Shougang Jintang invests in Three Process Lines Equipped with Fives Stein Furnaces
Shougang Jintang undertook this investment project in February 2005 to fulfill two main aims: first, to remain one of China’s 5 steel industry leaders and secondly, in response to the Chinese authorities’ environmental concerns, as the firm’s original site is in the Beijing suburbs (a mere 17 km from Tiananmen Square). This ambitious fourphase project was to relocate its facilities to Caofeidan Island (near Tangshan, East of Beijing).
Works began by earthmoving on an immense scale, tripling the island’s original size and creating a causeway link to the mainland.
The client had already awarded Fives Stein the contract to supply the Vertical Digital Furnace of its annealing line (CAL#1), in 2007, during phase 1 of the work to expand the Caofeidan site. Having been highly satisfied with both the conduct of the CAL#1 project and the technologies implemented by Fives Stein, Shougang Jingtang turned to it once again for the deployment of phase 2.
On 8 October 2008, Shougang Jingtang also called upon Fives Stein to supply three Vertical Digital Furnaces for the continuous annealing line No.2 (CAL#2) and for the continuous galvanizing lines Nos.3 and 4 (CGL#3 and CGL#4).
The CAL#2 continuous annealing line will be among the largest in the world with an annual capacity of more than 1,000,000 metric tons. It will produce steel strips in widths up to 2,080 mm, being currently the largest feasible rolling mill width. Equipped with the latest technologies, including ultrafast Flash Cooling® with a high hydrogen content, this line will be capable of producing all current and future grades of steel, particularly the new high-strength steels (HSS Steels) for the automotive industry. With an hourly throughput capacity of over 230 metric tons at a process speed of 420 meters per minute, the line will process more than 8 steel coils per hour.
The continuous galvanizing line CGL#3 will also be capable of producing steel strip widths of up to 2,080 mm, making it one of the continuous galvanizing lines producing the world’s widest products. With a focus on leading-edge products for the automotive industry, it boasts a Digital Vertical Furnace and an after-pot cooling tower equipped with a Galvannealing system for improving steel sheet appearance and weldability; this is a prerequisite among others for the Japanese car-makers’ market.
This system will bring the cooling tower height to over 65 meters (the equivalent of a more than 20-storey building).
The continuous galvanizing line CGL#4, with an hourly steel strip output capacity of 110 metric tons in widths up to 1,630 mm, is dedicated to more conventional products. This line completes the set of three process lines in phase 2 for Shougang Jingtang. With these three installations, the steel maker will increase its production capacity in annealed and coated steel coils by 2,000,000 metric tons per year.
The order for these three furnaces includes the engineering, key equipment and on-site supervision. Based on Fives Stein’s designs, part of the equipment will be manufactured locally by Shougang Jingtang, which will also perform the assembly itself.
Fives Stein’s main partners are SMS Demag and Siemens for the continuous annealing line, and CMI and Siemens for the continuous galvanizing lines.
The commissioning of the three processing lines is scheduled for early 2011.