A Chinese steel producer has placed an order for two ESP (Endless Strip Production) lines which directly link a high speed thin slab caster to the rolling mill without any need to crop the strand before entering the mill.
The energy consumption of this type of casting-rolling facility and the related costs are reduced by up to 45% compared to conventional casting and rolling processes. This results in a major reduction in CO2 emissions.
The new plants are designed for an annual production capacity of 2 x 2.6Mt of high-quality, ultra-thin, hot-rolled strip products with widths of up to 1600mm and thicknesses down to 0.8mm. Carbon steels, high-strength low alloyed (HSLA) grades and dual-phase steels will be produced.
The Chinese company will receive technical support and assistance for plant start-up and operations by personnel from the existing ESP plant at Acciaieria Arvedi SpA, Italy. The contactor to build the plant is Siemens Metals Technologies.
These casting-rolling facilities will be part of a new steelmaking facility currently under construction in China. The plant is scheduled to go into operation in 2015.