Aperam South America contracted Danieli for the revamping of the Steckel mill plant at Timoteo in Brazil. The purpose of the investment is to widen the product portfolio to better meet the market demand and serve high-value customers.
The upgraded Steckel mill plant will enable Aperam to produce electrical, carbon, 410T-grade stainless steel, as well as Inconel 625, Duplex 2101 and 2205, and 3xx- and 4xx-series stainless steel, Silicon Steel GNO and GO to thicknesses down to 1.8 mm. To make this possible Danieli will intervene in four different plant areas. These are the roughing mill, the new finishing Steckel mill, the laminar cooling system, and the downcoiler area.
Modernization process
Danieli will also modernize the Process Control and Automation system of the entire Steckel mill, integrating both new and existing equipment. To reduce modernization risks and start-up time, the new Level 1 and Level 2 control systems will be duly tested on-site in shadow mode, before the main shutdown scheduled for the installation of the new mill stand.
A Hydraulic Automatic Gap Control-HAGC will be implemented to improve the roughing mill capacity and performance. A high-pressure hydraulic cylinder will allow the mill stand to apply a 3400-ton force. Next up, a new Danieli finishing stand will replace the previous one. This includes modern automation control and advanced mill features. For example, HAGC, bending, shifting and thermal-crown control for high-quality products.
Further enhancements
A first section of the power laminar cooling system will be installed to increase the cooling rate and allow for new and advanced steel grades. The downcoiler area, on the other hand, will be upgraded with a new, double-stage reducer to allow coiling of all different products, from thin and soft strips to thick and hard ones. The project also will focus on environmental aspects, optimizing energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Danieli equipment are preassembled and tested in workshops before shipping. Thus, on-site erection activities and shut-down time can be minimized. The plant modernization will be completed during the shutdown, which is expected by 2023.
