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JSW Orders Corex Gas-based Midrex DR Plant from Siemens VAI

05/13/2011 - JSW has placed a contract with a cooperation under the leadership of Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH to engineer and supply a Corex gas-based Midrex® direct-reduction dual-discharge plant.

JSW Projects Ltd., a group company of JSW Steel Ltd. has placed a contract with a cooperation under the leadership of Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH, Austria, for the engineering and supply of a Corex gas-based Midrex® direct-reduction (DR) dual-discharge plant.
 
The new facility, which will have a nominal production capacity of approximately 1.2 million tons of hot and cold direct-reduced iron per year, will be erected at JSW Steel Ltd., located in Vijayanagar, Toranagallu, Karnataka State, India. The order value is a low three-digit million euro figure.
 
JSW Steel has operated two Corex C-2000 modules with a nominal daily production capacity of 2,400 tonnes of hot metal since 1999. To date, the company has used the Corex export gas to generate electrical energy in a company-owned power station. However, JSW has now decided — based on continually increasing demand for steel in India — to utilize this gas to produce additional iron, placing an order for a Corex gas-based Midrex DR plant. The plant will be supplied by a cooperation comprising Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH, Austria; Linde AG, Engineering Division, Germany; Midrex Technologies, Inc., U.S.A.; Linde Engineering Pvt. Ltd., India; and Siemens VAI Metals Technologies Pvt. Ltd., India.
 
The project scope includes process engineering and supply of equipment, electrics and automation, as well as supervision of erection, start-up and commissioning, and the provision of training services. The DR plant will consist of a 7.15-meter diameter Midrex Shaft Furnace with gas-recycling and treatment facilities. It will be equipped with Siemens compressors for gas conveying and recirculation, and Linde gas-treatment equipment for the removal of CO2 from the process gas and for gas heating. The balance-of-plant portion will be provided by JSW Projects Ltd.
 
Corex export gas and recirculated top gas from the Midrex shaft furnace will be mixed and compressed, then CO2 will be removed. The resultant gas will be heated to the required process temperature and then used for the direct reduction of iron ore in the Midrex shaft furnace. A portion of the export gas from the DR plant will be used within the steel works for heating applications and power generation.
 
In addition to the utilization of Corex export gas for additional iron production, another key feature of the new plant will be the installation of the Hot Transport System (HTS). Developed by Siemens VAI, Midrex and Aumund Fördertechnik (Germany), this system will transport HDRI to an adjacent EAF steel mill that JSW Steel is currently planning. A similar HTS was first installed at the Hadeed Steel Works at Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia in 2007, facilitating shorter tap-to-tap times, increased productivity, and electrical energy savings during EAF melting.
 
Scheduled for start-up in mid-2013, the new DR plant at JSW Steel will be the second installation of a Corex gas-based Midrex DR plant. The design will be based on the experience acquired from a similar plant configuration that has been successfully operating at AM Saldanha Steel Works, South Africa, since 2000.
 
JSW Steel Ltd. is India's largest privately owned steel company.
 
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is a leading international supplier of environmentally friendly production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. The Sector consists of six divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility and Osram. With around 204,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry achieved in fiscal year 2010 total sales of approximately €34.9 billion.
 
The Siemens Industry Solutions Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world's leading solution and service providers for industrial and infrastructure facilities comprising the business activities of Siemens VAI Metals Technologies, Water Technologies and Industrial Technologies. Activities include engineering and installation, operation and service for the entire life cycle. With around 29,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry Solutions posted sales of €6.0 billion in fiscal year 2010.
 
Midrex Technologies, Inc. is an international process engineering and technology company providing steelmakers with commercially proven solutions for greater profitability, The company has been a leading innovator and technology supplier for the direct reduction of iron ore for more than 40 years, offering eco-friendly technologies for ironmaking that provide high productivity, high product quality, and cost competitiveness. Midrex has built its foundation upon the MIDREX Direct Reduction Process that converts iron ore into high-purity direct reduced iron (DRI) for use in steelmaking, ironmaking, and foundry applications. Each year, MIDREX Plants produce about 60% of the world's DRI.
 
The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 48,500 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2010 financial year, it achieved sales of EUR 12.868 billion. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.