Recent Application of the Mulpic® Plate Cooling Technology

by I. Robinson, R. Owen

Publisher - Siemens VAI (UK) Ltd

Category - General Novel

Today the demand is for high strength plates with the use of high cost alloying elements to be kept to a minimum. Applications such as oil and gas pipelines, offshore structures and shipbuilding, require good control of both mechanical properties and the final shape of the plates. The production of plates with thermo mechanically controlled properties is made economically possible with the application of the MULPIC (Multi-Purpose-interrupted-Cooling) technology coupled with advanced process control. This paper describes the first application in Japan of this cooling technology. It was part of the modernisation of a heavy-plate line, with the aim being to improve the output and quality of the products even further. The Japanese plate producer and Siemens VAI worked closely together to ensure that the installation of the new cooling system was completed following a planned 25-day plant shutdown in the summer of 2010. The modular design philosophy used in the MULPIC reduced installation time and Final Acceptance was achieved with all guarantees passed. This paper presents an overview of the project together with a description of the cooling system and its associated automation. The MULPIC is designed to provide the high cooling rates and temperature accuracy needed to achieve the combination of high strength and toughness essential to plates destined for demanding applications. Plate flatness accuracy is controlled using edge masking, crown valves and head and tail masking. This paper also demonstrates the importance of the advanced model based automation used to control the plate temperature uniformity. Typical performance results are given which demonstrate the accuracy that was achieved.

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