Primetals Technologies has completed work for ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG, producers of high-quality flat steel, on expanding the intensive cooling section of hot strip mill 2 in Duisburg-Beeckerwerth. The “Power Cooling” system from Primetals Technologies, operational since December 2010 has passed its acceptance test. The system cools all steel grades, including high-strength steel grades, quickly and reliably in a wide range of thicknesses.
The aim of the expansion work is to develop new materials that require higher cooling rates and thus helps ThyssenKrupp Steel gain a technological edge over competitors. The high cooling rates and precise temperature control allow exact adjustment of the microstructure. Consequently, smaller quantities of alloying elements are needed to produce certain steel products.
Depending on the thickness of the strip, the Power Cooling technology from Primetals Technologies can achieve cooling rates of up to 400 Kelvin per second. Such high cooling rates are required, in particular, for the production of higher and high-strength steels in the upper thickness range of up to 25.4 mm. The intensity of cooling can be regulated in the cooling section to achieve the desired microstructure of the rolled material with high precision.
