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IRON & STEEL REVIEW

June 2010

Ferro alloys makers should prepare for good times ahead

VIEWPOINT
Ferro alloys makers should prepare for good times ahead
The Indian steel industry had come out of recession and now in an expansion mode. The demand for ferro-alloys, which are critical inputs for steel manufacturing, will also go up. The Indian Steel Scenario seems to be bottoming out and consequently the Ferro Alloy Production and Industry expect to have a better year ahead.

SPECIAL FEATURE
SAIL - An Overview
The Indian steel industry was the third fastest growing steel industry in the world next only to China. The demand for Indian steel was growing at 8-9 % as against a global average of 5-6 %. By 2006, with a current capacity of 38 million tonnes per annum (MTA) the Indian steel industry was the eighth largest producer of steel in the world. Over the years, India produced international quality steel of almost all varieties and had been a net exporter of steel, though in smaller quantities. On November 4 2005, the Indian Government gave its approval for the National Steel Policy (NSP), which aimed at hiking production to over 100 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTA) to make the Indian steel industry globally competitive in terms of cost, quality and product mix. The NSP anticipated achieving 100 MTA by 2019-20 from 38 MTA in 2004-05. On the demand side, the strategy was to create additional demand for steel through promotional efforts, awareness creation and strengthening the delivery chain, especially in rural areas. On the supply side, the strategy was to create additional capacity, remove procedural and policy bottlenecks in the availability of inputs such as iron ore and coal, make higher investments in R & D and human resource development and improvise infrastructure such as roads, railways and ports. The core of this vision was Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL), one of Indian government’s “Maharatna” public sector undertakings (PSU).

The Steel Industry in India : Development after the Global meltdown
The global economy is recovering from the shock of the Financial Meltdown of September 2008 and fortunately for all us, the recovery has been better than what we had thought a year or so back. The reversal of the recessionary trends is being reflected in the projections of global output report of IMF. The World economic outlook report estimates a global growth of 3.9% for 2010 and 4.1% for 2011.

STEEL TECHNOLOGY
SGS Technologies – Application Specialists
SGS Technologies manufactures burners and combustion systems for Steel & Aluminium Industry in association with Bloom Engineering, USA. SGS Technologies supplied burners for various fuels such as Furnace Oil (FO CV - 9650 KCal/kg), Light Diesel Oil (LDO CV 10,200 Kcal/kg), HSD, Natural Gas, LPG, Coke Oven Gas, Hydrogen, Corex Gas (CV 1850 Kcal/Nm3) & lean gases such as Blast Furnace Gas (BFG CV 750 KCal/Nm3) & Producer Gas (PG CV 1250 Kcal/Nm3). The unique feature of these burners is the combination firing of lean gases like BFG & PG along with FO or NG in the reheating furnaces.

Advanced technology in skin pass rolling
Against the background of a global market, rolling mill owners are under constant pressure to cut their production cost and to open up new market segments with the help of innovative products. At the same time, requirements in terms of strip quality, such as thickness and flatness tolerances, surface structure and mechanical properties, are becoming stricter and stricter.
SMS Siemag as a provider of complete solutions for rolling mill equipment is faced with the challenge of taking appropriate measures to help achieve these targets. Therefore, conducting continuous and wide-ranging development activities is indispensable for SMS Siemag. Long-standing solutions need to be questioned and new technologies examined for their usability and benefits in rolling mills.

Compact strip coating plants
The demand for high-quality, corrosion-resistant thin steel sheet for the mass manufacture of consumer goods and construction is growing in newly industrialising countries like Bulgaria. Recently, Tenova supplied a 550kt/yr push-pull pickling line with acid regeneration plant, together with a new 250kt/yr hot dip galvanising line as part of compact cold rolling and finishing plant for the Intertrust group near Sofia.

TOPICS & TRENDS
Mr. C.S. Verma takes charge as SAIL Chairman
Mr. Chandra Shekhar Verma, 51, has taken charge of the office of Chairman, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). Prior to this assignment, Mr. Verma was Director (Finance) of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), India’s largest engineering and manufacturing enterprise in the energy-related/infrastructure sector.
Mr. Verma’s prudent financial management and strategic deployment of scarce resources strengthened the competitive position of BHEL. As Director/Finance of BHEL since September 2005, Mr. Verma also had the distinction of spearheading the joint venture initiatives of the company with various state GENCOs. His efforts resulted in the signing of four such agreements with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra that would leverage the sale of 7 supercritical thermal power plants of BHEL. He also played a key role in the finalisation of various technology agreements of BHEL with Alstom, Siemens, GE and Sheffield Forgemasters.

REFRACTORY
Choice of refractories for AOD Vessel
Currently the Argon-Oxygen decarburization is the dominant process for stainless steel making. At present about seventy percent of world’s stainless steel production is through this EAF-AOD route. Around ninety-seven percent of the total stainless steel production in USA is through the AOD route, while the same figure for Europe, China and Japan are sixty seven, seventy five and fifty three percent respectively.

Behaviour of MgO based Tundish Refractory lining with steel making slag
The productivity of continuous caster in a steel shop is decided by the total no of heats taken in a tundish. The duration of total no of heats made in the Billet Casters at Tata Steel is limited by the performance of the working lining of the tundish. The total no of heats in the present tundishes are in the range of 12-15. The lower sequence heats are for low-C and med-C grades due to higher corrosion of the MgO-lining by the tundish slag. In general tundish slag are based on CaO-SiO2-Al2O3--MnO-FeO system though proportions of these oxides vary. The MgO-based tundish working lining is corroded by both liquid steel and the tundish slag. Hence an understanding of the wear mechanism of MgO vibro-mass by different tundish slag is essential to increase number of sequence heats. Reverse engineering on the after service sample from the refractory lining on wear of M to increase the sequence heats go based refractories by steel making slag is carried out in the current work. The slag in a tundish varies with the grade of steel a shop produces. The present work aims to establish the differences between the theoretical concept and the actual phenomenon in the area of wear of MgO based tundish refractories. Efforts are made to develop a suitable coating on the working lining to prevent slag penetration. Chemical analysis, Optical Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) have been employed to study the slag corrosion in tundish refractories. The results of slag working lining interaction, as understood by measured change of contact angle by sessile drop experiments, are presented. The contact angle variation with temperature for different tundish slag with modifiers is reported. The advantages of sessile drop test in selection of slag modifiers like MgO and its usefulness in lowering slag infiltration into the working lining are explained based on thermo-chemical reactions.

STEEL MARKET
Korean Steel Market after the Crisis and POSCO Strategy
• Future direction seems to be heading for flat U style but still uncertain
• 2009 : managed to show a positive growth rate in the middle of global crisis

FOCUS
Information Technology & Steel Industry Bhilai Steel Plant – a Case Study
The Bhilai Steel Plant located in India is the flagship unit of Steel Authority of India Limited – the largest producer of steel in India and a leading one in the world. According to World Steel Dynamics, SAIL with a turnover exceeding $10b ranks second in the league of ‘World Class’ steel makers, evaluated in terms of a slew of performance measuring yardsticks. Currently producing five million tonnes of steel, BSP the largest in the SAIL family, after capacity expansion program currently underway, will produce seven million tonnes of crude steel per annum by 2012.

Beach-Sand Mineral Industry in Orissa - An Overview
Orissa is endowed with valuable resources of beachsand minerals, considered to be one of the prominent beach-sand mineral deposits of the world. The eastern coastal belt of about 150 km stretching from Mahanadi basin till Andhra Pradesh border, has been investigated by Atomic Mineral Division of Government of India and number of potential areas have been identified in the belt containing heavy minerals, ranging in grade from 5% to 30%. The southern block of the coastal belt near Chhatrapur is more promising and at present under exploitation by Indian Rare Earth Ltd., for the OSCOM Plant. The beachsand minerals constitute a group of heavy minerals, such as Ilmenite, Ratile, Zincon, Monozite, Garnet and Sillimanite. These heavy minerals are very important industrial minerals having market within and outside the country. Earlier, the beach-sand mining and processing of heavy minerals were controlled by Atomic Energy Department, due to strategic reasons. After considering the vast potential of beach-sand mineral industry in our country, Government of India have recently relaxed certain provisions and private Indian Companies are allowed to participate in exploitation of beach-sand minerals and value additions there of. In this context, the prospects of beach-sand mineral industry in our country and specially for Orissa, appear very encouraging.

STEEL INTERNATIONAL
Tenova Pyromet and GLPS in DC Furnace Agreement
Tenova Pyromet and GLPS Project Management & Engineering Services have joined forces to offer DC Furnace Technology worldwide to the ferroalloy and base metals markets. Tenova Pyromet and GLPS each provide a range of services, technology and experience which together combine to provide a unique and comprehensive service to customers seeking smelting furnace technology. Tenova Pyromet and GLPS foresee that the unique benefits provided by DC Furnace Technology for the production of ferroalloys and base metals will ensure the growth in demand for this technology.

Siemens receives FAC for Arvedi ESP line
According to the recent news, the Italian steel producer Acciaieria Arvedi S.p.A. issued the Final Acceptance Certificate (FAC) to Siemens VAI following the fulfillment of the guaranteed performance figured by the new Arvedi ESP (Endless Strip Production) line in Cremona, Italy.

FACE TO FACE
The most cherished one is of course the Life Time Achievement Award given by the India Chapter of American Concrete Institute
H&K India completed its 25th Year of outstanding contribution in the industry & business through innovative ideas and concepts. Please share your view and the challenges that you have accomplished so far covering a long and confident journey.

SPECIAL REPORT
H&K India completes 25 Years
This Edison quote sums up the journey of H&K Rolling Mill Engineers Pvt. Ltd. (H&K India) as we complete 25 years. I have been truly blessed by God throughout my professional career that began in 1962. Every step appears to have been preordained and it is clear that His Hand was guiding me and H&K India formation was part of His plans. From the start in 1962, I am surprised how seemingly un-surmountable obstacles were overcome and ‘doors opened’ at appropriate times. I, and all of us at H&K India, are grateful and have not forgotten His blessings during this eventful journey.

SEMINAR & CONFERENCE
wire and Tube 2010 in Düsseldorf: a constant achievement
Global Trade fairs: wire, International Wire and Cable Trade Fair, and Tube, International Tube and Pipe Trade Fair, held from 12 to 16 April 2010, to gather information on the latest machinery, equipment and products from the wire, cable and tube processing industries. Constructive talks, avid interest in purchasing and actual deals as well as expectations regarding interesting follow-up business, all characterized the atmosphere at wire 2010 and Tube 2010. The five days of trade fair business reflected the rising of the business leaving behind the last year’s economic trough.

IRON ORE
TSI iron ore index sees sharp falls in May
The sharp price falls in May were triggered largely by an absence of iron ore buying interest. Chinese steel sector sentiment deteriorated and steel prices declined after the Chinese government implemented measures to cool the domestic real estate market. Construction accounts for nearly half of all steel consumption in China and rumours have circulated recently that domestic steel producers have begun mothballing some blast furnaces in response to falling steel demand. Concerns also persist about the impact of the European sovereign debt crisis on the global commodity markets.

STEEL MARKET
Managing Steel Price Risks in a Volatile Market
RBS Sempra Metals is a top tier global market maker and trader, and leading Ring- Dealing Member of the London Metal Exchange (LME), specializing in base metals, precious metals, steel and plastics market. Sempra Metals, as well, is a Broker Member of the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX), a member of the London Bullion Market Association (LMBA) and a member of the London Platinum and Palladium Market (LPPM). RBS Sempra is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

STEEL RAW MATERIALS
Raw material and iron ore pelletisation
Pelletizing of iron ore results to spheres generally being 8mm–18 mm (0.31–0.71 inches) in diameter. The process involves agglomeration and thermal management to convert the raw ore into pellets which are appropriate for use in a blast furnace and direct reduction.

Steel Raw Materials: Analysis of Iron-ore, Ferro-alloys, Zinc
Iron ore prices soften week-on-week on the back of limited transaction. Slow bookings and little reported interest from Chinese steel mills and traders alike - has forced Indian miners to drop their asking prices. The latest offer prices for 63.5% Fe content fines have dropped to between $182-184/tonne cfr, a decline of around $2/tonne week-on-week.

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