Zenith Nantong’s first BOF is hot tested

Zenith Nantong Steel’s basic oxygen furnace 3 and ladle furnace 2 have been hot tested.

Construction of the Jiangsu Province steelmaking plant began in October 2020. BOF3, its first major unit, was in operation within 14.5 months. CISDI was its EPC-based service provider.

The furnace is the first of its kind at Nantong.

CISDI has been tasked with building three BOFs, each with a 190 tonne capacity, twin LFs, three argon-blowing and wire-feeding stations and their utilities.

It is also creating the buildings for the main steelmaking workshop and continuous casting production (from transitional and feedstock bays to downstream rolling line), plus the civil foundations and foundation-piling for three 12-strand continuous casters.

 

Melting taking place at Zenith Nantong Steel’s BOF3

 

Zenith’s ladle furnace 2 has passed its hot test

 

✧       CISDI-SACS BOF - leading efficient, stable production

CISDI’s patented, advanced tech and equipment is ensuring super-efficient, stable melting production.

Features which have led to a faster tap-to-tap cycle time and improved the quality of liquid steel:

•  The world’s most innovative SACS BOF, featuring a four-point linkage suspension system, has resulted in safer and more reliable operations

•  An online alloy baking device

•  A patented sub-lance system

•  Skimmer bar and plate applied to BOF tapping

•  A ladle slag detection device

 

✧       World-class green tech makes production cleaner

The Nantong meltshop is a clean producer, thanks to the following advanced CISDI tech and equipment:

•  A one ladle transfer process applied to the transportation of hot metal from the ironmaking plant to the BOF steelmaking plant. It reduces hot metal temperature drop and results in a higher temperature when it is charged into the BOF

•  A combined cold and hot charge-way from the continuous casting plant to the rolling line keeps the billet’s feed-in temperature high

•  The steel ladle is covered throughout the entire melting process, creating a cleaner procedure and conserving energy

•  Collectors have been installed at all process dust-generating positions in the steelmaking and continuous casting plants, including a dry dedusting method at the BOF’s primary fume cleaning system, plus secondary and tertiary roof dust collectors. Nantong’s meltshop meets all China’s metallurgical ultra-low emissions standards.

 

✧       Intelligent tech helping smart, scientific decision making

Advanced intelligent tech and facilities applied to create a smart melting process:

•  One-touch steelmaking and automatic tapping tech

•  An integrated logistics management system at the workshops keeps track of materials, from hot metal charging into the steelmaking plant to continuous casting

•  Embracing the operational status of the iron and steel ladles, the scrap basket and the crane within the process automation management system achieves real-time acquisition of site data and makes production scheduling more scientific

•  A centralised utilities control centre, at a cloud platform, achieves intelligent, integrated control of liquid steel treatment and dust collection systems, a benchmarking intelligent steel demo.

 

✧       Battling against schedule and climate challenges

CISDI’s experienced managers and elite engineers faced a seriously tight schedule and on-site challenges complicated by coastal geological conditions, typhoons and storms.

The pandemic and market uncertainties posed other challenges.

But the expert project team fulfilled their targets on schedule and with a high-quality outcome.

 

CISDI’s engineer (left) discusses a solution with client and partner at Nantong steelmaking plant

 

CISDI’s youth pacesetter team, employees who act as mentors, celebrates the BOF3’s operation at Nantong site office