Recently, a joint venture of Chinese steel producers Taiyuan Iron and Steel Group Co. (TISCO) and Shandong Xinhai Industry granted the final acceptance certificate (FAC) to Primetals Technologies for an extensive combination of meltshop and casting equipment at a stainless steel plant in Linyi, Shandong province, China.
All equipment has been implemented successfully, with performance figures exceeding the customer’s expectations. For example, charge-to-tap times of less than 89 minutes, including the intermediate deslagging process, are achieved on a regular basis, which is particularly remarkable as the mass build-up of materials in the AOD converter is high.
The process optimization systems are also showing great results. The contractual performance value for the hitting rate, i.e., 85% for a temperature range from -10 to +15 degrees Celsius, was already reached during startup. These systems are now exhibiting hitting rates of almost 100% for the given temperature and carbon windows.
The key equipment for this large project supplied by Primetals Technologies comprises four converters in total, two continuous slab casters, the AOD Controller, which is a process control system, and the process optimization system AOD Optimizer. Primetals Technologies has engineered, supplied, and implemented two AOD converters and two converters that can be used for either AOD or DeSi processes the latter process desiliconizes the melt before it is sent to the AOD converters. The converter scope also encompasses Vaicon Quick vessel-suspension systems that ensure the fastest-possible vessel exchange.