NLMK Group, a global steel company with operations in Russia, the USA, and the EU, has launched a project to upgrade its continuous casting line (CCM-9) at its flagship Lipetsk production site.
The upgrade will enable an 80% boost in the capacity of the line (to 1.8 million tons per year), and the production of “heavy” slabs up to 400 mm thick and up to 2,800 mm wide.
Heavy gauge slabs are rolled into plates used for the production of large-diameter pipes, wind turbines, sea vessels, and offshore drilling rigs.
Konstantin Lagutin, NLMK Group Vice President, Investment Projects, said: “The CCM-9 upgrade is one of the key projects of NLMK Group’s new strategic cycle. The goal is to consolidate our long-term competitive advantages in the global market. Together with other steelmaking upgrade projects, CCM-9 will enable NLMK Lipetsk to boost its slab capacity by 1 million tons per year, and add new products to its market offering.”
The new CCM-9 project incorporates advanced process solutions that will enhance the line’s capacity to produce heavy gauge slabs. The reconstruction will improve process logistics and cut repair and maintenance costs. The use of a modern deep learning mathematical control model, and innovative solutions for slab cooling mode control, will enable the production of high-strength and crack-sensitive steel grades used in the manufacture of products designed for harsh environments, i.e. drilling rigs, bridges, cranes, dump truck bodies, and wind turbines.
SMS Group (Germany) was selected as the supplier of engineering and main process equipment for the project.
Basic engineering has already been completed. Project design documentation is currently being finalized. Construction and assembly works are scheduled to begin in Q4. In Q2 2019, the line will be idled for the reconstruction until December 2019. (NLMK/Ukrainian metal)