As part of a modernisation programme at Wuhan Steel Processing Co. Ltd, China, all HNX bell annealers, dating back to the 1970s, will be replaced by facilities using the newest HICON/H2® technology supplied by Ebner-Industrieofenbau, Austria.
The scope of the contract includes 12 HICON/H2 workbases with 6 heating and 6 cooling bells designed for a maximum net charge of 91 tonnes; 36 HICON/H2 workbases with 20 heating bells and 16 cooling bells designed for a maximum net charge of 166 tonnes; and additional equipment including final cooling on cooling stands.
All key components, such as the latest generation, encapsulated HICON/H2 workbases, gas engineering components, cooling bell blowers and control system, will be supplied from Austria. All other components will be fabricated in China under Ebner’s supervision. The HICON/H2 annealing facilities supplied at the beginning of the 1990s will be incorporated into the new control system. Production is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2002.
