Siemens company receives 44 million Euro order

The Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services Group (I&S) has received an order from Baoshan Iron & Steel Company (Baosteel) in Shanghai, China, to equip a new plate mill with electrical and automation equipment.

The plant includes a rolling mill and a finishing shop and is to start production in the spring of 2005. Baosteel will have the largest and most modern facility of this kind in China. The value of the contract amounts to around 44 million Euros.

According to a statement, the plate mill in Baoshan district will be able to produce around 1.4 million metric tons a year in its first development phase. The aim is the production of metal sheeting with thicknesses between 5 and 150 millimetres and a width of up to 4800 millimetres for the ship-building industry, gas and oil pipelines, boilers and bridges.

The first development phase of the mill includes two re-heating furnaces, a batch furnace, a plate-finishing stand with edger, an accelerated cooling line and a hot plate leveller.

The shear and finishing line will contain cooling and inspection beds, shears, a cold plate leveller and painting line. In a future second development phase, the capacity of the mill is to be increased to around 1.8 million metric tons, giving Baosteel one of the largest and most modern plants of this kind in the world.

Siemens is supplying the automation system, sensors and measurement devices, drive, static var compensation system and all the AC drives, including one of the largest twins drives in the world with a rated power of 2 x 10 megawatts and a maximum torque output of 2 x 4775 kNm at 250% overload.

These synchronous motors with robust non-salient pole are said to be suited for the heavy loads encountered in a plate mill.

Process computers supervise and control the entire plate production process. The automation system is based on the 'Siroll' system platform and includes basic automation and technological control as well as operator control and visualisation systems.

According to Siemens, the combination of analytic process models with neural networks keeps all process parameters within tight limits. Special modules take care of plan view control, thermomechancial rolling, tapered plate production, mill pacing and shear optimisation.

Siemens will also co-ordinate the design and installation of the electrical equipment for the entire mill line and the shear finishing line. This includes the integration of SMS-Demag AG automation software packages for Profile and Flatness Control (CVC+), Accelerated Cooling and Plate Leveller.