to Tosyali Toyo as a systems supplier and was responsible for mechanical equipment and process technology as well as electrical and automation sys-tems. Furthermore, an advanced evaporation system for rinse water treatment and electrolyte recovery as well as an anode caster complemented the supply scope. The line is equipped with the soluble-tin anode technology offering proven economic, ecological and process technology-related advantages. Highlight features of this technology are low tin consumption, stable tinning conditions for optimum product quality and precise process control.

The new AQTF (Advanced Quench-and-Temper Facility) heat-treatment line supplied by SMS group to TimkenSteel Corporation at its Gambrinus Steel Plant in Canton, Ohio, U.S.A. has commenced full commercial production. Extensive testing was successfully completed in November 2017, and TimkenSteel issued the FAC (Final Acceptance Certificate) to SMS group. Carolee Vanicek, director of tube manufacturing at Gambrinus, declares: “We found that SMS was able to bring the best technology to meet our needs and satisfy our custom-er demand. The commissioning effort went very well, and SMS group has met all the expectations we had on the AQTF.” The new line is able to treat 10 tons per hour of bars and heavy-walled tubes, up to 13 inches in diameter.

INNOVATIVE COOLING PROCESS

The compact line is characterized by a combination of in-duction preheaters and combustion furnaces for austenitiz-ing and tempering processes. Subsequent cooling takes place in the newly developed Quenching Shell, an advanced

TURKEY

Tosyali Toyo produces with new electrolytic tinning line from SMS group and grants FAC.

SUCCESSFUL TINPLATE PRODUCTION IN TURKEY

U.S.A.

Advanced quench-and-temper facility from SMS group at TimkenSteel in full swing.

NEW PRODUCTION CAPACITY FOR TUBES AND BARS IN THE U.S.A.

The tinning line satisfies with high-performance equipment units. In the entry section, a side trimming shear with scrap baller is integrated. The strip is prepared for tinning in a cleaning, tension leveling and pickling section. The tin coating section contains one preconditioning cell and six electroplat-ing cells. The applied tin layer is then treated in a fully induc-tive heating reflow system. Finally, the strip is passivated and dried. Along the tinning line, various measuring units are in-stalled to ensure constant process supervision and control. In combination with the tin layer thickness measurement, this achieves the highest possible product quality and pro-duction efficiency.

The line is designed for strips with a gauge of 0.12 to 0.60 millimeters and widths ranging from 700 to 1,270 millime-ters. The grades produced are T1 to T5 and DR6 to DR10 materials. ◆

OD/ID water sprayer, characterized by high-quench severity and, at the same time, great flexibility to adapt to changing process conditions.

During the commissioning period, a full array of intensive testing was carried out, beginning with the certification of the combustion heating furnaces in accordance to the SAE ASM2750-E standard, which calls for extremely demanding temperature homogeneity inside the furnace chamber (± 3 de-grees Celsius for furnaces of Class 1), as a requirement for pro-ducing aerospace-quality material.

Different seamless mechanical tubes and SBQ (Special Bar Quality) products have been processed by the AQTF, from six inches to 12 inches (out of a selectable range from four inches to 13 inches). These products are made up of a variety of different steel grades that reflects TimkenSteel’s vast portfolio. The tests were performed with increasing throughput to stress-test all the line components. ◆

Stefan Klose [email protected]


The new advanced quench-and-tem-per facility by SMS group at Timken-Steel has the capacity for 50,000 process-tons annually of 4-inch to 13-inch bars and tubes for the automotive, industrial and oil and gas industries.

The first coil produced by Tosyali Toyo on its new electrolytic tinning line.


BANDANLAGENSTRIP PROCESSING LINES AND FURNACE TECHNOLOGY

NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR PLATE COOLING

WORLDWIDE

MultiFlex-Quench® – setting new standards for plate cooling in heavy-plate heat treatment lines.

• The MultiFlex-Quench® is a new technology for plate cooling in heat treatment lines.

• Depending on the customer’s needs and portfolio, the MultiFlex-Quench® concept provides for multiple options and expansion stages.

• Flexible cooling options permit a wide product range to be implemented.

SMS group has been successful in establishing in the market its MultiFlex-Quench®, a new technology for plate cooling in heat treatment lines. Flexible cooling strategies allow stan-dard and special materials to be produced as well as newly developed grades with high quality demands. In 2016 already, the new MultiFlex-Quench® at SIJ Acroni in Jesenice, Slovenia, processed the first heavy plate. To this customer, SMS group supplied a complete, new heat treatment line designed for an annual production of 80,000 tons of heavy plate.

At the beginning of 2020, the new heat treatment line of Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH, a subsidiary of Salzgitter Group, will start operation. The production capacity there will be more than 200,000 tons per year. For that line, too, the inno-vative MultiFlex-Quench® technology was selected to make sure heavy-plate production at the Ilsenburg location in Ger-many satisfies future requirements (for further information please refer to page 98). This means the MultiFlex-Quench®

technology is used in the two cutting-edge heavy-plate

High-temperature roller hearth furnace

MultiFlex-Quench® Low-temperature roller hearth furnace

Shot blaster

Descaling Hardening and normalizing

Cooling Tempering

Basic representation of plate treatment in a heavy-plate treatment line with MultiFlex-Quench® technology.



FLEXIBLE COOLING WITH NUMEROUS OPTIONS

The high degree of flexibility, the wide product portfolio and the very good flatness results of the MultiFlex-Quench® are mainly due to a variety of options for plate cooling, hydraulic plate clamping by pinch rolls and due to subdividing of all cooling headers into several zones over the entire width.

The MultiFlex-Quench® concept provides for multiple op-tions and expansion stages depending on the customer’s needs and production program.

In the basic expansion stage, cooling header groups ar-ranged in segments are fed with water from an LP system. This method is preferred for high-alloy steels where carbide precipitation after a solution annealing treatment is to be sup-pressed and also for crack-sensitive tool steels.

If necessary, it is possible to operate some of the cooling headers at higher water volumes and hence pressures in a customer-requested arrangement. This mode can be applied for wear-resistant steels with good ductility and for high-strength and ultra-high-strength structural steels. If surface hardness or hardness depth are to satisfy extreme demands, it will be possible to install a so-called slotted nozzle (curtain head) in the entry section of the quench. It provides the high-est possible cooling rates. Such special applications are need-

ed for special heat-treated steels of high wear resistance ac-companied by high ductility at low temperatures.

For the treatment of crack-sensitive tool steels, the MultiFlex-Quench® may be equipped with a separate nozzle cooling system. Combined with the integrated cooling model, the system is able to exactly implement cooling rates and pat-terns. This helps substantially shorten the average period needed so far for cooling such materials in calm air or by com-pressed air. Several nozzle options permit a large cooling area to be covered and ensure maximum flexibility. All cooling headers are able to act upon a large area and come with a fine nozzle distribution and an optimized design.

MODELS AND PROCESS DEVELOPMENT

The technological centerpiece is complex, thermal online pro-cess models for cooling strategies. They cover a broad range for the targeted setting of most different mechanical property combinations in the heavy plates. The use of proven physical Level-2 online models, such as the SMS cooling model, makes sure the process is precisely controlled. SMS group also sup-ports its customers in the development of new material grades. The focus here is on new heat treatment cycles which will be deposited in the model after successful testing.

heat treatment lines. From an economical point of view, the production of heavy plate will be particularly efficient, if it can also serve the growing market of new special steels and quar-to plates. The high-strength and ultra-high-strength plates are used in the growth sectors of wind energy, power technology, tubes and pipes, mechanical engineering and crane building as well as the construction industry.

At the same time, these applications, demanding excellent ductility and good weldability combined with perfect flatness, push the advancement of the material steel. To produce state-of-the-art heavy plates all process parameters, from austenitization to targeted cooling at optimized cooling speeds and further to adapted tempering temperatures and times, must be in perfect harmony in order to tap the full po-tential of the material steel.

DEVELOPMENT OF NEW COOLING TECHNOLOGY FOR HEAT TREATMENT LINES

High-quality heavy plates are produced in heavy-plate mills setting the material properties in a thermo-mechanical roll-ing process, or in special heavy-plate heat treatment lines where the rolled plates are reheated, precisely cooled and then tempered.

The key process to set material properties is cooling. Lami-nar cooling systems with U-shaped pipes have been widely used in heavy-plate mills since the 1950s. But when mate-rial advancement required ever higher cooling rates and more flexible cooling patterns, this prompted the develop-ment of spray cooling systems with pinch rolls. At the begin-ning of the new millenium, this technology, usually a combi-nation of spray and laminar cooling, became state-of-the-art.

Advanced materials, however, demand for the micro-structure to be precisely set, which can only be achieved in a heat treatment line. Since the 1960s, roller-type quenches with separate high-pressure (HP) and low-pressure (LP) sections have been installed in heat treatment lines for plate cooling. But this measure only covered a limited pro-cess window mainly comprising the abrupt quenching method.

SMS group picked up the vast experience gained from spray cooling systems in the heavy-plate sector and, on the basis thereof, developed a new flexible cooling system for heat treatment lines. This advancement of a proven tech-nology generated the MultiFlex-Quench® in 2015.The new cooling technology permits numerous cooling rates and patterns to be applied in heavy-plate heat treatment lines and ensures a high degree of flatness.


In addition to an extensive product portfolio, the plates treated in a MultiFlex-Quench® convince with their excellent flatness. The first MultiFlex-Quench® was commissioned at SIJ Acroni, Slovenia, in 2016.

BANDANLAGENSTRIP PROCESSING LINES AND FURNACE TECHNOLOGY

OPERATING RESULTS

The results so far obtained from operating with the MultiFlex-Quench® prove that a broad spectrum of steels with most dif-ferent cooling requirements is feasible without neglecting ho-mogeneous material properties or high flatness.

Numerous tests revealed that the flatness results meet the respective requirements independent of the thickness range and the cooling strategy. In many tests with a minimum de-manded deviation of less than five millimeters per meter, for example, all measurements were below two millimeters per meter. Furthermore, the tests demonstrated that a narrow spread of surface hardness within ±5 percent is technically feasible.

In addition to an extensive product portfolio, the plates treated in a MultiFlex-Quench® convince with their excellent flatness.

At SIJ Acroni, all options for targeted setting of cooling strate-gies as integrated in the MultiFlex-Quench® are applied with good results, including the model-based mode for interrupted cooling of crack-sensitive steels.

Compared to conventional roller-type quenches, the MultiFlex-Quench® offers a distinctly more flexible, uniform and efficient cooling technology for heavy-plate heat treatment lines. ◆

Several nozzle options permit a large cooling area to be covered and ensure maximum flexibility.

High cooling range for maximized flexibility.

High-temperature furnaces from SMS group heat heavy plates up to 1,100 °C , depending on the material. This is followed by controlled cooling in the MultiFlex-Quench® implementing different cooling rates and cooling patterns.

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Curtain head

Specific water volume


Ingo Schuster [email protected]


INVESTMENT IN THE FUTUREGERMANY

9902|2018 SMS group newsletterSMS group newsletter 02|201898

Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Salzgitter Group, has awarded SMS group an order for the supply of a new heat treatment line, project name “Ad-justage II”. The line is the centerpiece of a project initiated by Salzgitter to strengthen the heavy plate activities at its Ilsen-burg site in Germany.

SMS group will supply a highly energy-efficient heat treatment line capable of fulfilling the customer’s extremely exacting quality and flatness requirements. The flexible cooling strategies enabled by the integrated MultiFlex-Quench® will make it possible to produce a very wide range of products, also in extremely challenging grades.

With the MultiFlex-Quench®, SMS group has established a new innovative cooling technology in the market. The highly flexible cooling strategies enabled by the new system form the basis for the production of a wide range of current and future grades. (The photo shows the first MultiFlex-Quench® installation at Acroni in Slovenia).


With this investment in innovative technologies, Salzgitter is taking a decisive step to make the Ilsenburg location fit for future challenges. The new facilities to be built there are to process more than 300,000 tons of heavy plate annually. Commissioning is scheduled to take place early in 2020.

The new heat treatment plant to be supplied by SMS group to Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH will essentially consist of a shot-blaster, two roller hearth furnaces, the MultiFlex-Quench®, a plate leveler, a cleaning and priming line, and a water treatment plant.

SMS group is also going to supply the electrical and auto-mation systems and implement the material and process

Ilsenburger Grobblech orders future-oriented heat treatment line with MultiFlex-Quench® from SMS group.

models. Also all the ancillary facilities such as the plate convey-ing system, complete with the cooling beds and the plate feed-ing and centering equipment, are part of the supply package.

Additionally, the project will involve the relocation of equip-ment from the Salzgitter location to Ilsenburg.

THIRD SINGLE-SOURCE ORDER

This project will be SMS group’s third single-source supply of a complete heavy-plate heat treatment line to renowned Eu-ropean steelmakers in quick succession. At the same time, SMS group has established the MultiFlex-Quench® in the market as a new, innovative cooling technology that provides much more potential and flexibility than conventional cooling systems. After the Slovenian heavy-plate producer Acroni, Ilsenburger Grobblech will be the second reference world-wide for this new technology.

The new heat treatment line is to anneal and further pro-cess more than 200,000 tons of heavy plate per year. It will be designed to handle plate in thicknesses between 5 and 175 millimeters and widths up to 3,500 millimeters. The between 4 and 24-meters-long plates will weigh up to 28 tons. The material grades to be processed will include high-strength carbon steels, highly wear-resistant steels, steels for offshore and pressure vessel applications as well as case-hardened and quenched/tempered steels.

MUCH WIDER RANGE OF PRODUCTS

For hardening and normalizing, the plates will be heated to temperatures of up to 950 degrees centigrade in a high-tem-perature roller hearth furnace. The furnace will feature two chambers with different temperatures. The plates will be heat-ed by radiant tubes in a nitrogen-based inert gas atmosphere.A large portion of the plates will be cooled in the downstream MultiFlex-Quench®, which provides extremely great flexibility

in terms of cooling strategies. Switchable pressure ranges al-low any cooling patterns from extreme slow cooling through to abrupt quenching with freely selectable cooling stop tem-peratures to be implemented. This flexibility provides the possibility of producing a much wider range of products than would be achievable with conventional quenches. Optimal flatness, especially of thinner plates, is ensured by hydraulic clamping by roller guides.

A low-temperature furnace installed in the line will be used to temper (warm up) the plates. In this open-flame roller hearth furnace, the plates can be tempered at temperatures between 300 and 750 degrees centigrade. A specially designed waste gas system provides for optimal convection within the furnace chamber, resulting in maximized temperature uniformity.

The leveler will be designed to handle plates between 5 and 25 millimeters thick and up to 500 degrees centigrade hot. All leveling rollers can be separately adjusted. Thus it is possi-ble to apply different leveling strategies in order to minimize the internal stresses of the plates and achieve plates of very good flatness. Driving the rollers separately makes it possible to distribute the torques and use different roller diameters within one set of rollers.

Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH (ILG) is a subsidiary of Salzgitter AG, one of Europe’s leading steel technology groups. The about 750 employees of ILG produce approx. 700,000 tons per year of heavy plate in about 350 steel grades for most diverse fields of application. This makes ILG one of the leading heavy plate producers in Europe. ◆

Heat treatment line including plate leveler, cleaning and priming line and water treatment plant.

FORGING TECHNOLOGY FORGING TECHNOLOGY


The centerpiece of a pipe forging line is the SMX radial forging machine. In addition to standard materials, sophisticated ma-terials such as high-alloyed steels or nickel materials, titanium alloys or even composites made of centrifugal casting can be processed to forged pipes.

SMX PIPE FORGING LINE

The SMX pipe forging line of SMS group is particularly suita-ble for customers who want to produce pipes in different sizes and a variety of grades in addition to massive semi- finished products in their product mix. For a rare niche mar-ket with small or medium-sized batch sizes the classic SMX

THE PIPE FORGING LINE – NOVELTY FROM ONE SOURCE

WORLDWIDE

Apart from the classic SMX forging lines, the plant portfolio of SMS group now includes pipe forging lines.

Inhomogeneous block temperature after piercing.

SMX FORGING LINE1 Rotary hearth furnace2 Entry roller table3 Loading manipulator4 Hydraulic radial forging machine5 Unloading manipulator6 Exit roller table7 Tool changing device8 Control stand

1 23

7

8

4 5 6

The used block present in the SMX pipe forging line is not forged in one heat but is inductively reheated. The process sequence selected can be compared with the extrusion of steel pipes. Another special feature of the SMX pipe forging line is mandrel handling. The greater variety in pipe sizes requires a large number of mandrels. In an SMX pipe forg-ing line mandrel change as well as mandrel lubrication

forging lines are better suited from an economic viewpoint. The technologi-cal difference is in the production of the hollow block. In a conventional SMX forging line the hollows are pierced outside the line in one sepa-rate heat on an open-die forming press or produced by the centrifugal casting method or the ESR process (Electro-Slag Remelting). In contrast, the piercing process in an SMX pipe forging line with subsequent reheating is integrated in the line. A vertical SMS piercing press pierces blocks made of steel or special metal in short cycle times.

After piercing the block loses heat energy, particularly at both ends. The temperature of the block is inhomogeneous and for high-alloyed materials also below the optimal forging temperature. Therefore, the pierced block must be induc-tively reheated in a vertical furnace prior to forging. IAS, a company of SMS group, offers customized solutions.

• The SMS radial forging machine is particularly suited for cus-tomers who also produce pipes in different sizes and quali-ties in addition to massive semi-finished products.

• The piercing process with inductive reheating is made inte-grated - unlike the classical lines. Mandrel changes along with mandrel lubrication are automated.

SMX forging line.

FORGING TECHNOLOGY FORGING TECHNOLOGY


Microstructure, centrifugally cast composite pipe, material transition after forging.

Microstructure near inner surface, centrifugally cast shell 42CrMo4 after forging.

Dr. Hans Pelster [email protected]

are automated. A mandrel manipulator is integrated in the loading manipulator. Here, the mandrel is fixed to a pinlock serving as quick-change device enabling fast mandrel change after each pipe forging. The used mandrel is cooled with water and then sprayed with lubricant in a fixture. Af-terwards, the mandrel can be reused in the next forging.

For an SMX 800/18MN the entire pipe portfolio includes pipes with manufacturing diameters from 150 to 500 millim-eters and wall thicknesses between 27 and 100 millimeters for manufacturing lengths of up to 10 meters. Even greater pipes can be produced on an SMX 1100/22 MN with a tool opening of 1,100 millimeters and a forging power of 22 meg-anewtons. Depending on the intended use, the outer and/or

inner pipe surface must be machined after forging. Even large wall thickness tolerances of +/- 15 millimeters which may occur on an open-die forging press during shell piercing are reduced to much smaller eccentricities between 1.0 and 2.6 millimeters when pipes are forged on an SMX.

Demanding materials which cause problems during seamless pipe rolling or which cannot be rolled during the cross-rolling process due to defect formations can be forged perfectly on hydraulic radial forging machines of the SMX type. On the SMX, for example, pipes of nickel material UNS N 08028 were forged containing more than 30 percent nick-el. These pipes are employed in the chemical and petro-chemical industry as well as in oil and gas exploration in acid

gas fields. Titanium pipes and ratios of extension up to 4.0 can also be forged without problems at forging temperatures between 800 and 830 degrees Celsius.

Furthermore, pipes were forged from premachined cen-trifugally cast shells. The surface of the forged pipes is excel-lent and the microstructure after forging shows a fine bainite with grain size 8 to 9 (acc. to ASTM E 112). The former cast structure has completely dissolved. High-alloyed cen-trifugally cast shells made of material 1.4404 also behave similarly. Pipes made of centrifugal composite casting were forged for the first time. The outer shell consisted of low- alloyed steel 42CrMo4 and the inner part of high-alloyed austenitic steel 1.4404. The forged pipe 283 x 36 millime-ters (ratio of extension 3.5) is characterized by a faultless material transition. The former cast structure has complete-ly dissolved.

With the so-called “step-forging“ it is possible to selec-tively vary the outer pipe diameter. For different inner diam-eters within a pipe shaping mandrels can be used.

OUTLOOK

Due to rising energy costs, a continuous development of the hydraulic radial forging machine SMX is currently focusing on a reduction in energy consumption. Corresponding con-cepts were developed. Whether temperature- and pres-sure-resistant tubes and pipes for power plants, anticorro-sive oilfield tubulars or wearproof mechanical tubing – the new SMX pipe forging line leaves nothing to be desired by the customer. ◆

Forged pipes 352 x 28 millimeters, ratio of extension 2.6 made of UNS N 08028.

Forged pipes 277 x 32 millimeters, 42CrMo4, ratio of extension 4 (left) and 302 x 42 millimeters, 1.4404, ratio of extension 2.5 made of centrifugally cast shells (right).

FORGING TECHNOLOGY

RECYCLING CAPACITY EXPANDED

SPAIN

Aludium Amorebieta orders multi chamber melting furnace from Hertwich Engineering.

The long-standing aluminum rolling mill in Amorebieta, Spain, which has been operating under the name Aludium since 2015, has ordered an Ecomelt-PS275 multi chamber melting furnace with preheating shaft for clean and contaminated scrap from Hertwich Engineering, an SMS group company. This investment sees the plant adapting to the growing amount of recycled material available. The new multi cham-ber melting furnace will go into operation in spring 2019.

To be able to process the growing amount of return scrap effectively and economically in the casthouse, the melting ca-pacity is increased by investing in a modern multi chamber melting furnace of the type Ecomelt-PS275. The throughput is 275 tons per day. Loose and packaged strip or foil scrap, coils, wire, etc. are melted – each contaminated by oils, lac-quers, plastic residues, rubber or other coatings.

Depending on the type and composition of the scrap, Hertwich offers different furnace types within the Ecomelt se-ries. The PS type furnace ordered by Aludium Amorebieta is suitable for scrap with the highest contamination rates. It comes with a preheating shaft into which the scrap is fed from above through a material lock. The hot gases flow through the charged material in the shaft from the bottom upwards, and the pyrolysis gases produced thereby are com-busted in the main chamber. By using pyrolysis gases (but also due to the advanced furnace design) the gas consump-tion can be reduced to some 300 kWh/ton (depending on the scrap input). This reduces operating costs and the minimum emissions (CO2, CO, NOX, dioxins, VOC, no salt) contribute to an environmentally friendly furnace operation.

AFTERBURNING NOT REQUIRED

External afterburning is not necessary as all emerging py-rolysis gases are combusted in the main chamber in a con-trolled manner. At the lower end of the shaft, the completely

Multi chamber melting furnace Ecomelt-PS.

pre-heated and decoated material is immersed in the melt bath moved by a liquid metal pump and is melted instanta-neously with minimal melt loss.As a further special feature, the melting furnace has a sepa-rate feed for scalper chips, which are fed into the furnace immediately after machining of rolling slabs and are also melted using the submersion melting process with the great-est possible yield.

The rolling mill in Amorebieta started the production of rolled aluminum products in 1961. The plant has been con-tinuously expanded and modernized, since 1985 initially as part of the INESPAL group and since 1998 under the direc-tion of Alcoa. Since 2015, the plants in Amorebieta and Ali-cante (both Spain) as well as Castelsarrasin (France), along with the research site in Cindal, form the Aludium Group, a fully integrated network specializing in the cutting, rolling and refining of aluminum.

The Amorebieta plant includes hot and cold rolling ca-pacities as well as strip processing and a casthouse for roll-ing slabs. Contrary to the general market trend towards “Au-tomotive” and “Aerospace”, the strategic focus here is on the sectors “Building and Construction”, “Distribution” and “Specialities”. ◆

Further information www.aludium.com

Contactwww.hertwich.com


SMS group newsletter 02|2018 02|2018 SMS group newsletter106

The two output wheels supplied by SMS group are the biggest case-hardened gears on the American continent.

TWO NEW WHEEL SETS FOR TWIN-DRIVE

GEAR UNIT

U.S.A.

PRODUCTIONMODERNIZATION

PRODUCTION TECHNICAL SERVICEMODERNIZATION


Work roll direct drive: Slow-running motors with high output torque. Work rolls driven by two gear units in one housing (twin-drive gear unit): Smaller motors make the overall system including gear units considerably more cost-effective.

Klaus Lazzaro [email protected]

• For its aluminum plate rolling mill with twin-drive gear unit, the U.S. customer ordered new, ready-to-install wheel sets from SMS group.

• Gear wheels of four meters diameter and a weight of 130 tons cannot be manufactured in the U.S.A. so far.

• The new wheel set will improve the gear unit’s efficiency - load capacity alone will be enhanced by approx. 30 percent.

Both wheel sets were manufactured in the Hilchenbach workshop of SMS group in Germany and have a diameter of four meters and a weight of 130 tons each. Until now, it has been impossible in the U.S.A. to manufacture case-hardened gear wheels of that size, since there is no equipment avail-able for heat-treatment of such components.

INCREASED PERFORMANCE

In the year 2002 already, SMS group supplied for the cus-tomer’s aluminum plate rolling mill a twin-drive gear unit showing no visible damage until now. Also the examination of the gearing didn’t reveal any defects. However, statistics tell that the service life of several anti-friction bearings had ex-pired. For that reason, the longtime customer contracted SMS group to supply new, ready-to-install wheel sets al-though simple replacement of the anti-friction bearings would have sufficed. But due to the high degree of plant utili-zation, the customer could not afford, from an economical point of view, a plant downtime and possible installation risks involved in replacing the bearings. Complete wheel sets can be exchanged faster and present lower risks. The new gears replace the existing wheel sets and thus increase the perfor-mance of the gear unit. As the rolling mill will have to with-

stand distinctly higher loads to produce the future-planned higher-strength products for the automotive and aviation in-dustries, the aluminum producer decided for the new wheel set with case-hardened gearing. This enhances the load ca-pacity of the gear unit by approx. 30 percent.

TWIN-DRIVE GEAR UNIT

Work rolls of roughing stands and heavy-plate mills are often directly driven without using a gear unit. The drive train with twin-drive gear unit installed at the customer’s plant offers the advantage of attaining comparatively high rolling torques even at very low speeds. In addition, the investment for this drive train is much lower as the motors used there are sig-nificantly smaller, and stock-keeping of a spare motor, if so desired, is cheaper for small motors. ◆

The twin-drive gear unit of SMS group. The work rolls are driven by two separate gear units accommodated in one housing.

WORLDWIDE

Genius CM® monitors the condition of wear-prone components.

EARLY WARNING SYSTEM AGAINST PLANT DOWNTIMES

Further information on the subject Genius CM® can be found in the brochure “Genius Condition Monitoring Sys-tem – early warn-ing system against failures“.

The Chinese company Baosteel and the Italian company ILVA S.p.A. relied on the know-how of SMS group for early warning systems against plant downtimes and signed two contracts last year for the supply of Genius Condition Monitor-ing Systems (Genius CM®).

Genius CM® is a modular designed online plant monitoring system controlling and docu-menting the current condition of plant compo-nents subject to wear and failure. Compared with traditional inspection and maintenance methods, the advantage is permanent monitoring of plant components. This enables operators to be con-stantly informed about the actual condition and

warned in case of critical situations. Therefore, Genius CM® opens up completely new dimen-sions for optimizing quality and availability.

Delivery of the early warning systems and on-site installation took place in 2017. Thanks to Genius CM®, SMS group’s customers get results quickly – even with complex applications. ◆

Claus [email protected]

Online monitoring thanks to Genius CM®.

Drive shaftsDrive shafts

Twin-drive gear unit Top motorTop motor

Bottom motor

Bottom motor

https://www.sms-group.com/code/201520332310/qrcode.html

TECHNICAL SERVICE TECHNICAL SERVICE

SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP

CONFIRMED

IRAN


Mahshahr Pipe Mill Company (MPM) has signed a compre-hensive service and modernization contract with SMS group for its large-diameter pipe mill in the Chuzestan Province in Iran. With this contract, MPM and SMS group are continuing their successful cooperation.

In 2016, an interdisciplinary team of specialists from SMS group and MPM conducted an audit aimed at inspecting the current mainte-nance status of the large-diameter pipe mill located in Mahshahr, not only in terms of compliance with ap-plicable standards but also against known benchmarks. Over-all, the assessment included areas such as production, mainte-nance, management, administration, and compliance with occupational health and safety regulations. A comprehensive service and modernization contract has now been agreed based on the list of recommendations compiled by SMS group following the audit.

INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY

“The modernization and maintenance concept devised by SMS group will not only provide us with premium technology, but also with sustainable growth. This is a significant future-orient-ed step that will enable us to safeguard our competitiveness and increase our production performance,” says Ehsan Shahrokhi, Purchasing & Procurement Manager of MPM.

The service and modernization concept developed by SMS group is tailored to MPM’s specific plant parameters and requirements and includes, for example, the overhaul of the complete pipe welding equipment. Digital PERFECT arc® welding power sources are to be used for the welding units. These work with insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) pow-

Oleg Michael [email protected]

er electronics and regulate the welding current by fully digital means. As a result, the level of efficiency attained by the weld-ing units is over 90 percent. Depending on the working point, energy savings of up to 30 percent can be achieved com-pared to older welding techniques. What’s more, productivity can be increased by up to 20 percent, with process stability remaining at consistent levels throughout.

As well as the welding equipment, both X-ray testing units are to be replaced, so as to ensure maximum pipe quality while boosting the output capacity of the overall plant. Also the entire hydraulic control system is going to be replaced. The aging MX4 hydraulic control system is being replaced with a latest-generation Indra Motion MLC L75 control system.

The plant will also be equipped with the new SHAPE au-tomation system, which controls the forming process based on a continuous calculation of the optimum forming param-eters. This minimizes any potential negative influences from

SMS group‘s Technical Service receives follow-up order from Mahshahr Pipe Mill Company.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE The IMMS® (Integrated Maintenance Management System) is a package of proven software and valuable information.

To establish a reliable basis for maintenance the system maps the complete plant, including all components to be serviced, and integrates technical parameters.

Maintenance is exclusively target- and purpose-oriented.

This increases the economic efficiency and availability of the plant as well as the final product quality.

the starting material and will support the operator. The SHAPE technology developed by SMS group provides our customers a competitive edge in terms of quality compared to conventional systems.

As part of the technical assistance agreement, the entire large-diameter pipe mill in Khuzestan will be examined for faults and disruptions, which will be eliminated successively. This entails not only identifying the necessary spare parts but also optimizing production sequences. In order to achieve its ambitious future goals, Mahshahr Pipe Mill Company is also investing in the know-how of its employees. SMS group is go-ing to provide numerous on-site training courses.

Over and above this, SMS group’s Technical Service team will be assisting MPM with the deployment of an ef-fective maintenance organization, aimed at improving preventive maintenance measures to improve the avail-ability of the plant and the quality of the finished products in the long run. To this end SMS group is supplying IMMS®, an integrated maintenance management system. IMMS® is a combination of tried and tested software and valuable information, building on decades of maintenance experi-ence. In order to create a reliable basis for an effective maintenance organization, the entire MPM plant will be mapped and all technological parameters integrated.

Each component subject to maintenance will be clearly marked and coded (plant tree) in order to ensure targeted and purposeful maintenance approach as well as cost-ef-fective management of the large-diameter pipe mill.

“Once all the measures stipulated in the contract have been imple-mented, we will be in a position to guarantee the same level of plant performance as in case of a newly built plant. With its willingness to invest, MPM is making a signifi-cant contribution to the further development of the country. With our service and modernization concept for MPM, we are doing our bit to enable MPM to profitably produce and sup-ply pipes and tubes of premium quality,” says Oleg Vilents, Maintenance Consultant at SMS group.

Mahshahr Pipe Mill Company, a subsidiary of Sadid Indus-trial Group, is a leading manufacturer of pipes, primarily in-tended for use in gas pipelines with diameters ranging be-tween 24 and 56 inches and wall thicknesses of up to 35 millimeters. Thanks to the use of state-of-the-art technology, MPM is a well-established player not only in the domestic market, but also in the Middle East and internationally. ◆

MODERNIZATION

The service and modernization concept developed by SMS group is tailored to MPM’s specific plant parameters and requirements.

TECHNICAL SERVICE TECHNICAL SERVICE

After two sub-suppliers of Hyundai Steel had seen no possi-bility to completely repair the gearbox, an expert of SMS group traveled to Dangjin-Si Chungnam, South Korea, to get an on-site impression of the condition of the gear. During the inspection one should determine the type of work required to reinstate the gearbox. However, the challenges were greater than initially assumed. The inspection revealed, among other things, that the housing was distorted. Since machine tools on the one hand and know-how for such re-pair measures on the other hand are available in the SMS group factory in Hilchenbach, it was immediately decided to transport the gearbox to Germany.

PENDULUM SHEAR GEARBOX AWAY ON TRAVEL

The gear was transported by ship from South Korea to Ger-many. Customer’s wish was to additionally measure the whole gearbox three-dimensionally. For the 3D measure-ment customer’s employees even traveled to Germany so that the measurements could be jointly performed by staff members of Hyundai Steel and SMS group.

After having consulted the customer, all measures were executed ensuring that the gearbox is again in a good condi-tion both mechanically and qualitatively and is fully opera-tional also in future. Among others, the parting line of the upper housing part was reground and the bearing bores were enlarged.

SOUTH KOREA

Hyundai Steel, South Korea contacted SMS group for the repair of its pendulum shear gearbox.

LOGISTICS RIGHT ACROSS TWO CONTINENTS FOR A REPAIR

Pendulum shear gearbox before the repair. Pendulum shear gearbox after the repair.

“I was deeply impressed when I saw the repaired gear - it looked like a new one. All measures were explained in detail, so I was able to comprehend the repair.“Dae-Young Kim, Manager of Hyundai Steel Dangjin Steel Works

Dr. Klaus Ginsberg [email protected] Michael [email protected]

SMS GROUP AS LEADING PARTNER

The condition of the customer for the repair to happen in Ger-many was that the gear had to be fully operational on site at the end of 2017 in any event. Here, SMS group proved to be a competent and reliable partner. Despite unforeseeable nec-essary new orders of individual parts the repaired gearbox was delivered to South Korea on time. Cooperation between Hyundai Steel and SMS group turned out to be excellent. ◆

For its Indonesian customer PT. Artas Energi Petrogas (Artas) located in Cilegon, a complete repair and overhaul of a 2,000-kW DC motor was done by SMS group at its service workshop in Indonesia. Artas’ DC motor is used for the production of seamless steel pipes for the oil and gas industry in Indone-sia’s first seamless tube plant.

The scope of work included the complete loading and un-loading, disassembling, repair, overhaul and assembling. Af-ter the final acceptance test together with the customer, the motor was dispatched within the contracted delivery period and reinstalled right away. “A repair directly on the doorstep

INDONESIA

Overhaul and repair of DC motor at SMS group’s Indonesian workshop.

MOTOR OPERATING WITH FULL POWER AGAIN

Heat treatment furnace for drying the motor.

Rinaldi Santosa [email protected]

helped to save time and money,” Mr. Rinaldi Santosa, Work-shop Manager SMS Indonesia.

The SMS workshop in Indonesia was founded in 2014 and has a repair area of 2,200 square meters. The modern machine park normally offers repair services for spindles, AGC cylinders and mandrels as well as refurbishments for caster rolls and mold plating. ◆

MODERNIZATIONMODERNIZATION


TECHNICAL SERVICE EVENTS

WORLDWIDE

The copper plate 4.0 of SMS group informs the plant operator constantly on the current condition of the mold plates.

INTELLIGENT MANAGEMENT

The sensor for copper plates developed by SMS group records the operating state of the mold.

Heiko [email protected]

JAPAN

After Yasuda Metal Industries Ltd., based in Osaka, Japan, had placed an order for a HybrEx®14 extrusion press in 2015, Japanese media introduced it as the first HybrEx® in-stalled in Asia. It attracted the attention of other Japanese aluminum manufacturers confronted with the higher de-mands for aluminum from the growing automotive industry. This offered SMS group a good opportunity to introduce its HybrEx® and related technologies to other interested com-panies.

The HybrEx® symposium in Japan took place in Nagoya city in October 2017. The selected aluminum companies participated in the presentations and the factory tour at Ya-suda Metal Industries afterward. The SMS group experts presented the highlights of HybrEx® technology and its lat-est developments as well as related equipment for the ex-trusion presses such as handling systems and heating tech-nologies. At the factory tour, the specialists of Yasuda Metal

The first HybrEx® symposium and the “Open House Day” at Yasuda Metal Industries Ltd. in Japan.

MARKET EXPANSION IN JAPAN

Industries demonstrated their installed extrusion plants in-cluding the new HybrEx®14 that has been successfully in operation since 2016.

PARTICIPANTS SHOWED GREAT INTEREST

The day was concluded with a lively discussion and ex-change of information headed by Mr. Tatsuaki Yasuda, Pres-ident of Yasuda Metal Industries. All contributions clearly illustrated the high interest of the participants in HybrEx® technology and in its outstanding energy saving options and potential to increase productivity. ◆

First HybrEx® symposium and open house at Yasuda Metal Industries in Japan.

Dr. Hansjörg Hoppe [email protected]


An optimal mold condition and the correct maintenance in-terval are crucial for top strand quality and smooth opera-tion of continuous casters. However, there is no uniform rule for the wear of copper plates. Depending on the re-spective process condition, mold plates wear out at differ-ent rates. This makes it all the more important that the re-maining copper plate thickness of all plates in circulation is known to the plant operator. If needed, replacements can thus be ordered by the customer in good time, the mold plate combination be precisely planned during mainte-nance and the cooling characteristics be integrated due to a thinner wear layer and higher heat transition, particularly when producing critical qualities. The copper plate sensor developed by SMS group and the associated mold manager software enables plant operators to obtain an overview at a glance of the decision-relevant information concerning their entire copper plate fleet.

WEAR AND OPERATING TIME

A sensor integrated in the copper plate by SMS group mea-sures plate thicknesses and utilization or operating times for automated recording of the operating status of the mold. The

sensor is well protected being attached to the mold sides out-side the casting area where lower temperatures exist and the process itself is not affected. An enclosure protects the sensor against external influences such as contamination and water vapor, while the data communications interface is safeguard-ed via Near Field Communication (NFC).

The sensor provides a microcontroller. A built-in NFC chip saves the captured data assigning them in a date-related manner. The sensor module saves the serial number of the copper plate, the manufacturer and other copper plate-relat-ed data at the factory. At a specific point in time and via an associated mold manager the plant operator receives a gen-eral overview on:

Plate thickness, Operating time and History of individual plates.

The data are prepared by means of the mold manager and displayed on the website in graphic and tabular form. In this way, the plant operator receives a complete stock and status overview of his copper plate fleet. Plate thickness is displayed by means of coloring in the style of traffic lights. The sensor is integrated in the copper plate requiring no cabling for opera-tion. It may also be attached to competitor copper plates en-abling also such plates to be recorded by the plate manage-ment.

CUSTOMER DATA ARE SAFE

The system is only activated by express consent prior to its first use via Android-based handheld device or Smartphone. Mea-sured data are read out by means of handheld device, record-ed on an internal database and displayed accordingly. ◆

EVENTS


KENYA

3rd Cold Rolling & Processing Technology Day in Nairobi

AFRICAN STEEL INDUSTRY IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Speakers, here Pieter Bezuidenhout

from SMS group, received thank you

badge from the organizer

On November 24th, 2017, the third “Cold Rolling & Processing Technology Day” presented by Steel Group Association in cooperation with SMS group took place in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Steel Group Association was founded in 2010 in India and offers to representatives of the steel industry a successful platform for communica-tion and networking. And yet Steel Group espe-cially looks after new, maturing markets.

Attended by approximately 130 participants, the third “Cold Rolling & Processing Technology Day” took place in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. The conference was themed “Empowering steel industry in Africa“. Among the participants were high-level decision makers and executive man-agers from the local cold strip industry, suppliers of rolling mill technologies as well as consultants, looking for new investment opportunities for in-vestors. SMS group was prominently represent-

ed by an own booth and in total three confer-ence contributions, provided by the product divisions cold rolling mills, strip processing lines and technical service.

NUMEROUS GREENFIELD PLANTS IMPLEMENTED

Torsten Seeger, Project Director in the Business Division Flat Rolling Plants of SMS group, pre-sented the reversing cold mill type of plant in sin-gle-stand or twin-stand construction, featuring optimized design for moderate investment and low operation cost. Thanks to its flexibility and upgradability, this type of mill is especially conve-nient to emerging, developing and reorganizing markets. In recent years, SMS group was capable of implementing numerous greenfield installa-tions in emerging markets, offering guidance to

SMS group booth at the 3rd Cold Rolling &

Processing Technology Day in Nairobi, Kenya.

Torsten Seeger, SMS group, at the Lamp Lighting Ceremony, performed during the opening of the conference.

Torsten Seeger [email protected]

African cold strip producers for particular invest-ment decisions. Esmech Equipment Private Limited, a company of SMS group, was represented by Vijay Pitale, Technical Director Strip Processing Lines. He presented a paper about the V-JET Air Knife Sys-tem as an advanced solution for zinc coating weight control and coating surface appearance.

The third paper presented by SMS group, Pieter Bezuidenhout, Managing Director SMS group Technical Services South Africa (Pty) Ltd., completed the proposal by offering the current and future movers and shakers of the African steel industry a comprehensive technology part-nership for innovation, including supply support and services. ◆

ImprintSMS group newsletter Issue 02 /2018

PublisherSMS group Corporate Communications, Eduard- Schloemann-Straße 440237 Düsseldorf, GermanyEditing: Jan EulerPhone +49 211 881-0E-mail: [email protected]

Printing and prepress processesDruckhaus Kay GmbHHagener Straße 121 57223 Kreuztal, Germany

Published on March 29, 2018 © SMS group Circulation: German 4,000, English 12,000, Chinese 1,000, Russian 1,000

The information provided in this magazine contains a general description of the performance characteristics of the products concerned. The actual products may not always have the charac-teristics described and, in par-ticular, these may change as a result of further developments of the products. The provision of this information is not intended to have, and will not have, legal effect. An obligation to deliver products having particular char-acteristics shall only exist if expressly agreed in the terms of the contract.

welded tube - sms-group.com

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