Turkish steel producer Colakoğlu expand product portfolio to include wear-resistant steel grades. The company has placed an order with SMS for the modernization of the laminar cooling section and the downcoiler in its 1,850-millimeter hot strip mill.
Steel producer Colakoğlu, Dilovası, Turkey, has placed an order with SMS for the modernization of the laminar cooling section and the downcoiler in its 1,850-millimeter hot strip mill. With the completion of the laminar cooling system upgrade by SMS, Colakoğlu Metalurji AS plans to enter the market for wear-resistant steel grades. Both companies have enjoyed a trustful and longstanding technology partnership since SMS group delivered the 1,850-millimeter hot strip mill (HSM) to Colakoğlu back in 2010.
According to SMS, the most recent technological upgrade of the 1,850-millimeter hot strip mill (HSM), delivered by SMS, has not only ensured stable and near-autonomous rolling, but also improved product quality and reduced maintenance costs in the finishing mill.
With this current order, Colakoğlu is aiming to expand its range of products to include wear-resistant hot strip grades, which are used, for example, to produce truck beds and excavator buckets as well as for applications in the mining industry. Steel sheets and plates such as these are usually delivered in a quenched state. At Colakoğlu, this will be achieved by increasing the cooling rates in the laminar cooling section of the HSM. The increased cooling rate is also beneficial for other steel grades in the product mix. The use of various alloying elements can be reduced, saving significantly on operating costs. In addition to the laminar cooling system, the modernization also covers the downcoiler area.
Optimized cooling
Optimized cooling of hot-rolled wear resistant steel grades takes place quickly and early, following the last rolling pass in the finishing mill. The first cooling groups in the laminar cooling section will be replaced by SMS’s so called super-reinforced cooling technology, which provides a specific water application rate that is almost three times higher. To improve flow control and maintainability, new flowmeters and control valves will be installed throughout the laminar cooling section. Colakoğlu relies on the integrated solutions provided by SMS, which feature advanced control systems and process models from the X-Pact product family. The modernized HSM is scheduled to go into service in the fall of 2026.
Source: SMS group
