Rizhao Steel to upgrade ESP lines

Chinese producer Rizhao Steel installed anti-bulging systems on all its five Arvedi ESP high-speed casters. According to Primetals, this upgrade keeps the Rizhao plant—the world’s largest ESP facility with over 11 million tons of annual capacity—at the cutting edge, Primetals says.

The system combines conventional mold-level control with the ability to dynamically adjust the roller gap in the bender—hydraulically operated and position-controlled—allowing active regulation of the liquid steel volume at the top of the caster. This real-time control strategy continuously compensates for mold-level fluctuations caused by bulging, increasing average casting speeds, improving surface quality by reducing oscillation marks, and minimizing casting powder entrapment. At the same time, it significantly reduces the risk of breakouts and liquid steel overflow.
A stable mold-bath level is essential for smooth operation in any caster but is especially critical for high-speed, high-mass-flow lines such as the Arvedi ESP. At these productivity levels—up to 10 tons per minute—traditional level-control methods alone are insufficient, Primetals says.
Source: Primetals Technologies