The Russian steel producer Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) plans in November this year to start the pre-commissioning of its new continuous slab caster No. 6 and of the secondary steel treatment unit at its converter shop, which are part of its plate mill 5000 project. The new units are intended to provide input material for rolling plate with strength up to X120 to be used for large diameter pipes and exterior auto body parts.
MMK has already finished the construction of the foundation for the continuous slab caster, and is finishing the construction of the site and the installation of the unit's auxiliary equipment. By the end of October this year, MMK plans to finish the installation of the continuous slab caster's equipment, supplied by German plantmaker SMS Siemag (previously SMS Demag).
MMK is also continuing the construction of its secondary steel treatment unit. The company completed the building of the new ladle furnace and of the vacuum degasser, and is currently installing the unit's equipment, supplied by SMS Siemag's subsidiary SMS-Mevac GmbH. The process equipment of the secondary steel treatment unit will include a twin ladle furnace, a twin circulation-type vacuum degasser, a slag removal stand for the casting ladle, and a homogenization unit for soft blowing the steel in the ladle.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, the purpose of the secondary treatment unit is to ensure that all the steel poured into the slab concaster No. 6 acquires the characteristics needed to produce premium quality plates, and also to broaden the mix of steel grades, especially as regards special steels.
MMK's new continuous slab caster No. 6, located on an area of 87,500 square meters, will be able to produce 1.65 million mt per year of high quality slabs of 190 mm, 250 mm and 300 mm thickness and up to 2,700 mm width, and will satisfy the slab feedstock requirements of its new plate mill 5000, commissioned in the second half of July this year.
The new units are scheduled to be commissioned by the end of the current year.
MMK's oxygen converter shop is currently operating five continuous slab casters, with a total annual capacity of about ten million mt.