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Danieli to Rebuild Mechel Steelmaking Plant and Slab Caster
09/24/2007 - Danieli will provide a major revamp of the single-strand slab caster at Mechel Group’s Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant, including complete reconstruction of the existing caster, as well as the installation of a ladle furnace, vacuum degasser, and new material handling system.
Mechel Group, Russia, recently signed an agreement with Danieli for a major revamp of the single-strand slab caster at the Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant. The agreement also provides for installation of a new state-of-the-art ladle furnace-vacuum degasser (LF-VD) refining facility.
The refining station comprises a 140-tonne single-stand Ladle Furnace (LF) served by two ladle cars, 130-tonne twin tank/one-cover Vacuum Degasser (110 tonne when operating as VOD), and a dedicated raw material handling system for the LF and VD/VOD. The vacuum degasser is equipped with mechanical vacuum pump. Danieli will also provide complete electrical and automation systems up to Level 2 (by Danieli Automation) and other auxiliaries. The facility will process an extremely wide range, including ULC, LC, MC, HC, peritectic, API, HSLA, stainless, and Si-steel grades.
The project also foresees complete reconstruction of the existing caster, with only the turret and casting floor structures being reused. The caster will have a containment length of 25.8 meters for casting speed up to 1.8 meters/minute, obtained with 12 Danieli OPTIMUM segments, designed for the application of dynamic soft reduction process. Multiple split rolls, of small pitch type, will ensure optimum support to the slab during casting, as well as maximum roll stiffness for superior dimensional product tolerances.
The 1.2 million tonnes/year machine will cast slabs ranging from 170 to 250 mm in thickness, and 1050 to 1550 mm in width. The machine is designed with a main radius of 9 meters, has multiple-point unbending, and is equipped with cassette-type mold and hydraulic oscillation system. The curved-type machine’s roll diagram will be defined by the production mix. Dynamic soft reduction and dynamic air-mist secondary cooling will help to ensure maximum slab quality.
All casting equipment will be new, including complete new electric and automation equipment, Level 1 and Level 2 systems, and mathematical models. Danieli will also provide supervision of installation, startup and commissioning of the plant, as well as a training package and engineering services. The new caster is scheduled to be in production for spring 2009.
