SMS group retrofitted the two strands of the vertical bending caster one after the other and put them back into operation within one month of one another. The goal of the retrofit was to improve secondary cooling and slab quality.

At ArcelorMittal Bremen, 220-millimeter-thick steel slabs are cast with a maximum width of 2,670 millimeters.

Kai Küstner, Project Manager for the caster retrofit at ArcelorMittal Bremen: “We are very satisfied with the HD spray technology. The SMS group team was very committed and supported our trusting cooperation. This enabled smooth commissioning.”

The HD spray system developed by SMS group is a scalable water distribution and control system which – compared to conventional solutions – requires far less space and pipework.

The SMS group concept of control circuits across the width of the slab that can be individually activated and deactivated is already being successfully applied in a great number of plants. The HD spray technology newly developed by SMS group offers ArcelorMittal Bremen a variety of additional benefits. Compact HD spray boxes fitted close to the spray nozzles, and not in the water distribution room, take over the function of control valves. This helps to significantly reduce the required interconnecting pipework.

Pneumatically operated pressure control valves and the related automation system form the centerpiece of the HD spray system. The secondary cooling water is distributed and controlled only just before the cooling nozzles. This makes negative influences such as long control lines or pressure losses a thing of the past. What’s more, the use of HD spray in combination with an air-water cooling system reduces process air consumption by 30 percent.

SMS group’s scope of supply comprised the entire basic and detail engineering, delivery and erection of the HD spray system and the new segment piping, as well as supervision of the commissioning. ArcelorMittal Bremen produces over 3.5 million tons of flat steel every year. Europe’s leading automobile manufacturers are among its most important customers.