Modernized stainless steel continuous caster from Siemens goes on stream at Posco

Siemens Metals Technologies has modernized and put into operation a single-strand continuous caster at Pohang Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. (Posco) in Pohang, Korea, for production of stainless steel slabs.

SSC 2 caster at Stainless Steel Mill 2 was equipped with a number of technology packages from Siemens, enabling Posco to produce a wide range of different and advanced stainless steel grades, and to further enhance the quality of the slabs cast. From day one, the caster produced high-quality slabs in fully automatic mode. At the beginning of October, Siemens received the Final Acceptance Certificate.

Siemens supplied the SSC 2 continuous caster to the Pohang factory originally in 1996 and modernized it in 2003. The latest modernization project covered a replacement of the entire casting plant starting from the tundish car up to the slab discharge area. The original concept of a bow-type continuous casting machine with a straight mold, continuous bending and unbending, a machine radius of eight meters and a metallurgical length of around 20 meters remained unchanged.

Siemens was responsible for the project management, the engineering for mechanics, fluid systems, electrics and automation, as well as the supply of mechanical key equipment, fluid systems, electrics, automation and new technology packages. Furthermore Siemens provided manufacturing supervision and site services for installation and commissioning. Project execution and implementation was carried out within schedule. This was achieved applying the well proven “Connect and Cast” revamping concept from Siemens, considering limited space and reusing existing foundations.

Newly implemented technology packages include DynaWidth for the on-line adjustment of the slab width, the DynaFlex mold oscillator and the LevCon mold level control with anti-bulging compensation. Strand treatment is done with DynaGap Soft Reduction and the Dynacs 3D cooling model, including DynaJet spray nozzels. This enables Posco to produce a wide range of different and high-quality stainless steel grades, especially improving internal slab quality for martensitic stainless steel grades. The caster produces slabs with thicknesses from140 millimeters up to 200 millimeters and widths between 1,000 and 1,850 millimeters. Casting speed is up to 1.4 meters per minute.

The Metals Technologies Business Unit, based in Linz, Austria, is one of the world's leading lifecycle partners for the metallurgical industry. The Business Unit offers a comprehensive portfolio of technologies, modernization solutions, products and services, as well as integrated automation and environmental solutions for entire plant lifecycles.

For further information on solutions for steelworks, rolling mills and processing lines, please see www.siemens.com/metals