Voestalpine to upgrade hot strip mill in Austria

The revamp of the hot strip mill in Linz, Austria, will deliver uniform, controlled, and metallurgically tailored strip cooling profiles across the entire strip section and length. This modernisation enables Voestalpine Stahl to develop new, sophisticated steel grades.

Voestalpine Stahl has selected Primetals to upgrade the laminar strip cooling line at its 5-million-ton-per-year hot strip mill (HSM) in Linz, Austria. According to Primetals, these upgrades ensure the mill remains at the forefront of rolling technology, meeting rising quality flat steel standards. The company has been tasked with increasing the cooling capacity of the strip cooling section to meet the demands of all steel grades in the current product mix, especially high-strength steels, and to support future steel developments.
The upgrade includes installing new laminar cooling headers and flow-controlled valves for precise water flow management throughout the cooling section. Additional improvements include new roller table side guides, water knives, and a cross-spray system. The new cooling headers can be adjusted over a wide range using flow-control valves, allowing both mild and rapid cooling strategies with the same equipment, customized to specific product requirements. The flow-controlled valves will feature fully automated characteristic flow curve recording for each valve.
The modernization will result in uniform, controlled, and metallurgically tailored strip cooling profiles across the strip’s width and length, as well as balanced heat flux between the top and bottom surfaces, Primetals says. This will support the development of more advanced, high-performance steel grades, with a particular focus on the automotive sector.
Source: Primetals Technologies