News

Chinalco Rolls First Coil with the New Danieli Steckel Mill

The Chinalco Steckel mill plant was designed to produce 4,000 tpy of plates and 58,000 tpy of coils for stainless and non-ferrous alloys (titanium, nickel and copper) for a total capacity of 62,000 tpy. Thanks to its compact design, a complete line from cast ingot furnaces to plate finishing line can fit into only 200 m.

The exceptional mix of grades, including TA1, TA2, TC2, TC4; nickel and its alloys; copper and its alloys; and stainless steels such as AISI 304 and AISI 316, required a customized layout that has several particular features, such as a shiftable electric reheating furnace, Steckel technology and a four-high mill stand, capable of reaching a separating force of 60,000 kN.

The line is completed by bottom-drive vertical edger, to control material spread during the rolling process; a flying crop shear, to guarantee the good shape of head/tail before the coiling in the coiling drums; U-tube laminar cooling, divided into three zones, to guarantee the proper cooling and ensure the metallurgic characteristic of the end products; and a hot plate leveler (completely designed and manufactured by Danieli). The entire automation system for the mill line, including Level 1 and Level 2 automation and control system, complete with HiPAC® PLC technology, was designed and supplied by Danieli Automation.

Supervision at installation, start-up and commissioning also were included in Danieli’s scope of supply, providing a smooth and fast ramp-up curve for Chinalco plant. 

Danieli started the cold commissioning of this new line in June 2015. The hot commissioning has already started and the first plates were rolled to 25 mm thickness successfully in September.

This good preliminary result confirms Danieli as world leader in the design and supply of Steckel mills.

By Danieli.