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Siemens VAI Upgrades Wuhan Rod Mill
10/17/2008 - Siemens VAI successfully upgrades a twin-strand rod mill for Wuhan Iron & Steel with the addition of Morgan’s Reducing Sizing Mill to each strand for single-family rolling throughout the mill.
Siemens VAI has successfully upgraded a twin-strand rod mill for Wuhan Iron & Steel. Originally designed to produce 700,000 tons of low carbon and medium carbon steel per year, the mill now achieves a record production of 850,000 tons of quality carbon steel per year at higher speeds and with greater mill utilization.
Wuhan Iron & Steel, China’s oldest steelmaker, built the twin-strand rod mill in 1996. As market demand shifted to higher-quality products and heavier coils, the company began an upgrade process.
“Together with the increase of production, also the product mix has moved from 85% low carbon and medium carbon steel, producing 1.8-tonne coils, to 70% quality carbon steel grades,” reported Michael Xuan of Morgan Construction, Siemens VAI’s U.S.-based specialist for high speed wire rod mills. These production figures have been confirmed by Wuhan Iron & Steel’s Cheng Xianzhou, Director and Zhu Shuangxue, Director, Quality Control Department of Heavy Section Mill Plant.
“Together with the increase of production, also the product mix has moved from 85% low carbon and medium carbon steel, producing 1.8-tonne coils, to 70% quality carbon steel grades,” reported Michael Xuan of Morgan Construction, Siemens VAI’s U.S.-based specialist for high speed wire rod mills. These production figures have been confirmed by Wuhan Iron & Steel’s Cheng Xianzhou, Director and Zhu Shuangxue, Director, Quality Control Department of Heavy Section Mill Plant.
The highlight of the modification was the addition of Morgan’s Reducing Sizing Mill to each strand for single-family rolling throughout the mill, easier setup, and lower inventory of spare rolls and guides. The new RSMs also help to provide better finished product tolerance and more uniform finished product properties.
Other benefits of the modifications include an approximately 10% increase in mill utilization, adjusted roll-pass design, reduced guide changing time, closer temperature controls for low-temperature rolling of specialty steel grades, larger billet size, reduced cobble rate, reduced water use, and greater information exchange throughout the plant.
Siemens VAI completed the rod mill upgrade in just 58 days.
Wuhan Iron & Steel, China’s oldest steelmaker, is today the largest tire cord producer in China, with 250,000 tonnes per year dedicated to 5.5-mm coil.
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is a leading international supplier of production, transportation and building systems. The Sector comprises six Divisions: Building Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility, Drive Technologies and Osram. In fiscal 2007 (ended September 30), Siemens Industry generated sales of approximately EUR40 billion (pro forma, unconsolidated) with around 209,000 employees worldwide.
With the business activities of Siemens VAI Metal Technologies, (Linz, Austria), Siemens Water Technologies (Warrendale, Pa.), and Industry Technologies, (Erlangen, Germany), the Siemens Industry Solutions Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world's leading solution and service providers for industrial and infrastructure facilities. Using its own products, systems and process technologies, Industry Solutions develops and builds plants for end customers, commissions them and provides support during their entire life cycle.
