Posted on 14 Jul 2014
Mexican Steel Producer Orders Vacuum Degassing Plant
Siemens Metals Technologies received an order from Mexican steel
producer Altos Hornos de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. (AHMSA) to supply a
150-ton, twin RH vacuum degassing plant with mechanical vacuum pumps for
converter Steel Works # 2 in Monclova. It will be able to handle 50
charges per day, which is the equivalent of about 2 million metric tons
of liquid steel per year. The new plant, which is scheduled for
commissioning in October 2015, will allow AHMSA to produce steels with
the very low hydrogen content required for applications in the oil and
gas industry. The main functions of RH degassing plants are the removal
of hydrogen, forced decarburization and the chemical heating of the
liquid steel, which is processed under vacuum conditions with the
injection of oxygen.