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Siemens Starts up Ultra-thick Slab Caster at Posco

04/05/2011 - Siemens VAI recently started up a two-strand ultra-thick slab caster capable of casting slabs in thicknesses up to 400 mm at Posco's Pohang Works in Korea.

Siemens VAI recently started up a two-strand ultra-thick slab caster capable of casting slabs in thicknesses up to 400 mm at Posco's Pohang Works in Korea.
 
Posco originally placed the order for the caster in November 2007. It was to be capable of casting up to 1.3 million tonnes of a wide range of carbon steel grades per year. Designed with a metallurgical length of 24 meters, the caster was erected in in the Pohang Works Continuous Casting Plant No. 3 (CCP3).
 
Following the caster’s start-up in two-strand casting mode, all equipment and systems functioned as designed beginning with the first heat. Slabs are cast with a thickness of either 250 or 400 mm, and at widths from 1100 to 2200 mm. The caster features a wide range of Siemens VAI technological packages, including DynaFlex for the flexible adjustment of the mold-oscillation parameters, LevCon mold-level control, DynaWidth slab-width adjustment, and Smart Segments for fast slab-thickness changes.
 
The combination of Dynacs 3D, 3D Sprays and I-Star Revolver rollers offers a maximum in secondary cooling flexibility as the basis for achieving highest slab surface quality. Dynacs 3D calculates the temperature at any point within the strand in real time, allowing the optimum secondary-cooling setpoints to be defined. Dynamically adjustable 3D Sprays prevent overcooling of the slab corners for all slab widths. The application of I-Star Revolver rollers, which do not require spray-water cooling, supports a more gradual and uniform cooling of the slab surface, which minimizes the tendency for surface defects when casting crack-sensitive steel grades or ultra-thick slabs.
 
High internal slab quality is ensured by a unique machine concept featuring a 3.6-meter long vertical section at the top of the strand-guide system to promote the floatation of undesired impurities in the liquid steel. Application of DynaGap SoftReduction allows the final strand-solidification position to be precisely determined, thus allowing for dynamic and precise adjustment of the roller-gap taper in the area of final strand solidification in order to minimize strand segregation as required for high-end products. The Connect & Cast capability of the installed technological packages not only shortened the installation and assembly period, but also accelerated the production ramp-up to nominal capacity.
 
Posco’s new Siemens VAI slab caster is the only ultra-thick slab caster in Korea. This start-up follows the commissioning of the 400-mm ultra-thick slab caster in June 2010 at Qinhuangdao Shouqin Metal Material Co., Ltd. in Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province, China.
 
Note: Dynacs, Smart, DynaGap Soft Reduction and Connect & Cast are registered trademarks of Siemens AG and/or one of its subsidiaries.
 
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is a leading international supplier of environmentally friendly production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. The Sector comprises 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.