Archive > Iron & Steel Review > July 2011

Iron & Steel Review July 2011 Issue

Highlights of the Issue

Bokaro Steel Plant - On a path to flat-steel supremacy

VIEWPOINT

Steelmakers face higher input cost, sluggish demand
The Indian steel industry will confront severe challenges this year on account of increasing demand from the automobile and construction sectors, coupled with government spending on infrastructure.

COVER STORY

SAIL Plants to go Global
Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) is the biggest domestic steel producer of India. SAIL has contributed immensely to the growth of the country's economy by supplying steel towards its industrial development, particularly by providing steel for the key infrastructural sector like defence, railways, roads, bridges, power, housing, irrigation etc.

Bokaro Steel Plant: On a path to Flat-Steel Supremacy
Hailed as the first Swadeshi steel plant, Bokaro Steel Plant was built in collaboration with the then USSR. This fourth integrated steel plant in the public sector was originally setup as an independent company named Bokaro Steel Limited (from where its acronym BSL derives), and later became a unit of the Steel Authority of India (SAIL). Located in the mineral-rich state of Jharkhand in eastern Indian, it was the first plant dedicated exclusiverly to the production of flat steel products and long enjoyed the status of being the largest producer of flat steel in one location in the country.

Bokaro Steel Plant - sailing through a path of modernization and expansion
Bokaro Steel Plant is a vintage PSU in modern times. We have all the facilities of an Integrated Steel Plant (Production, Maintenance, Auxuliary shops, Foundries, Utilities, Technical Services etc.) along with a huge Township and extensive infrastructure for Healthcare, Education, Sports and Cultural activities.

SPECIAL FEATURE

Steel Reinforcement - Myths & Reality

I present a factual and comprehensive article on various aspects of steel rebars over the past 50 years in an attempt to clear the confusion and doubts amongst civil engineers due to mis-information that has been spread, in my opinion, by vested interests. The topics first include common Myths viz. ‘earthquake resistant rebars’, ‘secondary mill rebars are not good because they are made from scrap’, ‘only main producers can make good quality rebars’, 'X-rib pattern on rebars improve bond strength', and finally in the second part an analysis of the IS Rebar Codes in the period 1960s to 2008 - plain bars, CTD rebars and the new ‘TMT’ rebars.

TOPICS & TRENDS

• SAIL inks MoU with Mishra Dhatu Nigam

  India's biggest steel producer Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI), a Government of India enterprise, for exploring synergetic business opportunities in production of value-added products, enhanced research & development activities, exchange of technical experience and joint investment between the two companies.

• Timken launches new MileMate bearings for heavy truck industry

  The Timken Company announced the launch of MileMate matched wheel-bearing sets for the heavy truck industry. MileMate sets are a Timken matched inner and outer wheel end application bearings in a convenient single box. “We understand what the heavy truck industry demands from their

• JSPL to invest Rs.1,20,000 cr for Odisha projects

  Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) has announced to invest Rs. 1,20,000 crore for various projects in Odisha by the year 2020 and said that the capacity of their steel plant at Angul would be raised by the same time.

• JSPL selects Energiron for four new DRI plants

  Tenova HYL and Danieli & C SpA as a consortium have agreed with Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. (JSPL), New Delhi, India to supply the Energiron ZR DR technology for direct-reduced iron (DRI) plants to be installed in Angul and Raigarh sites in India.

• CII National Committee on Steel to build consensus on industry enablers for global competitiveness

  At the CII National Committee meeting, Mr. C.S. Verma, Chairman of the CII National Committee on Steel and Chairman of SAIL, emphasized that there is an immediate need for consensus building among stakeholders on key policy enablers for ensuring the growth of the steel industry and bringing about green steelmaking. He called upon industry to present itself in one voice and stressed on the need to work closely with government on key aspects related to the growth of the steel sector.

• Essar Group to enhance capacity at US pellet plant

  The Essar group has decided to enhance the capacity of its proposed iron ore pellet plant in the U.S. from 4 million tonnes to 7 million tonnes. The plant is expected to come up by the end of 2012.

• Toyota Kirloskar Motor recognizes Konecranes with an award

  Konecranes, a world leader in lifting industry has received the prestigious award from Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM). This award is the sincere appreciation for Konecranes best efforts and commitment in the area of facility and equipment for the successful completion of ETIOS project. Mr. H Nakagawa, Managing Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor presented this award to Mr. Sami Korpela, Country Manager of Konecranes India in a glittering award function held at Bangalore in April 2011.

• KIOCL bags lease to CNH iron ore reserve

  State-owned KIOCL has bagged lease to the 10 million tonnes Chikkanayakanahalli or CNH iron ore reserve, paving the way for supplies to its ore plant at Mangalore for at least three years.

• Tata Steel plans to increase investment in China

  Indian steelmaker Tata Steel is planning to increase up to 5% investment in China in the year 2012, as it seeks to maintain its market share.

• NMDC to setup Rs. 3000-cr pipeline

  India's largest iron ore producer, National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) will invest Rs. 3,000 crore to setup a 12-million tonne per annum (MTPA) slurry pipeline, for evacuating ore from its Bailadila mines in Chhattisgarh to Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

STEEL INTERNATIONAL

ABB welcomes Europe's new efficiency requirements for LV motors
June 2011 points a significant milestone for the energy efficiency of low-voltage (LV) motors in Europe.

Korea's POSCO breaks ground on new Finex steel plant
South Korean steel producer POSCO broke ground on a new KOR1.3 trillion ($1.2 billion) plant in the southeastern city of Pohang.

SMS Group: Market for Metallurgical Plant and Machinery picks up
The SMS group of metallurgical plant and machinery construction companies attracted an order intake in business year 2010 totaling 2,931 billion euros (2009: 2,341 billion euros) and generated sales of 3,036 billion euros (2009: 3,891 billion euros).

Siemens VAI wins order from Viraj Profiles
Siemens VAI Metals Technologies won an order from the stainless steel producer Viraj Profiles Ltd. to supply an AOD (argon-oxygen decarburization) converter for its plant located in Tarapur, Maharashtra.

FOCUS

• Extra Worth in Ferro Alloys Industry

  Looking to the worldwide, Global demand of steel & domestic increasing trend of steel demand, the consumption of Ferro Alloys is increasing rapidly in India and the rest of the world. That is encouraging the production capacities in India during this decade and further increasing the production capacities especially in Manganese Alloys.

STEEL MARKET

Steel industry plays key role in economic growth of India
Indian steel sectors have experienced a robust growth in 2010-11, mainly in the fourth quarter (January- March 2011), with rural development providing a much needed boost to the country's overall steel demand.

STEEL PLANT

Jindal Steel and the Indian Steel Industry
The origins of the Jindal Corporation go back more than 50 years, almost to the time when India gained independence. In 1952 in Liluah, a small Indian town near Kolkata, Om Prakash Jindal built a steel tube production plant, which laid the foundation for today's multi-billion steel conglomerate. A few years later, Jindal expanded to establish the country's first complete tube works in Hisar, Haryana, and opened its first large factory in 1969 under the name Jindal Strips Limited. The minimill meltshop in Hisar produced coils and sheet metal by the blast furnace route and became a successful model.

ROLLING MILL

Efficient coolant removal from the metal strip on cold Mill / process line
A very challenging issue facing cold mill facilities today is the removal of coolant from the sheet surface – in an efficient and effective manner. Many concepts have been tried, with varied effects and costs. When a coolant removal system is planned and integrated into a mill operation, one or more key refinements are typically desired...

The High Efficiency Drive Technology for Rolling Mills
The main target for designing a drive system for a rolling mill is to achieve the required product quality at a high throughput.
The drive has to provide the required torque and speed at the motor shaft in line with rolling schedule requirements. It should also deliver the operational overloads, dynamic performance, meet accuracy needs and provide stable operation.

STEEL MAKING

The most modern and cost-effective DRI technologies
The Energiron process is a leading technology, with plant capacities from 200,000 tpy to 2,000,000 tpy produced in a single reactor that can treat different raw materials like 100% iron ore pellet, 100% lump ore, BF pellet or a mix of all.

COMPANY NEWS

Freudenberg Gala Household inaugurates Adas plant
Freudenberg Gala Household Product held a ceremony celebrating the official inauguration of its new plant at Adas. The plant was especially honoured by a visit by the Honourable Minister of State for Railways of India, Shri BharatSinh Solanki, and the Honourable Minister of Finance of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Raghavji Savla.

Empowerment through Education: NMDC-KISS Collaboration MoU to benefit thousands of Tribal Students of Bastar
NMDC, far known as India's largest single producer of world's best iron ore and a Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Steel, Government of India, has once again created history by signing a unique Memorandum of Understanding with Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) at Hyderabad on 23rd June for establishing and managing a fully residential public school for the benefit of the tribal students of Bastar, Chhattisgarh. The MoU was signed at NMDC Corporate Office by Dr. A Samanta, Founder of KISS and Sri GB Joshi, Director (Per), NMDC in the presence of Sri Rana Som, CMD and other Directors of NMDC.

GAJRA - the latest innovation from Gates
India currently stands as 5th largest manufacturer of steel in the world. According to Credit Suisse 'the international financial services giants', the steel sector in India is growing at a rate of 16 per cent and will continue to do so till 2012 due to the rise in the demand for construction projects that go up to almost USD 1 trillion. As per The Ministry of Steel in India the capacity of steel manufacturing is likely to touch 124.06 million tonnes by 2012.

PRODUCT NEWS

Havells introduces 'Endura Lite' - new age lighting innovations
Lighting is one of the most important aspects in home and commercial space décor, the reason being the dearth of day light source in buildings due to space constraints for placing windows and ventilators in modern day buildings. There are different types of decorative lighting available in the market and though they might look attractive but how many of them are energy efficient is a bone of contention. Usually, low price lighting consumes more power than desired and emits less light which leads to wastage of power and are not environment friendly too.

AUTOMATION

Danieli Automation model-based and predictive control system for heating units
The first step to control a heating furnace is to measure what is inside it.
The use of temperature measuring instruments have always been debated, thus, the mathematical model of the heat-diffusion process is used as a virtual sensor of products in furnace.

COIL COATING

Coil Coating Industry: on a fast track of growth & development
The process of coil coating points on an incessant and exceedingly automated for coating metal before fabrication. Coil coating makes the way for controls which are almost of much complexity and are quite difficult to achieve with other painting processes. A flat steel needs mechanical cleaning in addition to the spray cleaning. The flat steel allows outstanding control of coating weights of both the pre-treatment and the paint to within a tenth of a mil or less, depending upon the equipment and the paint being applied.

CASTING INDUSTRY

Casting (Foundry) Industry: globally going steady while need a domestic buck-up
Encouraged by a fast growth rate, the country of China is establishing itself as a casting legacy at a speed which has created some points of anxiety among many parts of the western world.

MATERIAL HANDLING

Material Handling and Processing Industry: gaining momentum with time
The term of material handling relates itself to the set of equipment which includes the movement, storage, control and protection of materials, goods and products throughout the process of manufacturing, distribution, consumption and disposal. Material handling equipment is the mechanical equipment being concerned in the complete system.

STEEL WATER MANAGEMENT

Water & Waste Water Management at an Integrated Steel Plant of SAIL
Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL), a Maharatna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), is the largest steel producer in India with a production of 13.45 MT of crude steel during 2010-11. It operates and owns five integrated steel plants at Bhilai, Durgapur, Rourkela, Bokaro and Burnpur and three special steels plants at Salem, Durgapur and Bhadravati and has a subsidiary Maharashtra Elektrosmelt Ltd. at Chandrapur, being a bulk producer of ferro alloys. In addition to this, SAIL has a mining network with twelve iron ore mines, three collieries and seven flux quarries. Being a responsible company, SAIL has always strived to minimize its raw material utilization, water consumption, energy use and environmental pollution. Steel production is water intensive; hence, water and waste water management is a key concern for SAIL. This paper deals with the multi-dimensional approach of one of the SAIL steel plants, viz. Bhilai Steel Plant, for water and waste water management.

REFRACTORY

Refractories Industry in India - present scenario, issues and way forward
The Indian refractory industry has witnessed sustained growth in the past few years buoyed by the growth in the iron & steel, cement and non-ferrous industries. Refractories play an extremely important role in the development of the core sector, a fact which mostly remains unnoticed. Although, turnover-wise it is miniscule compared to the GDP of the country, it is critical to the production process and as well as quality. The industry, which is now at the advanced stage of growth has the capability to address the increased challenges posed by the user industries like stringent operating parameters, demand for clean steel etc.

Blast Furnace Hearth Design Evolution
Prior to1970's, the common design was to use one type of material - usually standard carbon - for the full hearth. A very thick bottom was employed with a small well depth and relatively thin hearth walls. In many cases, an “elephant foot” wear profile was found with strong wear in the bottom and lower hearth wall.

Challenges for EAF refractories at Essar Steel Ltd.
Essar Steel Ltd., one of the leading steel makers in India, is strategically located at the western part of the country at Hazira, Gujarat. Present rated capacity is 4.6 million tonnes of liquid steel per annum through 4 nos. of DC electric arc furnace of 150 tonne capacity, 4 no. of ladle refining furnace, VD/VOD, RH Degasser and 3 no. of slab casters. HBI and hot DRI are the main inputs in the electric arc furnace.

STEEL TECHNOLOGY

Integrated roll shopd for heavy plate applications
Pomini is a leader in the field of roll grinders and auxiliary equipment for roll shops. We are capable to design, manufacture and commission all the machines required in a roll shop and fully integrate these machines together in a “turnkey” philosophy. In the particular field of heavy plate roll shops, Pomini has excellent references since 1989 for supply of heavy duty roll grinders all over the world, with great satisfaction of all our customers.

New technologies for BOf primary gas cleaning: 2nd generation of dry-type ESP and Hydro Hybrid Filter technology
In BOF plants, utilizing converter gas recovery, gas cleaning is nowadays possible by wet scrubbers and the round-type ESP. As environmental regulations will become more restrictive and wet scrubbers may no longer fulfill these requirements, the round dry and wet-type ESP are the only alternative.

POST METEC REVIEW

ISR Infomedia participates at METEC 2011
The quartet of international technology trade fair GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST concluded this year with much glamour and fanfare.

SEMINAR & CONFERENCE

TRMA takes its crusade for 'Proper Steel Reinforcement' to Chennai
The All-India campaign of Thermex Rebar Manufacturers' Association (TRMA) reached Chennai city on 11th June as the association's expert speakers delivered the proprietary and muchdemanded presentation on 'Steel Reinforcement - Myths and Reality' to a sterling gathering of government and nongovernment bodies. TRMA's all-India campaign was first flagged off in Mumbai in March 2011.