Siemens and Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) signed a contract to build a vacuum steel degassing plant within the steelworks 2 with an economic injection of US$83 million.
AHMSA said that Siemens Metals Technologies will supply and install the necessary equipment such as pots, mechanical vacuum pumps, structural steel and a combined pot lifting system, as well as the components for the electrical and automation systems for the new degassing process.
In a press release sent to the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV), the new plant will be installed in the BOF and Continuous Casting workshop of Siderúrgica 2 and will have the capacity to process two million metric tons of liquid steel per year.
It indicates that the main functions of the degassing plants are the elimination of hydrogen, forced decarburization and chemical heating of the liquid steel, which is processed under vacuum conditions with oxygen injection.
"The vacuum degassing process will allow AHMSA to produce high strength material, with a very low hydrogen content, steel required for applications in the oil industry, API pipe fabrication, for sour gas, steels that will be subjected to a certain degree of deformation or deep dies such as the automotive sector."
The new vacuum steel degassing plant is scheduled for commissioning in October 2015.
*Information from Notimex
Source: MANUFACTURA