Nucor Steel Marion has awarded Russula two separate purchase orders. In April 2017, the first order was received for the complete bar mill automation and electrics supply. Less than a year later in March 2018, Russula received a second order from Nucor Marion for a water treatment plant. Both orders are part of the $85 million mill expansion project to update the bar mill technology in Marion, OH. The mill currently produces over 400,000 tpy and is Ohio’s largest producers of rebar and signposts.
The mill expansion project consists of a combination of new equipment and the reutilization of existing equipment. The sixteen stand continuous mill will re-utilize the existing cooling bed, cold shear, bundling and tying area while the 120 tph walking beam reheat furnace, stands, three shears and water treatment plant are all new equipment installations. The modernized bar mill will feature the latest in advanced control techniques and controller hardware that meet the rigorous requirements of today’s steel plants.
Bar mill automation & electrics
Russula will supply the comprehensive automation and electric systems from the furnace exit to the bundling area and all the equipment in between for the 16 stand continuous bar mill. In addition, the scope of supply includes the interface to the reheat furnace, billet handling equipment and water systems. The new rolling mill control system is based on the latest generation of ControlLogix controllers. These controllers are ideal to meet the performance, safety and capacity requirements of the smart factory.
Russula automation and electrics scope of supply:
• Power transformers for mill equipment
• Mill AC multidrives
• Motor Control Centers for mill area
• Motor protection panels
• Mill main AC motors
• ControlLogix controllers
• Wonderware HMI system
• Rolling mill software engineering
• New reheat furnace interface
• New water systems automation interface
• Billet handling equipment interface
• Cooling bed exit and cold shear software engineering
• Factory Acceptance Test
• Installation supervision
• Commissioning
• On-site production support
• Training
• Remote support
Water treatment plant
Last March, Russula received a second order from Nucor Steel Marion to supply a water treatment plant for the contact water circuit of the bar mill which has a flowrate of 2,800 gpm (636 m3/h). Tapping into Russula’s broad range of experience and expertise in supplying water solutions specifically to the steel industry, the Nucor Marion water treatment plant will focus on the performance, sustainability, and environmental quality standards.
Included in the scope of supply is the initial water solution concept, detailed electrical and mechanical engineering, the electrical and mechanical equipment supply, installation supervision, on-site production and startup support.
Russula water treatment plant electrical, mechanical, and services scope of supply:
• Detailed electrical engineering
• Electrical and automation equipment
• Detailed mechanical engineering
• Counterwash and contact water pumps
• Thickener tank
• Oil skimmers
• Agitators
• Installation supervision
• Commissioning
• On-site production support
Equipment delivery & startup
Russula is scheduled to deliver the bar mill electrical and control equipment this summer and the water treatment plant electrical and mechanical equipment in October of 2018. The start-up of the modernized mill is expected to take place at the end of this year.
Russula & Nucor
In the last year, Russula has successfully completed five automation projects of similar size for other Nucor plants in Kankakee, Darlington, Kingman, Utah and Nebraska. This order marks the tenth water treatment plant sold by Russula in the past five years, three of which are currently in operation in the United States.