ANDRITZ to supply two furnaces to HBIS Group in China

International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an order from HBIS Group Co. Ltd, Laoting, Hebei Province, China, to supply two strip processing furnaces.

Furnace #1 is for a continuous annealing line to produce the latest generation of advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) including Q&P (Quenching and Partitioning) and martensitic steel. The annual capacity of the line is 825,000 tons.

Furnace #2 is an L-shaped type with an ANDRITZ directly fired furnace (DFF) for a continuous hot-galvanizing line to produce hot-rolled products up to 6 mm thick, including dual-phase steel. The DFF allows simultaneous strip heating, cleaning and – if required for AHSS – pre-oxidation. The annual capacity of the line is 412,000 tons.

These two furnaces are designed with particular focus on production level and – by using ANDRITZ Differential Rapid Jet cooling (DRJC) – on high cooling rates with the uniform strip temperature required to achieve the specific mechanical properties of AHSS.

Special attention is also directed towards hot-rolled product coatings using ANDRITZ DFF and minimizing environmental impact in terms of emissions and of low fuel and utility consumption (nitrogen and hydrogen). Production of the first coil on these two lines is scheduled for the first quarter of 2020.

This order now contains the fifth and sixth furnaces to be built in a row in recent years for HBIS Group companies, which confirms the long-term and successful cooperation between ANDRITZ and HBIS, dating back to 2002. HBIS Group is one of China’s largest iron and steel material manufacturers and service suppliers.