High performance in production and flexibility
Being dimensioned for an annual production of more than 700,000 tons (with new reheating furnace in operation 2022), the heavy-plate mill of NLMK DanSteel A/S, can produce produce plates between 5 and 200 millimeters thick and 1,400 to 4,000 millimeters wide. In 2018 NLMK DanSteel placed the order for a new cooling system, thick plate cooling bed and modernization of an existing cold plate leveler to SMS.
The heart of the modernized heavy-plate production plant of NLMK DanSteel A/S, located in Frederiksvaerk, Denmark, is the new four-high rolling mill stand. Having more than double rollforce compared to the old millstand and being able to roll wider (4.25m compared to 3.6m roll barrel length of the old mill) it was challenging for SMS to locate this much heavier mill stand into the existing small mill building.
Te new developed coaxial CVC®plus system (Continuously Variable Crown) is applied, allowing NLMK DanSteel A/S to follow an extremely flexible production planning in combination with excellent plate profile and flatness tolerances and at the same time minimizing the maintenance (OPEX) costs.
Our supply is completed by the X-Pact® electrical and automation system. Level 1 automation is carried out entirely based on X-Pact® technology. The X-Pact® Vision operating concept is implemented according to latest ergonomic findings and enable the staff to operate the system intuitively for optimal process control. Level 2 process automation includes the technological process models from X-Pact® Pass Schedule Calculation (PSC®) to X-Pact® Profile and Flatness Control (PFC), drive control and MTS (Material Tracking System).
The modernization of the cold plate leveler, the installation of an inline accelerated cooling system and a new cooling bed for thick plates is a further step for improving the produced plate quality to top level and strengthens NLMK market position among others on thick plates for offshore applications.
The new plate cooling system is designed as a laminar cooling system, which is capable of cooling plates with a thickness of between 10 and 260 millimeters. This will allow NLMK DanSteel to produce high-strength plate for line pipes, shipbuilding and offshore wind parks. The cooling bed will be used for plates weighing 40 tons and up to 260 millimeters thick, though it is designed to handle plate weights of up to 62 tons in future.
As far as leveling the high-strength plate is concerned, SMS group is adapting the leveling model used by the hot-plate leveler to suit the extended product range. In the existing cold-plate leveler additionally to the mechanical adjustment system, a hydraulic main adjustment system was installed, ensuring the roll gap can be perfectly adjusted and controlled under load.
