EuroWire May 2024

Corporate News

High-capacity hot strip mill commissioned By rolling the first hot strip, SMS has put into operation the new high-capacity hot strip mill (HSM) at Jindal Steel Odisha Ltd (JSOL), a subsidiary of the OP Jindal Group.

The range of steel grades that can be processed includes sophisticated grades such as HSLA, pipe grades and silicon steels. The share of harder material grades is more than 20 per cent. Very thin strips can be rolled reliably and stably by implementation of various innovative rolling technologies. For optimal temperature regulation in the roughing mill, SMS installed the newly developed transfer bar cooling system, which prevents uncontrolled air-cooling during oscillation. By equalising the temperature, product homogeneity is improved. The Hibox heat preservation hoods simplify inspection and maintenance. The heat panels make the finishing train’s rolling behaviour more stable, and JSOL is able to shift the product mix toward smaller final thicknesses and/or higher strength steel grades. Arranged between the second roughing stand and the finishing mill, the mandrel-less coil box forms transfer bar into coils, and equalises the temperature over the transfer bar length. Coiling the transfer bar prevents the inner windings from cooling. Material and heat are accumulated, providing a positive effect on the material to be rolled. The edge heater, located upstream of the finishing mill descaler, utilises inductive heating. Its primary role is to enhance strip edge quality by maintaining optimal pre-rolling temperatures.

SMS implemented the HSM in JSOL’s Angul works in the Indian federal state of Odisha. While it is the first hot strip mill at this location, SMS has previously supplied several metallurgical plants to the Indian steel producer. In 2021, JSOL placed the order with SMS for the erection of the 1,780mm HSM, to be equipped with advanced hot strip production technologies, especially in the rolling of hot strip to thin final gauges. SMS’s main scope of equipment included the primary descaler; roughing stand No.1 in two-high design with attached edger; roughing stand No.2 in four-high design, also with attached edger; transfer bar cooling system; Hibox® heat preservation hoods; mandrel-less coil box; edge heating equipment; drum shear; secondary descaler; a seven-stand finishing mill; laminar cooling; and three down coilers. SMS’s AMOVA integrated business unit supplied a coil conveying system, coil-strapping machines, marking machine and an inspection line. In the roughing mill section, slabs up to 12m in length, with a thickness range from 180 to 260mm and a width range from 800 to 1,680mm, are rolled down to transfer bar thickness. The range of hot strip thicknesses is 1.2 to 20mm. In total, JSOL’s HSM is designed for an annual capacity of five million tons.

The seven-stand finishing mill is equipped with hydraulic adjustment systems, hydraulic loopers and the latest CVC® plus (continuously variable crown) combined work roll shifting and bending systems. SMS group GmbH www.sms-group.com

The finishing mill stands are provided with latest generation actuators for precise and efficient rolling operation

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May 2024