A new slab caster 2 supplied by CISDI has been hot tested at Baowu Echeng Steel in China’s Hubei Province.

Slab produced has a 300-millimetre thick cross-section and a width of 2,000mm. Its steel grade is Q355B.

Three continuous heats with a casting speed of 0.75 metres per minute were carried out. A macroscopic structure inspection of hot-tested slabs resulted in a C0.5 rating.

The new single strand caster, 10.5 metres in basic radius, has been integrated into an existing building. It will improve product mix and quality to meet market requirements and creating greater values for customers.

Caster 2 is designed to produce 1.60 million tonnes of slabs a year in thicknesses of 250, 300 and 360mm and widths ranging from 1,500 to 2,300mm.

A higher standard of slabs is ensured thanks to:

●            an innovative roller apron design

●            optimised secondary cooling nozzles, which can be adjusted to the width direction

●            three-dimensional dynamic secondary cooling and dynamic soft reduction.

CISDI took on the technological leadership during caster 2’s build and was responsible for supplies and technical assistance.

As the new caster 2 will produce products with similar specifications to those produced at the existing Caster 3, the team linked their shared facilities and operational practices.

The casters’ working platforms are connected, but part of the existing civil facilities needed to be reused. 

The team faced numerous complications during design, construction and commissioning, but were able to fulfil hot commissioning in just 12 days, a record in China.

This put the project 30 days ahead of the contractual commissioning schedule, which helped to increase Baowu Echeng’s profits.

A slab is cut by a torch cutter at Echeng Steel’s new slab caster 2